Jim Davidson

Biography

The son of a Scottish father from Glasgow and an Irish mother from County Cork, Davidson was born in Kidbrooke, London, and attended Kidbrooke Park Primary School, Blackheath, and St Austin's School in Charlton. Having impressed some acquaintances of his father with impressions of celebrities, he was chosen to appear in Ralph Reader's Gang Show at the Golders Green Hippodrome aged 12 and appeared on television in the Billy Cotton Band Show.

Upon leaving school, Davidson worked as a supermarket shelf stacker, a messenger, air ticket clerk for a travel agency, a cashier for Wall's ice cream and for Rank Xerox (having trained as a reprographics operator), and a window cleaner.

Davidson started in show business when, as a regular in a pub in Woolwich, he stepped in after the pub's regular comedian was not available. He then became a regular on the London comedy circuit, and first auditioned unsuccessfully for Opportunity Knocks in 1975. His audition for New Faces was more successful, and he won the show by one point, coming second in the overall contest.

Television career

Davidson's success was quickly followed by many more appearances on television, including What's on Next, and several series of his own television show, The Jim Davidson Show (1979—1982), which ran for five complete series and won Davidson the TV Times award as "Funniest Man on Television".

Davidson appeared on an edition of the BBC1 series Seaside Special, shown on 20 August 1977, hosted by Tony Blackburn and David Hamilton. His appearance garnered a negative review in The Stage, with the show's reviewer, Martyn Wade, commenting that: "...comedian Jim Davidson had already won first prize for lack of taste with crude racist jokes tracing the adventures of a black man whose nickname was Chalky and whose other names included Toilet-Roll. 'Day-light come and I gotta sign on' is a representative line from Mr Davidson's act."

He starred in TV sitcoms Up the Elephant and Round the Castle (1983–1985) and Home James! (1987–1990). His one-man show for Thames Television, Stand Up Jim Davidson (1990), was recorded at London's Royalty Theatre.

Davidson became known for Big Break (1991–2002) and as the third host of The Generation Game (1995–2002), as the successor to Bruce Forsyth and Larry Grayson. In September 2007, Davidson appeared in the third series of Hell's Kitchen (2007) in the UK, and in May 2008 he appeared in the BBC's Comedy Map of Britain.

On 2 January 2013, Davidson was set to become a housemate in the 11th series of Celebrity Big Brother, but was arrested at Heathrow Airport by police officers working on Operation Yewtree. On 3 January 2014, a year after being arrested and without being charged, he became a housemate in the show's 13th series. On 29 January 2014, he left the Big Brother house as the winner.

Touring show

Davidson's touring material developed from his original London comedy circuit show, aimed for pub and club audiences, a demographic considerably different to that of his television work. He later developed his touring material into his adult pantomime work, including productions with titles such as Boobs in the Wood, a spoof of Robin Hood, and Sinderella.

In 2006, for the first time in 14 years, he refused to perform at Great Yarmouth, stating that the resort was "full of overweight people in flip-flops and fat children of all colours and no class".

Recording career

Davidson has appeared in the UK singles chart with the double A-sided "White Christmas"/"Too Risky". It peaked at No. 52 in December 1980.{{cite book

Business

Davidson has several business interests. He set up a company which bought or leased several seaside theatres or piers, including the Winter Gardens building in Great Yarmouth, which was converted into a nightclub. He lost £700,000 on a pantomime production of Dick Whittington, and after a meeting with the Inland Revenue in 2003, he sold the company.

Armed forces and charity

Davidson has entertained the British Armed Forces, and is currently chairman of the British Forces Foundation charity, which aims to promote the wellbeing and esprit de corps of service personnel. Davidson was awarded the OBE in the 2001 New Year Honours List for his services to charity.

Davidson is a Freemason and a long-standing member of the Westminster City Council Lodge No. 2882. He was formerly also a member of the Chelsea Lodge No. 3098 (whose members are all entertainers) but has resigned;

Taxation and bankruptcy

On 27 August 2003, after a meeting with the Inland Revenue, Davidson said he spent £10,000 a week on back taxes, commission to agents, maintenance and school fees, and a £2.2 million mortgage: "My problem is money – I used to earn five times as much as I do now, but I still pay the same maintenance, school fees and commission to agents," he told Radio Times magazine.

On 6 July 2006, having failed to keep up payments on a £1.4 million back tax bill that he had reduced to £700,000, Davidson was declared bankrupt.

Online career

In spring 2020, Davidson launched his own YouTube channel, where he presented short videos each week, giving his take on the recent news events, and sharing his opinion on news stories and events of the day. The channel was launched at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown in the United Kingdom. Davidson continued to upload short videos, usually on a daily basis. In December 2020, after lockdown measures were put into place in England, Davidson named his daily uploads "Lockdown Diary".

