Russell Davies
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This article refers to the Radio 2 presenter and journalist. For the television scriptwriter see Russell T. Davies
Russell Davies was born in Barmouth, North Wales and is currently a Sunday presenter for BBC Radio 2. He received a first class degree at St John's College, Cambridge but soon abandoned his post-graduate studies in German literature when the opportunity arose to tour with the legendary Cambridge Footlights revue.
As a journalist Davies would work as a film and television critic for The Observer and The Sunday Times, features writer and sports columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, a caricaturist for The Times Literary Supplement and was a deputy editor of Punch. He also edited Kenneth Williams's diaries 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.
As a trombone playing jazz musician, he has taken the opportunity to present television and radio documentaries on the subject, including a year long history for Radio 3; he's been the writer and presenter of other radio programmes including BBC Radio 4'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.
Davies is currently writing a film about Artie Shaw for BBC 4.