He lives in Stratford-upon-Avon and was educated in English at University College London (UCL).

Dr. Paul Edmondson, he called upon the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey to remove the question mark which appears in place of a date of death in the memorial window to Christopher Marlowe in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

[8] Wells remains married to novelist Susan Hill, though separated in 2011,[9] and the couple was once considered part of the "Gloucestershire mafia" set of well-connected writers and socialites.

[10] Wells was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2007 Birthday Honours for services to literature.

In 2016, he was awarded the President's Medal by the British Academy "for his lifetime service to the study, knowledge and enjoyment of William Shakespeare".