In 1956 he was born into the kind of middle-class, army family that can speak without actually moving its lips. In 1975, according to his mother, "..he ran away and became a communist..". Actually, he went to the University of Sussex, where he studied law.

In Brighton, as Punk dawned, Simon, still wearing his Marks & Spencer jumbo cords and big knitted sweater, fell into what was then called 'alternative' comedy. While other young comics dropped their 'aitches to improve their street cred, Simon traded up and relied on people seeing that his background gave him Avenue Credibility.

Between 1982 and 1991 he became one of the regular new live comedy performers in Britain, taking a new show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year and eventually winning the Perrier Award in 1989. Having got that far, he then sensibly gave up stand-up and turned to radio, TV and writing.

On Radios Four and Five since 1988 he has presented Kaleidoscope, Sunday Brunch, Fanshawe on Five, The Reference Library, Live From London, Fanshawe Gets To The Bottom Of... and is a regular on Loose Ends and The Motion Show. He has also written and presented many documentaries and features on subjects from fitness to sarcasm.

Simon is a regular media tart, writing on arts and politics for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph and The Evening Standard.

He also chairs conferences for money which for some reason he enjoys.

This he combines with a passionate involvement with his hometown of Brighton.