Sophie Grigson was born in the village of Broad Town, near Swindon, Wiltshire, in 1959 and attended Oxford High School. From there she went on to study mathematics at UMIST, Manchester. After graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics (she was Vice-President of the UMIST Alumni Association), she worked for a time as a production manager of pop videos for groups including Bonnie Tyler and the Style Council.