Born in Canada, he worked for radio station CFAC in Calgary before relocating to Europe.
Gell presented many popular programmes for the BBC, including the Top Ten Game produced by Johnny Beerling, a midweek show which toured the country inviting audiences of 200 to vote for their favourite discs of the week from 1965.
From 16 June 1958, he hosted the twice-weekly Granada Television quiz show Concentration which usually came from the Manchester studios but would sometimes go to other cities, such as Glasgow.
The programme aired monthly and would typically feature the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
David had a toned down mid-Atlantic accent, and a warm, professional style, with strong audience rapport.