James Cameron Davidson was born on 13 December 1953 and is an English stand-up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter.
44 Facts About Jim Davidson
2.
Jim Davidson hosted the television shows Big Break and The Generation Game.
3.
Jim Davidson developed two adult pantomime shows, Boobs in the Wood and Sinderella, to critical reception.
4.
The son of a Scottish father from Glasgow and Irish mother from Cork, Jim Davidson was born in Kidbrooke, London, and attended Kidbrooke Park Primary School, Blackheath, and St Austin's School in Charlton.
5.
Jim Davidson found his way into show business when, as a regular in a pub in Woolwich, he stepped in after the pub's regular comedian had not turned up.
6.
Jim Davidson then became a regular on the London comedy circuit, and first auditioned unsuccessfully for Opportunity Knocks in 1975.
7.
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, which ran for five complete series and won Davidson the TV Times award as "Funniest Man on Television".
8.
Jim Davidson appeared on an edition of the BBC1 series Seaside Special, shown on 20 August 1977, hosted by Tony Blackburn and David Hamilton.
9.
Jim Davidson's one-man show for Thames Television, Stand Up Jim Davidson, was recorded at London's Royalty Theatre.
10.
Jim Davidson became known for Big Break and as the third host of The Generation Game, as the successor to Bruce Forsyth and Larry Grayson.
11.
In September 2007, Jim Davidson appeared in the third series of Hell's Kitchen in the UK, and in May 2008 he appeared in the BBC's Comedy Map of Britain.
12.
On 2 January 2013, Jim 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.
13.
Jim 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; his touring material contains much stronger language, which Jim Davidson promotes as 'adult entertainment'.
14.
Jim Davidson 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.
15.
The inhabitants of the town took this as a personal affront, although Jim Davidson later stated that he was referring to tourists.
16.
Jim Davidson 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.
17.
Jim Davidson has entertained 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.
18.
Jim Davidson was awarded the OBE in the 2001 New Year Honours List for his services to charity.
19.
Jim Davidson is a Freemason and a long-standing member of the Westminster City Council Lodge No 2882.
20.
Jim Davidson was formerly a member of the Chelsea Lodge No 3098 but has resigned; he was the founding Worshipful Master of British Forces Foundation Lodge No 9725 on its formation in 2000.
21.
In spring 2020, Jim 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.
22.
Jim Davidson continues to upload short videos, usually on a daily basis.
23.
Clark stated that he would refuse to perform the show if Jim Davidson himself was in his audience.
24.
In September 2007, Jim Davidson participated in the celebrity reality TV programme Hell's Kitchen and attracted negative media attention over homophobic bullying towards TV presenter and openly gay contestant Brian Dowling.
25.
Jim Davidson used the word "shirt-lifters" in front of him, and constantly asked if Dowling would like to try on one of "John Virgo's lovely waistcoats", which Jim Davidson owns.
26.
In 2002, Jim Davidson was escorted from the grounds of the Marriott Bristol Royal Hotel, after it was alleged that he had become confrontational and abusive to staff.
27.
In October 2003, Jim Davidson refused to go on stage in Plymouth because he objected to wheelchair users in the front row.
28.
Mr Jim 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.
29.
Jim Davidson responded by saying the claims were "ridiculous", and no further action was taken.
30.
Jim Davidson was called on as a character witness to drug trafficker Brian Brendan Wright in 2007.
31.
On 2 January 2013, as Jim 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.
32.
On 21 November 2018, Jim Davidson was caught up in London traffic resulting from Extinction Rebellion protests which blocked a number of London bridges to raise awareness of a claimed lack of action from governments over climate change.
33.
Jim Davidson was photographed by the BBC, allegedly shouted at police and was filmed near the front of a blockade driving a large SUV, where he remarked that Jeremy Corbyn was an "environmental disaster".
34.
Jim Davidson later told Nigel Farage on LBC radio that the reason for his anger had been that the demonstrations had almost prevented him "from getting his pie and mash".
35.
Jim Davidson has written two autobiographies, The Full Monty and Close to the Edge.
36.
Jim Davidson subsequently returned the compliment to Mills and his wife on their 60th wedding anniversary, with a Telemessage bearing the same wording.
37.
Jim Davidson has expressed sympathy for UKIP leader Nigel Farage, describing the party as "the Jim Davidson of the political world".
38.
Jim Davidson is a supporter of Charlton Athletic, the local club in the area where he grew up.
39.
On 18 June 2014, Jim Davidson attended the assault trial of former N-Dubz rapper Dappy.
40.
Dappy declined Jim Davidson's offer to serve as a character witness.
41.
Jim Davidson has been married five times; four of them have ended in divorce.
42.
On 18 March 2011, Jim Davidson announced the show was being cancelled because of poor ticket sales, having visited only four of the 12 planned city destinations.
43.
Jim Davidson added that he was still in talks to bring the show to the West End at a later date.
44.
Jim Davidson produced and starred in a number of "adult pantomimes", which were blue-humoured versions of conventional pantomimes.