Russell Davies was born in Barmouth, North Wales, and educated at Manchester Grammar School. He was a Major Scholar at St John's College Cambridge, where he took a first class degree in Modern Languages. Having been Secretary of the Footlights Club, he became an actor for a while before turning to journalism. His posts ranged from Caricaturist of the Times Literary Supplement to Film Critic of the Observer, where he also served three years in the press-box as a football correspondent. He later became TV critic of both the Observer and the Sunday Times. Since 1979 he has been a regular broadcaster on both radio and TV. He still supplies music documentaries to Radio 2, where his Song Show ran for fifteen years. He first chaired Brain of Britain in 2004. His books include biographies of the cartoonist Vicky and the graphic artist Ronald Searle, and he edited the Kenneth Williams Diaries. He is married with three sons, and has played jazz trombone and tuba since 1964.
Born in Barmouth, Russell has a first-class degree in Modern Languages from St John's College Cambridge. He was Caricaturist of the Times Literary Supplement and Film Critic of the Observer, later TV critic of the Observer and Sunday Times. He first chaired Brain of Britain in 2004. His books include biographies of the cartoonist Vicky and the graphic artist Ronald Searle, and he edited the Kenneth Williams Diaries. He is married with 3 sons, and has played jazz trombone and tuba since 1964.
