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Evan Davis (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Evan Harold Davis is a British
economist, journalist and presenter for the BBC
. In October 2001, Davis took over from Peter Jay
as the BBC's economics editor. He left this post in April 2008 to become a presenter on BBC Radio 4
's Today programme. Evan Davis is also the presenter for the BBC venture-capitalist programme Dragons' Den
, as well as The Bottom Line, a business conversation show, also on BBC Radio 4.
, Surrey
. He attended Dorking County Grammar School, which in 1976 became The Ashcombe School
, Dorking
and later studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St John's College, Oxford
from 1981 to 1984, before obtaining an MPA
at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
. While at Oxford University, Davis edited Cherwell, the student newspaper.
Davis began work as an economist
at the Institute for Fiscal Studies
, and while there he was briefly seconded to help officials work on early development of the Community Charge
system of local government taxation (better known as the Poll Tax). In 1988 he moved to the London Business School
, writing articles for their publication "Business Strategy Review". He returned to the Institute for Fiscal Studies in 1992, writing a paper on "Britain, Europe and the Square Mile" for the European Policy Forum which argued that British financial prosperity depended on being seen as a bridgehead to the European Union.
In 1993, Davis joined the BBC as an economics correspondent. He worked as economics editor on BBC Two
's Newsnight
programme from 1997 to 2001. In the mid-1990s he was a member of the Social Market Foundation
's Advisory Council; he is a member of the British-American Project for a Successor Generation.
. In it he argued for the privatisation
of public services
as a means to increase efficiency.
. He also had a role in shaping the extensive BBC coverage of economics across all the corporation's outputs, including online.
Davis also wrote a blog
for the BBC website entitled Evanomics in which he "attempts to understand the real world, using the tool kit of economics". Subjects he discussed included road pricing
, care for the elderly
, Gordon Brown's
Budget
and how to choose wine
.
Davis has won several awards including the Work Foundation's Broadcast Journalist of the Year award in 1998, 2001 and 2003, and the Harold Wincott Business Broadcaster of the Year award in 2002. In 2008, Davis was ranked first in the Independent on Sunday's "pink list" of the hundred most influential gay and lesbian figures in British society.
In 2005, he was one of a handful of BBC staff who crossed strike picket line
s. BBC staff were striking over announced job cuts. He was also noted for breaking a strike at the BBC, called by the National Union of Journalists
, on 6 November 2010, when he arrived to present the Today Programme at 3:30am, along with fellow presenter Sarah Montague
, not technically crossing a picket line as they arrived before it was formed.
In summer 2007, Davis was a guest presenter on the Today
programme for two weeks. In April 2008 he stood down as BBC Economics Editor and joined the Today
programme as a full-time presenter, replacing Carolyn Quinn
. He says that one of the best things about presenting on the radio is that "you can look things up on Wikipedia while on air".
On top of his duties at Today
he also presents The Bottom Line, a weekly discussion programme on Radio 4 and Dragons' Den
, the BBC Two business reality show.
gay and lives with his partner Guillaume Baltz, a French landscape architect
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
economist, journalist and presenter for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. In October 2001, Davis took over from Peter Jay
Peter Jay
Peter Jay is a British economist, broadcaster and diplomat.-Background:Peter Jay is the son of Douglas and Peggy Jay, both of whom were Labour Party politicians...
as the BBC's economics editor. He left this post in April 2008 to become a presenter on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Today programme. Evan Davis is also the presenter for the BBC venture-capitalist programme Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (UK)
Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
, as well as The Bottom Line, a business conversation show, also on BBC Radio 4.
Background
Davis grew up in AshteadAshtead
Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.- History :...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. He attended Dorking County Grammar School, which in 1976 became The Ashcombe School
The Ashcombe School
The Ashcombe School is a mixed community comprehensive secondary school in Dorking, England, for children aged 11 to 16 with a sixth form for ages 17 to 19.-History:...
, Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
and later studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
from 1981 to 1984, before obtaining an MPA
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. While at Oxford University, Davis edited Cherwell, the student newspaper.
Davis began work as an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
at the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Institute for Fiscal Studies
The Institute for Fiscal Studies is an economic research institute based in London, United Kingdom which specialises in UK taxation and public policy...
, and while there he was briefly seconded to help officials work on early development of the Community Charge
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
system of local government taxation (better known as the Poll Tax). In 1988 he moved to the London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
, writing articles for their publication "Business Strategy Review". He returned to the Institute for Fiscal Studies in 1992, writing a paper on "Britain, Europe and the Square Mile" for the European Policy Forum which argued that British financial prosperity depended on being seen as a bridgehead to the European Union.
