At the age of sixteen Mike Cullen left school to work in the coal mines as an apprentice electrician, with the goal of funding a future career as a rock star. He became a rock 'n' roll has-been shortly after, went back into education and, in 1992, graduated from Edinburgh University with an Honours degree in Linguistics. In his final year at university, he wrote his hugely successful stage play The Cut, instead of attending classes. His writing career took off and, in 1996, Mike became writer-in-residence at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, under the Thames TV Bursary Scheme. He went on to write extensively for television, creating the hit crime series Donovan. His stage writing also continued apace, and he won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival in 1997 with his play, Anna Weiss.
