The Children’s Media Foundation (CMF)

Russell T. Davies O.B.E.

Russell T. Davies is a television producer and screenwriter whose works include Queer as FolkBob & RoseThe Second Coming, Casanova, and the revival of the classic British science fiction series Doctor Who.

After graduating from Oxford University, Russell joined the BBC's children's department on a part-time basis in 1985 and worked in various positions, including writing and producing two series, Dark Season and Century Falls. He left the BBC in the early 1990s to work for Granada Television and later became a freelance writer.

He moved into writing adult television dramas in 1994 with Revelations, Springhill and The Grand following. His later series include Queer as Folk, Bob & RoseThe Second ComingMine All Mine, and Casanova, an adaptation of the Venetian lover's complete memoirs.

One of Russell's notable achievements is reviving and running the science fiction series Doctor Who after a sixteen-year hiatus, with Christopher Eccleston, and later David Tennant, in the title role of the Doctor. His tenure as executive producer of the show oversaw a surge in popularity that led to the production of two spin-off series, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and the revival of the Saturday prime-time drama on BBC ONE.

Russell was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to drama. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2009, where he oversaw production of Torchwood: Miracle Day and the fifth and final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. He returned to the United Kingdom in late 2011 and is working on the forthcoming CBBC drama Wizards vs Aliens

In 2015 Cucumber, Banana and Tofu for Channel 4 won Russell a BAFTA for Best Writer. This was followed by an adaptation of A Midsummer Nights Dream (2016), A Very English Scandal (2018) and Years and Years (2019) for BBC ONE.

The Children’s Media Foundation (CMF)