Russell Davies facts for kids

Robert Russell Davies, born on April 5, 1946, is a well-known British journalist and broadcaster. He has worked on many radio and TV shows. He is famous for his clear voice and interesting way of telling stories. He has been a writer, a critic, and a presenter for many years.

Russell Davies: A Life in Media

Growing Up and School

Russell Davies was born in Barmouth, a town in North Wales. He went to Manchester Grammar School from 1957 to 1964. While at school, he enjoyed acting in plays. He was even chosen as the school's vice-captain. This shows he was a leader and good at many things.

University Days

After school, Russell earned a special scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge. He studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages and earned a top degree in 1967. He started studying German literature further. However, he soon left his studies to join the Cambridge Footlights comedy group. This group often tours and helps new comedians get started. While at Cambridge, he also drew cartoons for the student newspaper, Varsity. He used the pen name Dai for his drawings.

Starting His Career in Entertainment

In 1970, Russell Davies began working in television. He starred in three shows for London Weekend Television. These shows were called The Party's Moving On and What Are You Doing After the Show?. They were comedy shows with music and sketches. He also co-hosted Think Twice with Clive James. This show focused on discussing art. Russell also played the tuba on music albums for other artists.

He also appeared in a BBC comedy series called Don't Ask Us in 1970. He worked alongside famous actors like Richard Stilgoe and Maureen Lipman.

Becoming a Writer and Presenter

Russell felt that his early acting roles were too similar. He wanted to do more varied work. So, he started writing and presenting. He became a film and TV critic for major newspapers like The Observer and The Sunday Times. He also wrote articles about sports for The Daily Telegraph. He drew funny pictures for The Times Literary Supplement. For a time, he was also a deputy editor at Punch magazine.

He also helped prepare the diaries and letters of the famous actor Kenneth Williams for publishing. In the 1980s, Russell was often seen on TV. He presented a show called Saturday Review for BBC2.

A Voice on the Radio

Russell Davies has had a long and successful career in radio. In 1988, he presented a 12-part BBC radio series called Radio Fun. This show explored the history of comedy on the radio. It covered comedy from the 1930s up to the present day. The series was so popular that it was repeated many times on BBC Radio 7 (now BBC Radio 4 Extra).

Jazz and Music Shows

Russell is also a talented jazz trombonist. He has presented many TV and radio shows about jazz music. In 1999, he hosted a year-long history of jazz for BBC Radio 3 called Jazz Century. He also wrote and presented other radio shows. One of these was BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth, which won an award in 1996. He also presented a series on Radio 2 about famous songwriters Rodgers and Hart.

In 2003, Russell wrote and presented a film about the jazz clarinet player Artie Shaw. This film was called Quest for Perfection and was shown on BBC Four. He also made a documentary about the cartoonist Ronald Searle in 2006.

Quizzes and Song Shows

Since 2010, Russell Davies has been the permanent host of Brain of Britain on Radio 4. This is a popular quiz show. He first filled in for the previous host, Robert Robinson, when he was ill.

From 1998 until 2013, Russell also hosted 'The Russell Davies Song Show' on BBC Radio 2. This Sunday radio program explored the art and inspiration behind popular songs. It often featured music from 'The Great American Songbook'. He has also presented the BBC Radio 4 music quiz Counterpoint.

See also

• Edward Pygge, a pen name used by Davies