Robert Russell Davies (born 5 April 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster.
Davies was born in Barmouth,
North Wales
North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...
. He attended
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...
, according to his own statement on a November 2010 '' Brain of Britain'' programme. Also according to the programme, his grandfather was a mole-catcher. During his time at MGS (1957–64) he acted in dramatic society productions and was appointed school vice-captain.
He gained a scholarship to
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
, and was awarded a first class degree in Modern and Mediaeval Languages in 1967, but soon abandoned his post-graduate studies in German literature when the opportunity arose to tour with the Cambridge Footlights revue. During his time in Cambridge, he contributed topical cartoons to the news pages of '' Varsity'', the undergraduate newspaper, under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Dai.
In 1970, Davies co-starred with fellow Footlights alumni Pete Atkin,
Clive James
Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Julie Covington across three
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...
series. ''The Party's Moving On'' and ''What Are You Doing After the Show?'' were revue-style shows, featuring original music written by Atkin and James along with sketches and commentary. ''Think Twice'' focused on discussion of the arts between Davies and co-host Clive James. He appeared on Atkin's first album '' Beware of the Beautiful Stranger'' playing tuba, and also on Covington's first album '' The Beautiful Changes'' playing tuba and trumpet.
In 1970, Davies co-starred in the BBC comedy series ''Don't Ask Us'', alongside Richard Stilgoe and Maureen Lipman.
He felt limited by his early acting credits, a string of comedy roles offered by his agent. To diversify his career, he found fulfilling work as a writer and presenter. Davies became a film and television critic for ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' and ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', and contributed features and sports columns for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' and ''
The Sunday Telegraph
''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Tele ...
'', caricatures for '' The Times Literary Supplement'' and was a deputy editor of ''Punch''. He edited Kenneth Williams's diaries and letters for publication, despite being the target of Williams's acid pen in those same diaries. He regularly appeared on television in the 1980s, presenting ''Saturday Review'' for
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
.
In 1988, Davies was the presenter of a 12-part BBC radio series ''Radio Fun'' chronicling the history of comedy on the radio from the thirties to the present day. The series was repeated from 2007 to 2010 on BBC Radio 7 (now BBC Radio 4 Extra).
Davies is a jazz trombonist and has presented television and radio documentaries on jazz, including in 1999 a year-long history for
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
, ''Jazz Century''. He has written and presented other radio programmes including
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's series '' Word of Mouth'' (winner of the 1996 European Radio, ONDAS prize), and a series on Radio 2 about songwriters Rodgers and Hart, ''Legends of Light Music''. In 2003, Russell Davies wrote and presented ''Quest for Perfection'', a film about jazz
clarinetist
The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodw ...
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
and produced by John Warburton (shortlisted for the 2004 Grierson Award). His documentary on the life of the cartoonist Ronald Searle was shown on the BBC in 2006.
He presents '' Brain of Britain'' on Radio 4, first temporarily to cover the illness of presenter Robert Robinson, then permanently from 2010 when Robinson retired. From 1998 (when he took over from Benny Green) until 29 September 2013, he presented a Sunday radio programme on BBC Radio 2 called 'The Russell Davies Song Show' which showcased 'The Art, Craft & Inspiration of the Popular Song'. The show was produced by Roy Oakshott and predominantly featured music from 'The Great American Songbook' and the pre-rock 'n' roll jazz era. He has also presented the BBC Radio 4 music quiz '' Counterpoint''.
Bibliography
*''Vicky'' (1987) with Liz Ottaway
*''Ronald Searle'' (1990)
*''Foreign Body - the Secret Life of Robert Maxwell'' (1995)
*''Brain of Britain: Ultimate Quiz Book'' (2017)