Davies attended Oldershaw Grammar School in Wallasey after passing his eleven-plus; he then did National Service in the Royal Air Force, and worked as a purser on the RMS Queen Mary[1] and RMS Queen Elizabeth ocean liners.

[1] Davies began work on World of Sport (initially called Wide World of Sports) in 1965 as an understudy to Eamonn Andrews, who was paid £40,000 by ITV to present it (about £825,250 at 2022 prices)[1]—taking over the role of presenter in 1968 when Andrews left the show.

[1] After World of Sport ended in 1985,[2] Davies stayed with ITV, presenting boxing, darts, and snooker, as well as playing a part in their coverage of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

[3] After leaving ITV, Davies joined the original incarnation of Eurosport, which was then owned by Sky, and the European Broadcasting Union.

[1] He eventually made a good recovery, although it was a year or two before his speech fully returned to normal.