Barry R. Clarke

Who is Barry R. Clarke?

Barry R. Clarke is a British puzzle designer, theoretical physicist, and Shakespeare authorship researcher.

Born in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, to English parents, he was educated at Heckmondwike Grammar School, West Yorkshire. In 1984, he obtained a Master of Science degree by thesis in theoretical physics from the University of Hull and published papers on perturbation methods in quantum mechanics.

He has written and directed several award-winning short films and his comedy sketches have appeared on both BBC and ITV.

In January 2014 he was awarded a PhD degree without amendments from Brunel University on A linguistic analysis of Francis Bacon's contribution to three Shakespeare plays: The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour's Lost, and The Tempest. The work has also resulted in a peer-reviewed paper.

Since 1989, he has written a regular puzzle column for The Daily Telegraph, his puzzle work has been featured on BBC TV Mindgames, and he has published several books of original puzzles. His enigmas have also appeared in The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, New Scientist, and Reader's Digest.