 He attended the University of Sydney in the 1960s.Atherden has written a number of plays, prior to working in television he wrote "Balloon Dubloon" the revue in 1965 and theatre show in 1970; after which he concentrated on screenwriting, but continuing in writing for theatre from 1994 onwards.including "Hotspur" (1994) and "Black Cockatoo" (2020).