History & Memories
I was born in Lancashire, and I tell people that I kept moving South (showing either persistence or lack of imagination) until I reached the Channel and had to stop – which made a lot more sense when I lived on my boat in Brighton Marina, so I really did live in the Channel.
I’ve written more about my personal history and the start of my interest in setting crosswords in my blog – to read on, click here.
Few compilers can, like Boatman, regularly achieve a cryptic puzzle that leaves the solver genuinely satisfied with the time and effort expended.
Hugh Stephenson
Guardian Crossword Editor
Guardian Puzzles
The best way to enjoy my work for the Guardian is (of course!) to buy my books, which show you how each piece was created, but you can also find my puzzles online by searching the Guardian’s website – click here to get started.
Bonus Puzzles & More
I’ve collected some of my earlier puzzles for you to download, which were first published in 1 Across magazine, and a selection of entries to the 1 Across clueing competition, along with links to the infamous Referendum Day puzzle and solution. You can enjoy them all by clicking here. For other crossword-related news, click here, and for thoughts about my compiling process click here.
When Boatman appeared at the Guardian something really changed
Sil van den Hoek
