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Christopher Douglas (born c.1955Dominic Maxwel
"Re-opening the grouse season"
''The Times'', 11 December 2006
) is a British actor and writer. He is the voice of Ed Reardon in
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's long-running sitcom ''
Ed Reardon's Week ''Ed Reardon's Week'' is a sitcom on BBC Radio 4 recorded semi-naturalistically in the style of a radio drama. It concerns the story of a curmudgeonly middle-aged writer described in the show's publicity material as an "author, pipesmoker, cons ...
'', which he co-wrote with Andrew Nickolds. ''Ed Reardon's Week'' has completed fifteen series and was the winner of the
Broadcasting Press Guild The Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) is a British association of journalists dedicated to the topic of general media issues. History The Guild was established in 1974 as a breakaway of The Critics' Circle and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 20 ...
's "Best Radio Programme" award in 2005 and again in 2010. Douglas is also the voice and co-creator of the world's most disappointing cricketer
Dave Podmore Dave Podmore is a fictional English cricketer. Co-written by the English actor and writer Christopher Douglas (British actor), Christopher Douglas, Andrew Nickolds and Nick Newman, his column appears in ''The Guardian''. Fictional character Podmor ...
, a Radio 4 regular since 2001. Other radio credits include a two-part adaptation of
George Gissing George Robert Gissing ( ; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. In the 1890s he was considered one of the three greatest novelists in England, and by the 1940s he had been ...
's ''
New Grub Street ''New Grub Street'' is a British novel by George Gissing published in 1891, which is set in the literary and journalistic circles of 1880s London. The story deals with the literary world that Gissing himself had experienced. Its title refers to ...
'', two series of ''Mastering The Universe'', co-written with Nick Newman and starring
Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series '' French and Saunders'' (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Sa ...
. With Nicola Sanderson, he co-wrote three series of the radio comedy, ''Beauty Of Britain'', starring Jocelyn Jee Esien. Douglas wrote and directed the improbably long-running career of uber- thesp Nicholas Craig (
Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, writer and musician. His television credits include playing Neil in the sitcom '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in the sitcom '' Filthy Rich & Catflap'', as well as narrating th ...
), whose autobiography ''I, An Actor'' was first published in 1988, and who has continued to appear on TV and on stage ever since.


Background

Douglas was the son of actor, director and TV producer Douglas Neill and of Carol Howard-Eady, an actress and stage manager. Douglas's step-father Derek Clark was briefly an actor before becoming a director and producer, retiring in 1992 as Director of Programmes for HTV. Douglas was educated at Downs Preparatory School and
Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...
. He left school at 15 to work as an assistant stage manager in various regional theatres, such as Porthcawl, Ilfracombe,
Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
, Worcester and the Wyvern, Swindon, where he made his performing debut as the back end of Alfred the Horse. In 1972, he joined the
Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...
company as an acting assistant stage manager. He took up writing in 1979 but continued to work as an actor. He is secretary of the Weekenders Cricket Club.


