James Cameron Davidson OBE (born 13 December 1953) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter.

Upon leaving school, Davidson worked as a supermarket shelf stacker, a messenger, air ticket clerk for a travel agency, a cashier for Wall's ice cream and for Rank Xerox (having trained as a reprographics operator) and a window cleaner.

Davidson appeared on an edition of the BBC1 series Seaside Special, shown on 20 August 1977, hosted by Tony Blackburn and David Hamilton.

His appearance garnered negative reviews in The Stage, with the show's reviewer, Martyn Wade, commenting that: "...comedian Jim Davidson had already won first prize for lack of taste with crude racist jokes tracing the adventures of a black man whose nickname was Chalky and whose other names included Toilet-Roll.

On 2 January 2013, Davidson was set to become a housemate in the 11th series of Celebrity Big Brother, but was arrested at Heathrow Airport by police officers working on Operation Yewtree.

[10] Davidson's touring material developed from his original London comedy circuit show, aimed for pub and club audiences, a demographic considerably different to that of his television work.

He later developed his touring material into his adult pantomime work, including productions with titles such as Boobs in the Wood, a spoof of Robin Hood, and Sinderella.

In 2006, for the first time in 14 years, he refused to play Great Yarmouth, stating that the resort was "full of overweight people in flip-flops and fat children of all colours and no class".

[11] Davidson has appeared in the UK singles chart under his own name with the double A-sided "White Christmas"/"Too Risky".

He set up a company which bought or leased several seaside theatres or piers, including the Winter Gardens building in Great Yarmouth, which was converted into a nightclub.

[15][16] On 27 August 2003, after a meeting with the Inland Revenue, Davidson claimed he spent £10,000 a week on back taxes, commission to agents, maintenance and school fees, and a £2.2 million mortgage: "My problem is money – I used to earn five times as much as I do now, but I still pay the same maintenance, school fees and commission to agents," he told Radio Times magazine.

"[24] Davidson again faced controversy in December 2007, when he made a joke about rape survivors during a show at the Newark Palace Theatre, in Nottinghamshire.

A local paper, the Nottingham Evening Post, stated that: "there were moments when he did stray too far over the line (most notably with a routine on rape).

If I cured AIDS and fed Africa and ended Ebola and found that missing aeroplane, I'd still be that horrible racist, sexist, homophobic comedian.

"[1] On 30 May 1987, he had entered a fish and chip shop on Denmark St, near Bristol Hippodrome, and had told a policeman, Paul Cox, in the queue 'I have been drinking.

Mr Davidson cited the fact that a proportion of his act was aimed at disabled customers and that he would be unable to perform under these circumstances".

[32] On 2 January 2013, as Davidson was set to become a housemate in the 11th series of Celebrity Big Brother, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport by police officers working on Operation Yewtree.

Davidson was photographed by the BBC[36] as he allegedly shouted at police and was filmed near the front of a blockade driving a large SUV, where he remarked that Jeremy Corbyn (who was not involved) was an "environmental disaster".

[37] Davidson later told Nigel Farage on LBC radio that the reason for his anger had been that the demonstrations had almost prevented him "from getting his pie and mash".

[4] Davidson's numerous marriages prompted the actor Sir John Mills to send a telegram on the occasion of his fourth, which read simply: "Will It Last?

[41] In March 2004, Davidson, a Conservative Party supporter, publicly left the United Kingdom for the tax haven of Dubai, UAE, in protest at the then-Labour party government under Tony Blair, although it was also noted by HMRC at the time that his move coincided with an unpaid tax bill of approximately £700,000.

[43] He also expressed sympathy for then UKIP leader Nigel Farage, describing the party as "the Jim Davidson of the political world".

[53] On 18 March 2011, Davidson announced the show was being cancelled because of poor ticket sales, having visited only four of the 12 planned city destinations.