He then went on to launch his own separate streaming service Ustreme, featuring himself and other comedians deemed too controversial for the mainstream.

Controversies

Throughout his career, Davidson has made jokes about women, racial and ethnic minorities and gay people in his stand-up act, which has made him a subject of criticism.

Accusations of bigotry

In September 2007, Davidson participated in the celebrity reality TV programme Hell's Kitchen and attracted negative media attention over accusations of homophobic bullying towards TV presenter and openly gay contestant Brian Dowling. Davidson asked Dowling, "Are you on our side?" when referring to whether or not he would be participating for the boys' or girls' team. Davidson used the word "shirt-lifters" in front of him, and regularly asked if Dowling would like to try on one of "John Virgo's lovely waistcoats", which Davidson owns. The programme was broadcast on ITV on 4 September 2007.

On 10 September, Davidson was asked to leave Hell's Kitchen, following further confrontations with Dowling.

Davidson has responded to accusations of prejudice by saying: "It is a difficult thing, comedy, and I'm on a loser. If I cured AIDS and fed Africa and ended Ebola and found that missing aeroplane, I'd still be that horrible racist, sexist, homophobic comedian. By people, with respect, who haven't seen me. Or are judging me from the past."

Other incidents

On 30 May 1987, he had entered a fish and chip shop on Denmark Street, near Bristol Hippodrome, and had told a policeman, Paul Cox, in the queue 'I have been drinking. Are you going to nick me?' He was subsequently caught in his Jaguar vehicle, with 72 mg of alcohol in his blood, twice the legal limit. He said that his wife was arriving to pick him up, and that he had only driven a few yards. The couple had recently returned from two weeks in Barbados. When aged 33, living on Lansdown Place in Bristol with Alison Holloway, he was convicted of drink driving, banned for three years and fined £300 on 5 August 1987 at Bristol court.

In December 2002, Davidson was asked by the manager of the Marriott Bristol Royal Hotel to leave the premises, after it was alleged that he had become confrontational and abusive to staff. Davidson later said that when he was asked by the manager to leave he thought it was a joke, stating: "It's difficult to be abusive when they don't speak English."

In October 2003, Davidson refused to go on stage in Plymouth because his request for wheelchair users in the front row to be moved to other areas was declined. A spokesman for the Plymouth Pavilions, where he was performing as part of a national tour, said: "Jim Davidson apparently took exception to a number of wheelchair users in the front stalls of the Pavilions Arena. Mr Davidson cited the fact that a proportion of his act was aimed at disabled customers and that he would be unable to perform under these circumstances". In a statement Davidson explained he "took the mick" out of everyone in the front row of his shows. "As all the people in the front row were in wheelchairs I feared it would appear I was specifically targeting disabled people. I asked if just some would mind moving. Much of my act depends upon audience reaction and in fact one part of the show involves getting the audience to gang up against the front row".

Laurence Clark, a wheelchair user, performed a show called "The Jim Davidson Guide to Equality" in response to Davidson's act at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2004. Clark stated that he would refuse to perform the show if Davidson himself was in his audience.

In August 2004, comedian Jimmy Carr threatened legal action against Davidson, accusing him of having plagiarised some of his comic material. Davidson responded by saying the claims were "ridiculous", and no further action was taken.

In October 2006, Davidson was accused by a woman of making insensitive jokes about people with cancer, blind people, a wheelchair user, and the recent trial over the killing of Damilola Taylor, prompting the woman to walk out of the show. Davidson vehemently denied the accusations, stating that jokes about blind people and people with cancer would have merited a "mass walkout." He also said the comments about the Damilola Taylor trial were taken out of context: "My actual remark was that I thought the killers should be locked away forever. And if she objects to that then that is her prerogative." Davidson was also quoted as saying: "If what I was saying was true, I would have got up and left myself."

Davidson was called on as a character witness to drug trafficker Brian Brendan Wright in 2007. Despite Davidson's testifying to Wright's character, the judge concluded that Wright was "a master criminal, manipulative, influential and powerful", and sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

On 2 January 2013, as Davidson was set to become a housemate in the 11th series of Celebrity Big Brother, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport by police officers working on Operation Yewtree. On 20 March 2013 he was arrested again over new allegations of sexual offences; however, on 21 August 2013, it was announced that no further action would be taken in relation to the allegations of historic sex abuse, due to insufficient evidence.

In November 2018, Davidson told Nigel Farage on LBC radio that he had been angered by Extinction Rebellion protests in London as the traffic had almost prevented him "from getting his pie and mash".

Personal life

Davidson has written two autobiographies, The Full Monty (1993) and Close to the Edge (2001).

