Mark Damazer

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Mark Damazer (born April 15 1955) is the controller of Radio 4 and BBC 7 in the United Kingdom.

He is the son of a delicatessen owner in Willesden in north London. He studied history at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University from 1974, where he gained a Double Starred First in 1977. At Cambridge he enjoyed counselling other undergraduates about their love lives, and had relationship with Enoch Powell's daughter, Jenny Powell. She put a dedication to him in her biography of Joseph Chamberlain. After Cambridge, he took up a Harkness Fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He met his wife, Rosemary Morgan, whilst at Harvard, and developed a liking for American culture.

He trained at ITN in 1980, with fellow trainees Ed Stourton and Michael Crick. He joined the BBC World Service as a current affairs producer in 1981. From 1982-4, he worked at ITV on TV-am, returning to BBC News in 1984. He joined Newsnight as an editor in January 1986. In August 1988, he became deputy editor of the Nine O'Clock News, becoming editor in 1990. In 1994, he became Editor of Television News Programmes, then Head of (what became) Current Affairs in May 1996. He became Head of Political Programmes in March 1998. He became Assistant Director of BBC News in December 1999, then Deputy Director in April 2001. He was appointed Controller of Radio 4 and BBC7 in October 2004, taking over from Helen Boaden, taking the job from potential candidates - Roger Mosey and Peter Horrocks. In 2006, he was involved in a controversy over his obscure decision to replace the Radio 4 UK Theme with a "pacy news briefing, read by one of Radio 4's team of news readers".

He is married with two children.

[edit] Quotes about Damazer

"Mark is a passionate listener and supporter of Radio 4. When you talk to him you realise it's in his blood. I'm sure he will build on Helen Boaden's success and take Radio 4 and BBC 7 to new heights." -- Jenny Abramsky, BBC Director of Radio and Music.

"But we leave you with the sad news ... the BBC UK theme played on Radio 4 is to be scrapped. It's been good enough for the past 33 years, but if you tune in, as they say in radioland, at half past five in the morning you will hear instead what's been described as a 'pacy news briefing' so enjoy it while you can. We've no idea what the head of Radio 4's playing at - we're thinking of using it every night. Goodnight." - Jeremy Paxman, Newsnight 23rd January 2006