Williams was born in Fulham, London, and brought up in Notting Hill, the youngest of four siblings in a single-parent home, with his mother working as a nurse after his father moved to the United States.

After leaving school at the age of 18, Williams did various jobs, including working in McDonald's and in a props warehouse.

[1] His first full-length play was The No Boys Cricket Club, which premiered in 1996 at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

[2] Williams has done work in television, including adapting his own play Fallout, and also co-wrote the script for the 2012 British film Fast Girls.

2024 Winner Best adaptation at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for "Bess loves Porgy".