In 1993, Davis joined the BBC as an economics correspondent. He worked as economics editor on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
programme from 1997 to 2001. In the mid-1990s he was a member of the Social Market Foundation
Social Market Foundation
The Social Market Foundation is a British public policy think-tank based in Westminster, London. It was set up by supporters of David Owen after the Social Democratic Party was disbanded in the late 1980s. It aims to promote and produce policies supporting the “social market”...
's Advisory Council; he is a member of the British-American Project for a Successor Generation.
Writing
In 1998, Davis' book, Public Spending, was published by PenguinPenguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
. In it he argued for the privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of public services
Public services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
as a means to increase efficiency.
BBC work
While the BBC's economics editor, Davis was responsible for reporting and analysing economic developments on a range of programmes on BBC radio and television, particularly the Ten O'Clock NewsBBC Ten O'Clock News
The BBC News at Ten is the flagship evening news programme for British television channel BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented by Huw Edwards, and deputised by Fiona Bruce. It is the final comprehensive news programme of the day on BBC One...
. He also had a role in shaping the extensive BBC coverage of economics across all the corporation's outputs, including online.
Davis also wrote a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
for the BBC website entitled Evanomics in which he "attempts to understand the real world, using the tool kit of economics". Subjects he discussed included road pricing
Road pricing
Road pricing is an economic concept regarding the various direct charges applied for the use of roads. The road charges includes fuel taxes, licence fees, parking taxes, tolls, and congestion charges, including those which may vary by time of day, by the specific road, or by the specific vehicle...
, care for the elderly
Elderly care
Elderly care or simply eldercare is the fulfillment of the special needs and requirements that are unique to senior citizens. This broad term encompasses such services as assisted living, adult day care, long term care, nursing homes, hospice care, and In-Home care.-Cultural and geographic...
, Gordon Brown's
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
Budget
United Kingdom budget
The United Kingdom budget deals with HM Treasury budgeting the revenues gathered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and expenditures of public sector departments, in compliance with government policy.Adjustment is achieved with the GDP deflator....
and how to choose wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
Davis has won several awards including the Work Foundation's Broadcast Journalist of the Year award in 1998, 2001 and 2003, and the Harold Wincott Business Broadcaster of the Year award in 2002. In 2008, Davis was ranked first in the Independent on Sunday's "pink list" of the hundred most influential gay and lesbian figures in British society.
In 2005, he was one of a handful of BBC staff who crossed strike picket line
Picket line
A picket line is a horizontal rope, along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height , or overhead. The overhead form usually is called a high line....
s. BBC staff were striking over announced job cuts. He was also noted for breaking a strike at the BBC, called by the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
, on 6 November 2010, when he arrived to present the Today Programme at 3:30am, along with fellow presenter Sarah Montague
Sarah Montague
Sarah Montague is a British Journalist, best known for her work on BBC Radio 4 as one of the regular presenters of the Today programme.-Early life:...
, not technically crossing a picket line as they arrived before it was formed.
In summer 2007, Davis was a guest presenter on the Today
Today
Today may refer to:* Current events; see Portal:Current events* Present, the time that is perceived directly, often called now-Broadcast:* Today , a U.S...
programme for two weeks. In April 2008 he stood down as BBC Economics Editor and joined the Today
Today
Today may refer to:* Current events; see Portal:Current events* Present, the time that is perceived directly, often called now-Broadcast:* Today , a U.S...
programme as a full-time presenter, replacing Carolyn Quinn
Carolyn Quinn
Carolyn Quinn is a British journalist best known for her work on BBC Radio 4 as a political correspondent and for presenting the Today programme and PM.-Early life:...
. He says that one of the best things about presenting on the radio is that "you can look things up on Wikipedia while on air".
On top of his duties at Today
Today
Today may refer to:* Current events; see Portal:Current events* Present, the time that is perceived directly, often called now-Broadcast:* Today , a U.S...
he also presents The Bottom Line, a weekly discussion programme on Radio 4 and Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den is a series of reality television programmes featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. The show originated in Japan as "Manē no Tora"...
, the BBC Two business reality show.
Personal life
Davis is a keen motorcyclist, and was seen riding a Yamaha R6 motorcycle in BBC2's The City Uncovered with Evan Davis. He is openlyComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay and lives with his partner Guillaume Baltz, a French landscape architect
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
.
External links
- BBC Newswatch profile
- Evanomics — Davis's BBC blog (no longer updated)
- Observer Review article 6 November 2005