Davidson's numerous marriages prompted the actor Sir John Mills to send a telegram on the occasion of his fourth, which read simply: "Will It Last?" The marriage ended ten years later. Davidson subsequently returned the compliment to Mills and his wife on their 60th wedding anniversary, with a message bearing the same wording.

Davidson is a supporter of Charlton Athletic, the local club in the area where he grew up. In the 1980s, he was a director at AFC Bournemouth.

On 18 June 2014, Davidson attended the assault trial of former N-Dubz rapper Dappy. Davidson said, "Dappy is a good friend of mine. I don't know what's happened in this case but I'm just here to show him my support.” Dappy declined Davidson's offer to serve as a character witness.

Politics

Davidson is a life-long supporter and member of the Conservative Party as well as the associated Carlton Club. He was a vocal supporter of the party in the 1980s and became close to Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who reportedly considered Davidson as her favourite comedian. In 2014, he spoke of his regret for being unable to attend her funeral in 2013, after he was banned from attending after he was investigated for sexual assault during Operation Yewtree.

Davidson is also a supporter of Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP). He first met Farage whilst under investigation for sexual assault in 2013, claiming that Farage offered him membership of UKIP, which Davidson described as "the Jim Davidson of the political world" in 2015. He was later offered membership of Reform UK by former Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who defected to the party in 2023, and attended Reform's annual conference in 2024 and 2025. However, Davidson has remained a member of the Conservatives, as he believes leaving the party to join another party could lead to his expulsion from the Carlton Club. Instead, Davidson has spoken of his wish for the Conservatives to merge with Reform UK to form a new political party.

Davidson has criticised the governments of the Labour Party under prime ministers Keir Starmer and Tony Blair, though he claims to "like" Blair himself. Ahead of the 1997 general election, Davidson threatened to leave the United Kingdom if Labour won the election. When Labour won, he remained in the UK. Later in March 2004, he publicly left the United Kingdom for the tax haven of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, ostensibly in protest against crime and immigration levels under Blair's government, although it was also noted by HMRC at the time that his move coincided with an unpaid tax bill of approximately £700,000. At the time, he declared that "I may as well go to Dubai and be an ethnic minority there than wait five years till I become one here". He moved back to the UK after living in Dubai for five years.

Family

Davidson has been married five times; all of them have ended in divorce. He has five children by three wives:

• Sue Walpole (married 1971; divorced 1972), one child
• Julie Gullick (married 1981; divorced 1986), one child
• Alison Holloway (married 1987; divorced 1988)
• Tracy Hilton (married 1990; divorced 2000), three children
• Michelle Cotton (married 2009; divorced 2023)

Credits

Television

• Big Break (222 episodes)
• New Faces
• Stand Up Jim Davidson
• Pingwings
• The Generation Game (143 episodes)
• The Jim Davidson Show
• Up the Elephant and Round the Castle (22 episodes)
• Home James! (25 episodes)
• Life's a Pitch
• What's on Next?
• Tiswas
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
• Hell's Kitchen
• Celebrity Big Brother 13

Film

• A Zed & Two Noughts (1985), as Joshua Plate
• Colour Me Kubrick (2006), as Lee Pratt

Music

• "Watching Over You"
• "A Time for Remembering"
• "Love, Please Stop Leaving Me"

Theatre

In 2011, Davidson toured with a play, Stand Up...And Be Counted. The play was about the failing career of a troubled racist comedian. Some media commentators drew comparisons between the play's main character and Davidson's own career.

On 18 March 2011, Davidson announced the show was being cancelled because of poor ticket sales, having visited only four of the 12 planned city destinations. Davidson added that he was still in talks to bring the show to the West End at a later date. Davidson also produced and starred in a number of "adult pantomimes", which were blue-humoured versions of conventional pantomimes. These included Sinderella (1995), Boobs in the Wood (1999), Sinderella Comes Again (2004), and Sinderella 2: Scottish Romp (2015).

References

Bibliography

• Jim Davidson: Close to the Edge. 2001. Ebury Press.

