His father had won a scholarship to study at Cambridge, where he read English and became president of the Junior Common Room at King's College.
This experience left an enduring impression on the young Champion, who went on to study at Churchill College, Cambridge.
[2] Of his time at Cambridge, one contemporary described how Champion 'cut a distinctive figure – the vigorous stride, the mane of golden blond hair, a frank and direct manner.
He presented or appeared in several TV and radio shows about British history, including the Channel 4 drama documentary The Great Plague in 2001, the ITV documentary series Kings and Queens in 2003 and the BBC Four programme Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls - Act One: At Court in 2012.
He was working on the thought and influence of Thomas Hobbes' radical criticism of public religion and its relationship with the early Enlightenment at the time of his death.