John Halpern a.k.a. 'Paul' from The Guardian, Punk and Mudd, was born in Cuckfield, Sussex, UK in 1967, and is a cryptic crossword compiler for newspapers including The Guardian, The Independent, The Times and The Financial Times.Halpern's interest in The Guardian cryptic crossword puzzle began when he was a student in Canterbury, and he wondered if the compilers could possibly be human beings.