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 before turning to journalism. His posts ranged from Caricaturist of the Times Literary Supplement to Film Critic of the Observer, where he served three years as football correspondent. He later became TV critic of the Observer and Sunday Times. Since 1979 he has been a regular broadcaster on 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.