David Jacobs (disc jockey)
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David Jacobs CBE (born London, May 19, 1926) is a British actor and broadcaster, who became known as a disc jockey in the 1950s.
Jacobs was educated at Strand School, South London. He served in the Royal Navy from 1944 to 1947, and first broadcast on Navy Mixture in 1944. He was an announcer on the Forces Broadcasting Service before becoming Chief Announcer on Radio SEAC in Ceylon (1945-47), graduating to Assistant Station Director.
As a BBC Staff Announcer in the early 1950s, but more particularly as an actor, he eerily intoned the words of the title of the space adventure series Journey Into Space at the beginning of many of its 53 episodes, as well as playing a total of 22 other parts including a Scots radio ham in Greenland.[1]
Although not the original presenter of Pick of the Pops, which was then on the BBC Light Programme, he established the programme's chart show format between 1957 and 1961, and briefly returned to the show in 1962. He also broadcast on Radio Luxembourg, presented Juke Box Jury on BBC television between 1959 and 1967, and was one of the four original presenters of Top of the Pops when it began in 1964.
Between 1957 and 1966 Jacobs was the regular presenter of A Song for Europe and also provided the UK commentary at the Eurovision Song Contest.
By 1967, the year of psychedelia and "flower power", he was no longer in tune with the direction of contemporary pop music[citation needed], and since then he has spent most of his career at BBC Radio 2. Between January 1985 and December 1991 he presented a daily lunchtime show on that station playing what he described as "our kind of music", concentrating on popular tunes from musical theatre. He now represents the station's "old guard", and like most such presenters he is heard on Sundays, where he presents a late evening show called The David Jacobs Collection.
His 'collection' shows predominantly concentrate on his favourite musical genre - easy listening - and feature such artists as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis Jr and many others. The theme tune used at the beginning and end of the programme was recorded by the Pete Moore orchestra and is called I Love You, Samantha. It is available on the album My Fair Ladies.
Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe recruited Jacobs in 2008 to introduce album tracks from Cream on their weekday evening BBC Radio 2 show under the inspired segment title of 'Jacobs' Cream Crackers' in reference to the brand of water biscuits.
He has also had a career in current affairs on BBC Radio 4 as the chair of Any Questions?, the BBC's topical debate programme from December 1967 to July 1983. One episode descended into chaos when people in the audience heckled Enoch Powell and were evicted from the hall on air having thrown a stone through the stained-glass window of the church from which the programme was coming. He later presented a similar series, called simply Questions, for TVS.
Jacobs hosted the popular panel game show What's My Line? when it was revived on BBC2 from 1973 to 1974.
In the 1974 film Stardust, starring David Essex, he appeared as himself, compering an award ceremony set in the mid 1960s. His daughter, Emma Jacobs, was an actress, best known for her role as Alex Khaled, daughter of Fontaine Khaled (Joan Collins), in the film The Stud (1978). He also appeared as himself in an episode of the BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, where he was the presenter of a fictional home improvement show.
He has been involved with the development of the Rose Theatre, Kingston from its inception, and has been appointed Life President of the Rose Theatre Team.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Paul Donovan: The Radio Companion, HarperCollins (1991), ISBN 0246136480
- ^ Rose Theatre official website[1]
[edit] External links
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