Philip was born in the East End of London where he still lives and works. He studied painting at St Martin's School of Art and has exhibited widely throughout Europe. As a novelist his credits include Crocodilia (1988), In The Eyes Of Mr. Fury (Penguin, 1989), Flamingoes In Orbit (Hamish Hamilton, 1990) and three novels for children; Mercedes Ice (Collins, 1989), Dakota Of The White Flats (Collins, 1989) and Krindlekrax (Jonathan Cape, 1991) which won the Smarties Prize for Children's Fiction and won the W.H. Smith Mind-Boggling Book Award , a new award judged by children. His plays for BBC Radio are October Scars The Skin, The Aquarium Of Coincidences and Shambolic Rainbow. His first stage play, the award -winning 'The Pitchfork Disney', was premiered at the Bush Theatre, London in 1991, directed by Matthew Lloyd. The Pitchfork Disney received its New York premiere in April 1999. Other stage plays include 'Ghost From A Perfect Place' (Hampstead Theatre, 1994) and 'Vincent River' (Hampstead Theatre, 2000). In May 1992 his second stage play, 'The Fastest Clock In The Universe', opened at Hampstead Theatre, playing to both critical acclaim and box office success, and went on to win the 1992 Evening Standard Most Promising Newcomer Award , one of the 1992 Time Out Theatre Award s, the prestigious Meyer Whitworth Award for New Theatre Writing, 1992 and the 1992 Critics' Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. It received its US premiere in New York in 1998. His two short films - Visiting Mr. Beak (1987) and The Universe Of Dermot Finn (1988) - were soon followed by his highly acclaimed screenplay for The Krays (1990) and his feature film debut as both writer and director, the highly controversial The Reflecting Skin (1990), which won eleven international award s, was voted one of the Best Ten Films of 1991 by the L.A. Times and prompted Rolling Stone to describe him as "a visionary". In 1991 he was award ed the Most Promising Newcomer to British Film at the Evening Standard Film Award s. His third feature, The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) - written and directed by Philip - was released in 1996.
He was awarded the 1992 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Fastest Clock in the Universe.He was awarded the 1992 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Most Promising Playwright for The Fastest Clock in the Universe.Worked as a DJ in a nightclub while attending college. He also worked in a pie and mash shop in the East End of London, a betting office and a chip shop.Hobbies: Collecting stamps, old paperbacks, comics, model robots, model crocodiles, model Cadillacs, gardening, model making, old photographs.Wrote his first unpublished novel when he was 7 years old and his first published novel when he was 19.Favourite movie is Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).Favourite song is 'Wild Is the Wind' sung by 'David Bowie'.Favourite book is "Stig of the Dump" by Clive King.