Ian Davidson

Ian Roger Charles Davidson (4 August 1940 – 8 September 2024) was a British scriptwriter who also acted, directed and produced in television and the theatre from the 1960s.

Life and career Davidson was born in Romford, Essex on 4 August 1940, the son of John and Denise Davidson. After performing and writing with Michael Palin and Terry Jones at Oxford University – his first BBC writing credit was for That Was the Week That Was in 1963 – he became an actor at The Second City in Chicago.

Returning to the UK by 1966, he worked as a film director for Ned Sherrin and David Frost, and then began a lifelong association with Barry Humphries as a writer and director. In 1967, Davidson married Anthea Proud, and they had four daughters.