Writing credits

THEATRE *''Theatrical Digs'' (Edinburgh and New End, 1981) *''Scout's Honour'' (Lyric Hammersmith 1987 - Best Comedy nomination, Standard Drama Awards) *''An Evening with Nicholas Craig'' starring Nigel Planer (Hampstead Theatre, National Theatre and touring 1988–2002) *''Ed Reardon: A Writer's Burden'' (Edinburgh and tour 2011) RADIO *''The Englishman Abroad'' (Saturday Night Theatre, 1980) *''I, An Actor...'' (series 1989). Thirty episodes of ''Dave Podmore'', co-written with Nick Newman and Andrew Nickolds (1997-2018 *"Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue" (1999), two series of ''Mastering the Universe'', with Nick Newman (2005 & 2009) *''Ed Reardon's Week'', co-written with Andrew Nickolds (2004– to date) *''Dolly'' (Radio 4 Afternoon Play, 2009) *three series of ''Beauty of Britain'', co-written with Nicola Sanderson (2009–12) *''New Grub Street'' (two-part adaptation, 2016) *"Tristram Shandy: In Development" (Drama On 4). TV *''Tygo Road'' (co-written with Richard Cottan, BBC 2 series 1990) *''The Naked Actor'' (BBC 2 series 1991) *''The Nicholas Craig Masterclass'' (BBC 2 series 1992) *''It's Not Cricket'' with Rory Bremner (BBC 2 1998) *''The Age Thing'' (BBC pilot starring Patricia Hodge and Hugh Bonneville 1998) *''A Master Class in Film Villiany icwith Nicholas Craig'' (2003) (BBC 1 2003) *''How to be Eighteenth-Century'' (BBC4 and BBC2 2006) *''How to be Sci-Fi'' (BBC4 2006) *''The Rock and Roll Years'' (BBC1 pilot 2006) *''Mark Lawson Interviews Nicholas Craig'' (BBC4 2008) *''How to be Edwardian'' (BBC4 2007) *''How to be Old'' (BBC4 2009) BOOKS *''Spartan Cricketer'', a biography of D.R.Jardine (George Allen & Unwin 1984. Reissued by Methuen in 2002 and 2003) *''I, An Actor...'' (Pavilion Books 1988, Pan Books 1989 and Methuen 2001, reissued 2008 and again in 2017) *''Pod Almighty!'' (Simon and Schuster 1996) *''The Word of Pod'', (Collected columns from The Guardian, Methuen 2002) *''Ed Reardon’s Week'' (Simon & Schuster 2005, paperback 2006) * ghosted ''...and June Whitfield'' (Transworld 2000) JOURNALISM *''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
'' columnist (as Dave Podmore) 1996–2006 *Numerous articles for ''The Guardian'', ''Times'', ''Independent'', ''Telegraph'', ''Mail on Sunday'', ''
Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...
'' and ''
The Wisden Cricketer ''The Wisden Cricketer'' was the world's best-selling monthly cricket magazine. It was incorporated in 2003, by a merger between '' The Cricketer'' magazine and '' Wisden Cricket Monthly''. It is now no longer connected to Wisden and is called ' ...
'' DIRECTING *''I, An Actor…'' stage show 2002 *Series 2 of ''The Nicholas Craig Masterclass'' (BBC2 1992) *"How to be Eighteenth-Century" (BBC4 and BBC2 2006) *''How to be Sci-Fi'' (BBC4 2006) *''How to be Edwardian'' (BBC4 2007) *''Mark Lawson Interviews Nicholas Craig'' (BBC4 2007) *''How to be Old'' (BBC4 2009)


Presenting

*'' Pick of the Week'' Radio 4 *''Comedy Club'' Radio 4 Extra *'' Timeshift'' BBC2 *"The London Residences of George Gissing" (2016) *"200 Years of The Cumberland Market" (2016)


Acting credits

*THEATRE: seasons at The Young Vic, Cheltenham and Birmingham. *FILM: '' The Hireling'' (Dir. Alan Bridges, 1972). '' Penda's Fen'' (Dir. Alan Clarke, 1973). *SHORTS: ''Dave Podmore in the Fast Lane'' and ''Dave Podmore in the Pressure Cooker'' (Hat Trick 2004), ''Dave Podmore's Top Cricket Tips'' (2015), *TV: ''Fathers and Families'', ''Secret Army'', ''Cats Eyes'', ''Matilda's England'', '' Crossroads'' (100+ episodes as Martin, the cheeky barman), ''
Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...
'', ''Rooms'', '' The Flockton Flyer'', four series as Samuel Onedin in ''
The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, nam ...
'' (1977–80), Radio, '' The Lenny Henry Show'', ''
Reilly, Ace of Spies ''Reilly, Ace of Spies'' is a 1983 British television programme dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born adventurer who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Among his exploits ...
'', ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
'', ''
Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'', ''Early Travellers to America'', ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
'' and ''Sean Show'' (Hat Trick pilot), '' Lead Balloon'' (BBC2 2007), ''Hey Hey We’re the Monks!'' (BBC2 2008). *RADIO: Member of BBC Radio Drama Company 1983–84. ''I, An Actor...'' (Radio 4 series 1989). Twenty-seven ''Dave Podmore'' shows (Radio 5 and 4 1997–2017). ''Mastering the Universe'' with Dawn French (2006/08). ''Club of Queer Trades'' (2005) ''London Life'' (2006), ''Peacefully in Their Sleeps'' (2007). ''Gus MacDonald'' (2008). ''Dolly'' (2009). ''Brian Gulliver's Travels'' (2011). ''Beauty of Britain'' (2009–12).


Publications

* Christopher Douglas, ''Douglas Jardine: Spartan Cricketer'', Methuen, 2003,


References


BBC Comedy
"Mastering the Universe". November 2005. Bio of Christopher Douglas as its writer. Accessed January 2009
Jardine, Spartan Cricketer by Christopher Douglas
Methuen books, Accessed January 2009


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Christopher Living people Year of birth missing (living people) British male television actors British male radio actors