Rachel Billington has had television plays performed, written screenplays and still does regular journalism. In the past she wrote a column for the Sunday Telegraph which lasted for over three years. She is co-editor of Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners which she helped to found in 1991. She was President of English PEN, the writers' organisation till 2000 and is still a Vice-President and Chair of their Readers and Writers Programme.

Billington is married, has four children and two grandchildren. Her special pleasure is walking in the Dorset country-side where she lives part of the time.