Following education at the local grammar school he gained a scholarship to read philosophy, politics and economics at Balliol College, Oxford.
During the course of his early academic career Donaldson became increasingly aware of the limited scope, poor standard, and inaccessibility of economics teaching at school and undergraduate level.
In order to provide better teaching material,[3] during his time at Leicester University[2] he began to write what would, in 1965, be published as his first book: Guide to the British Economy.
Donaldson's time in India had stirred an interest in development economics, and this was reflected in his follow-up program Affluence and Inequality which aired during the early 1970s, also on Radio 4.
A number of further educational and popular books appeared during the late 1970s and early 1980s, before Donaldson returned to broadcasting with Yorkshire Television-produced programs for ITV Schools and the newly launched Channel 4 television station.