David Jacobs (DJ)

David Lewis Jacobs, CBE (born 19 May 1926) is a British actor and broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the 1960s peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and Chairman of the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions?

Early career

Jacobs was born in London and educated at Strand School. He served in the Royal Navy from 1944 to 1947, and first broadcast on the popular BBC General Forces Programme Navy Mixture in 1944. He became an announcer with the British Forces Broadcasting Service and was chief announcer on Radio SEAC in Ceylon (1945–47). He was later assistant station director.

A BBC staff announcer in the early 1950s, his voice intoned the title for many of the 53 episodes of the space adventure series, Journey Into Space. He played 22 parts in the series. He also broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.

Later career

Jacobs presented Juke Box Jury on BBC television between 1959 and 1967. He was one of the four original presenters of Top of the Pops when it started in 1964. He had, between 1957 and 1961, established the chart show format of the Light Programme's Pick of the Pops, to which he briefly returned in 1962.

Between 1957 and 1966, he presented A Song for Europe and provided the UK commentary at Eurovision Song Contests. He hosted the panel game What's My Line? when it was revived on BBC2 from 1973 to 1974. In 1973 he hosted a short-lived version of the American game show, The Who, What, or Where Game.

From December 1967 until July 1984, Jacobs chaired the Radio 4 topical debate, Any Questions? He later presented a similar series called Questions for TVS.

Jacobs appeared as himself in the 1974 film Stardust, compèring a 1960s award ceremony. He also appeared as himself in an episode of the BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em alongside Michael Crawford presenting a fictional home-improvement show.

In 1975, Jacobs survived a car accident in which his second wife, Caroline, whom he had married earlier that year, and Caroline Marsh, wife of politician Richard Marsh, were killed.

His actress daughter Emma Jacobs is best known for her role as Alex Khaled, daughter of Fontaine Khaled (Joan Collins) in the 1978 film The Stud.

Most of Jacobs's career since psychedelia and flower power has been at BBC Radio 2, although in the early days of Radio 1, which opened in September 1967, he had a late programme on Sundays. Though a Radio 1 show, this was broadcast on Radios 1 and 2 and consisted of easy listening music and interviews with guests. Between January 1985 and December 1991, Jacobs presented a daily lunchtime programme on Radio 2 of what he characterised as "our kind of music", much of it popular tunes from musical theatre. Jacobs subsequently presented a weekly programme following a similar format, for a time on Saturday evening and later on Fridays, although the show finished airing in early 1999. He also presented Radio 2's long-running Sunday programme Melodies for You from 1974 to 1984.

Now one of the station's old guard, he has presented a Sunday late-night easy listening show since 1998, The David Jacobs Collection, showcasing songs from Hollywood, Broadway and Tin Pan Alley and continuing the "our kind of music" theme. The programme regularly features recordings by Matt Monro, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis, Jr., Vic Damone and Robert Preston among others and its signature tune is an instrumental version of Cole Porter's I Love You, Samantha from High Society.

In Journey Into Space, he played the lead role of Jet Morgan in Frozen In Time on BBC Radio 4 on 12 April 2008, and he played The Host in The Host on BBC Radio 4 on 27 June 2009.

DJs Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe recruited Jacobs in 2008 to introduce album tracks from Cream on their weekday evening Radio 2 show under the rubric 'Jacobs' Cream Crackers', an allusion to a brand of biscuit. In 2010, he provided soundbites for Chris Evans's breakfast show, and chose a record each Thursday. This followed the success of his choice of Maurice Chevalier's I'm Gonna Shine Today as a song to play on the programme.

During the first half of 2012, while Jacobs was recovering from two major operations, he continued to be heard each Sunday on BBC Radio 2, which broadcast repeats of The David Jacobs Collection and Frank Sinatra: Voice of the Century, presented by Jacobs in 1998. He returned to his regular Sunday night slot with The David Jacobs Collection on 8 July 2012.

In 1984, he received the Sony Gold Award for his outstanding contribution to radio over the years (and was subsequently admitted to the Sony Hall of Fame). He also achieved the Richard Martin Award for exceptional service in the cause of animal welfare.

Jacobs is honorary high steward of the Royal Borough of Kingston. He has been involved since its inception in Kingston's Rose Theatre, of which he is life president. He is vice-patron of the charity Advance Centre for The Scotson Technique, and patron of the Disabled Photographers' Society.

Throughout his career, Jacobs was guest speaker and presenter at several Jewish and Israel charitable and cultural events and gatherings.

External links

• The David Jacobs Collection at BBC Programmes
• Short biography
• Radio Rewind audio & biography

Preceded by Tom Sloan	Eurovision Song Contest UK Commentator 1960	Succeeded by Tom Sloan
Preceded by Tom Sloan	Eurovision Song Contest UK Commentator 1962 - 1966	Succeeded by Rolf Harris