Editing Richard Curtis (section)

==Early life and education==
Curtis was born in [[Wellington]], New Zealand. He is the son of Glyness S. and Anthony J. Curtis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard Curtis Biography (1956-) |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/27/Richard-Curtis.html |website=FilmReference.com}}</ref> His father was a [[Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak]] refugee who moved to Australia when aged 13<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 June 2014 |title=Emma Freud tells her Dad's refugee story |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4ty5atPWGI |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211108/c4ty5atPWGI |archive-date=8 November 2021 |publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and became an executive at [[Unilever]]. Curtis and his family lived in several different countries during his childhood, including Sweden and the Philippines, before moving to the United Kingdom when he was 11.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 October 2016 |title=How Blackadder changed the history of television comedy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/how-blackadder-changed-the-history-of-television-comedy-1705107.html |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

Curtis attended [[Papplewick School]] in [[Ascot, Berkshire]] (as did his younger brother Jamie). For a short period in the 1970s, he lived in [[Warrington]], [[Cheshire]], where he attended Appleton Grammar School (now [[Bridgewater High School, Warrington|Bridgewater High School]]). He lived at Merricourt on Windmill Lane, [[Appleton, Warrington|Appleton]], Warrington, during this time. His university friend [[Rowan Atkinson]] was an occasional visitor to the house.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-17 |title=Lovely memories of life with the Curtis family |url=https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/15290907.lovely-memories-of-life-with-the-curtis-family/ |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Warrington Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

He then won a scholarship to [[Harrow School]], where he joined the editorial team of ''[[The Harrovian]]'', the weekly school magazine, and this, he asserts, is "where I learned all the skills that made me a sketch writer. I did reviews, comment pieces and funny articles where I'd try to conjure something out of nothing."<ref name=Morwood-Curtis/> While at Harrow, Curtis directed a school performance of [[Joe Orton]]'s play ''[[The Erpingham Camp]]''; this controversial choice was given the 'green light' by his classics master, [[James Morwood]]. Later, Curtis commented that Morwood's support had helped him understand that it was all right "to push boundaries and to be funny".<ref name="Morwood-Curtis">{{Cite news |last=Curtis |first=Richard |date=27 March 2015 |title=James Morwood by Richard Curtis |url=https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/james-morwood-richard-curtis?amp= |access-date=16 June 2022 |work=[[The Times Educational Supplement]]}}</ref> Curtis did not approve of [[fagging]] at the school, and at 18, when he became head of his house, he banned it.<ref name=Morwood-Curtis/>

He achieved a first-class Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature at [[Christ Church, Oxford]]. At the [[University of Oxford]], he met and began working with [[Rowan Atkinson]], after they both joined the scriptwriting team of the Etceteras revue, part of the [[Experimental Theatre Club]]. He appeared in the company's "After Eights" at the [[Oxford Playhouse]] in May 1976.