Jad Adams (born 27 November 1954) is a British writer and television producer.

Education

Adams attended Forest Hill School and the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

where he was influenced by the lectures of radical philosopher

Paul Feyerabend Paul Karl Feyerabend (; ; January 13, 1924 – February 11, 1994) was an Austrian philosopher best known for his work in the philosophy of science. He started his academic career as lecturer in the philosophy of science at the University of Bri ...

on questions of

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

historical method Historical method is the collection of techniques and guidelines that historians use to research and write histories of the past. Secondary sources, primary sources and material evidence such as that derived from archaeology may all be draw ...

. He took an MA in Victorian History at

Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a Public university, public research university located in London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London. Establ ...

Early career

Adams trained as a journalist on the ''South East London Mercury'' newspaper where he won the Young Journalist of the Year award in 1978. From 1979 he worked as a freelance news reporter on

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

for various national titles. His break into television came when he was recruited by Tom Bower to work as a researcher on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's flagship current affairs programme ''

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...

''. Adams worked on various investigations, including ''Called to Account'' on the mysterious death of Roberto Calvi, which won the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

award for international current affairs in 1982. At the end of 1982, Adams was recruited by Joan Shenton to work with her company Meditel Productions on ''Kill or Cure?'', a series about the pharmaceutical industry and damage caused by prescription drugs for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. This started a fruitful collaboration with Shenton, and Adams stayed with Meditel to move through the editorial grades to become a series producer and producer/director. In six years working with Meditel, his most successful programme was ''AIDS: The Unheard Voices'' for Channel 4’s '' Dispatches'', about the views of leading scientists who questioned whether the cause of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

had been correctly identified as HIV. The programme won the

award for Best International Documentary in 1986 and stimulated Adams to write his first book, ''AIDS: The HIV Myth''. He later concentrated on history and current affairs programmes, working with

Phillip Whitehead Phillip Whitehead (30 May 1937 – 31 December 2005) was a British Labour politician, television producer and writer. Early life Born in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, he was adopted by a local family in Rowsley, and attended Lady Manners School ...

at Brook Productions on ''Dynasty: The Nehru-Gandhi Story'' for BBC and PBS while writing the book to accompany the series. He later worked with Roger Bolton at Roger Bolton Productions on current affairs and cultural programmes for ITV.

As writer

Adams' biography of

Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...

was first published in 1992, it was updated and reissued with additional chapters to cover the intervening 20 years in 2011. To work on it, Adams had otherwise unparalleled access to the extensive Benn Archive and fifteen million words of manuscript diary. The biography was updated and re-released in 2025 in time for the 100th anniversary of Benn's birth. Adams co-organised a conference called The Benn Legacy, held at Westminster University, to discuss Benn's lasting influence. He has specialised in writing books on nationalists and radicals, with biographies of

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst (; Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women to win in 1918 the women's suffrage, right to vote in United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

and

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

. ''Women and the Vote: A World History'' was published in 2014 dealing with how women got the vote in different countries. It was described as ‘impressive in its reach, authoritative in its meticulous research.’ Adams' interest in the literature of the 1890s led him to become a specialist in ''fin-de-siècle'' studies, writing a biography of the decadent poet

Ernest Dowson Ernest Christopher Dowson (2 August 186723 February 1900) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer who is often associated with the Decadent movement. Biography Ernest Dowson was born in Lee, London, Lee, then in Kent, in 1867. His ...

, a biography of Kipling and a history of

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavored Liquor, spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. His ...

, as well as many academic journal articles. ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'' has described him as "an extraordinary polymath". ''Madder Music, Stronger Wine: The Life of Ernest Dowson'' was re-released, updated, in 2025. He frequently contributes reviews and other pieces to national newspapers and magazines. Between 2007 and 2022 he contributed a regular history column to the leading genealogy publication ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' magazine. Since 2022 he has been a theatre reviewer for the online site Plays to See. In 2023 he and Julie Peakman set up Meles Meles Marks, a publishing company which will put out their less commercial books and republish their back catalogue. The first publication was Adams' novel ''Café Europa'' which is about four young people visiting a Greek island and encountering romance but also crime and corruption. The book is set before the Brexit vote; Adams has said the surtitle ‘Before Brexit there was …’ 'responds to the sense of loss felt by young people who are now denied the ease of work and settlement in the EU which used to be taken for granted.' His ''Decadent Women: Yellow Book Lives'' of 2023 was the culmination of 20 years of research aimed at rediscovering the 'forgotten women' of the 1890s who contributed to the iconic journal the ''Yellow Book''.

Personal life

Adams has lived with fellow historian Julie Peakman since 1983. They live in London and on the Greek island of Leros where they have been involved in humanitarian work with refugees.

Public affairs

Adams has been chair of Croydon-based homelessness charity Nightwatch since 1992. He frequently comments on public affairs; he is a critic of corruption in local government and of what he sees as a decline in representative government.

Awards

*2011, Mayor's London Peace Award *2006, Fellow of the Institute of English, School of Advanced Study, University of London *1997, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society *1987, Royal Television Society Producer/Director – ''AIDS: The Unheard Voices'' *1977, British Press Awards Young Journalist of the Year

Selected works

Books * (2023) ''Cafe Europa'' - * (2020) ''The Banyan Tree and her Roots'' - * (2016) ''Women and the Vote: A World History'' - * (2015) ''Gandhi: Naked Ambition'' - * (2005) ''Kipling'' - * (2004) ''Hideous Absinthe: A History of the "Devil in a Bottle"'' - * (2003) ''Pankhurst (Life & Times)'' * (2000) ''Madder Music, Stronger Wine: The Life of Ernest Dowson, Poet and Decadent'' * (1997) ''Dynasty: The Nehru-Gandhi Story'' * (1992) ''Tony Benn: A Biography'' * (1989) ''AIDS: The HIV Myth'' -

Television documentaries

* ''The Real East Enders'' (2002) (series producer) * ''So You Want to be Mayor?'' (2000) (series producer) * ''The Clintons: A Marriage of Sex, Lies and Power'' (2000) (producer) * ''Kitchener: The Empire’s Flawed Hero'' (1998) (producer) * ''Dynasty: The Nehru-Gandhi Story'' (1996) (researcher) * ''Food – Fad or Fact? II'' (1989) (6 parts, series producer/director) ** "Are Additives Necessary?" ** "Are Additives Safe?" ** "Food Intolerance" ** "The Cholesterol Campaign" ** "Food Poisoning" ** "Food Irradiation" * ''AIDS: The Unheard Voices'' (1987) (producer/director) * ''Food – Fad or Fact?'' (1987) (6 parts, producer) ** "A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good" ** "Are Fats Harmful?" ** "The Battle of the Fats" ** "Sugar" ** "Salt" ** "Fibre" * ''Kill or Cure? 2'' (1987) (3 parts, producer of 1) * ''Ten Million'' (1985–86) (2 series, series producer) * ''Who Cares?'' (1985) (4 parts, researcher) ** "Health for All" ** "Keeping the Beat" ** "The Time Bomb of Old Age" ** "Health Care: Right or Privilege?" * ''Kill or Cure?'' (1983) (6 parts, researcher) * ''Called to Account: How Roberto Calvi Died'' (1982) (researcher)

References

External links

Jad Adams

Jad Adams @ MBA Literary & Script Agents

Croydon Nightwatch

Julie Peakman
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Jad 1954 births Living people Television producers from London English male writers HIV/AIDS denialists Alumni of the University of Sussex People from Lewisham Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Writers from London