References

1. (3 August 2014). "Jim Davidson's Edinburgh fringe debut 'rounds off a nice year'". The Guardian.
2. Beacom, Brian. (29 November 2010). "Face to Face: Jim Davidson". Herald Scotland.
3. Jim Davidson. (1 August 2002). "Close to the Edge". Ebury Press.
4. Jack Kibble-White and Steve Williams. "Part Eighteen: I Heard a Seat in the Stalls Go "Gerdonk!"". THE GLORY GAME – THE RISE AND RISE OF SATURDAY NIGHT TELLY.
5. ''The Stage'', edition dated 25 August 1977
6. [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/18807 "Stand Up Jim Davidson"] {{Webarchive. link. (22 February 2014 , BFI Film & TV Database)
7. "Proboards104". Jimdavidson.proboards104.com.
8. (30 January 2014). "Jim Davidson wins Celebrity Big Brother". [[BBC News]].
9. (24 April 2004). "Davidson ready to make Tories laugh". The Daily Telegraph.
10. (May 2016)
11. "Our "Black Sheep"". Masonicinfo.com.
12. "United Grand Lodge of England - Famous Masons".
13. (27 August 2003). "Davidson "nearly made bankrupt"". BBC News.
14. (6 July 2006). "Comic Davidson declared bankrupt". BBC News.
15. "Rock on Digital - YouTube". [[YouTube]].
16. https://www.ridown.com/ustreme#:~:text=Founded%20by%20comedian%20Jim%20Davidson,laugh%20like%20they%20used%20to%E2%80%9D.
17. (September 2007). "And Brian Thought His Biggest Challenge Would Be Learning To Cook!". Brian Dowling's Official website.
18. (11 September 2007). "Jim Davidson thrown out of Hell's Kitchen". The Daily Telegraph.
19. (September 2024). "Davidson exits after TV gay row". BBC News.
20. ''Western Daily Press'' Monday 1 June 1987, page 3
21. ''South Wales Echo'' Wednesday 5 August 1987, page 1
22. (12 December 2002). "Hotel boss asks comic to leave". BBC News.
23. (21 October 2003). "Jim Davidson cancels show after wheelchair row". The Guardian.
24. "Interview". Disability Arts Online.
25. (5 August 2004). "Stand-ups square up over fat joke". BBC News.
26. "It's strife, Jim...". Chortle.
27. (3 April 2007). "Cocaine baron jailed for 30 years". BBC News.
28. Sweney, Mark. (3 January 2013). "Jim Davidson arrested on suspicion of sex offences". [[The Guardian]].
29. (20 March 2013). "Jim Davidson arrested over new sexual offences claims". BBC News.
30. (21 August 2013). "Jim Davidson won't face sex charges". BBC News.
31. (21 August 2013). "Jim Davidson to face no further action over sex offence allegations". [[The Guardian]].
32. (21 November 2018). "Comedian Jim Davidson had Nigel Farage in stitches as he revealed he almost lost out on pie and mash because of climate change protesters in London.". [[LBC]].
33. Jim Davidson. (6 October 1994). "The Full Monty". Time Warner Paperbacks.
34. "Quotes by or About John and Mary Hayley Bell Mills".
35. (16 January 2001). "Sir John Mills renews wedding vows". BBC News.
36. (2 August 2011). "Peterborough United v Bournemouth". Getty Images.
37. (August 1984). "Eagle Annual 1985". IPC Comics.
38. (19 June 2014). "Guilty verdict in former N-Dubz singer Dappy slap case". BBC.
39. Brown, Mick. (20 April 2025). "Jim Davidson: 'Woke' is the best thing that has happened to me". The Daily Telegraph.
40. Wright, Oliver. (11 April 2013). "Margaret Thatcher's funeral guest list announced: Tony Blair, Jeremy Clarkson, Shirley Bassey, Lord Archer and FW de Klerk but no Mikhail Gorbachev or Cristina Kirchner".
41. Jones, Sam. (11 April 2013). "Thatcher's funeral: VIPs, celebrities and world leaders set to pack St Paul's". The Guardian.
42. Ross, Peter. (27 July 2014). "Jim Davidson: My great regret was being banned from Maggie's funeral". The Sunday Times.
43. Rachel McGrath. (8 January 2015). "Jim Davidson Shares Sympathy For Nigel Farage: 'Ukip Are The Jim Davidson of the Political World'". Huffington Post UK.
44. (20 September 2024). "Reform UK conference: Farage says party should model Lib Dems and Anderson rips up TV licence". The Daily Telegraph.
45. Tominey, Camilla. (5 September 2025). "The Daily T: Farage rules as Rayner resigns". The Daily Telegraph.
46. (20 October 2025). "Jim's message to the veterans and government. 'It's not about a hand out, it's about a hand up' and time for veterans to get their relevance back". Thurrock Nub News.
47. (23 May 2004). "Jim's not laughing any more". The Times.
48. (5 May 2015). "Do celebrities leave the country after a general election? No - not really". BBC News.
49. (21 April 2015). "Should I stay or should I go?". The Economist.
50. ''[[Celebrity Big Brother 13]]'', 24 January 2014
51. (2 April 2023). "Jim Davidson splits from his wife after 14-year marriage". Manchester Evening News.
52. Bennett, Steve. "Jim Davidson 'heading for divorce No5'".
53. (20 February 2024). ""It's a new chapter": Jim Davidson finalises divorce from fifth wife Michelle".
54. (18 March 2011). "Jim Davidson cancels theatre tour". BBC News.
55. (17 March 2011). "Jim Davidson 'Stand Up' play is cancelled". Digital Spy.