Steven Howard Thompson was born on 14 October 1978 in Paisley, Scotland. He was raised in the area, though detailed public information about his parents is limited.

He began his professional football career in 1996 and went on to play for clubs such as Dundee United, Rangers, Cardiff City, Burnley, and St Mirren. He also represented the Scotland national team between 2002 and 2004.

After retiring from football, Thompson moved into media work. He initially worked as a pundit before becoming a presenter on Sportscene, including Sportscene: Premiership Highlights. The show airs on BBC One Scotland and BBC Scotland, covering top-flight Scottish football.

He officially became a presenter on the programme around 2020 after several years as a pundit. Thompson maintains a relatively private personal life but is known to live in Scotland with his family.