Neil Fox
Encyclopedia
Neil Andrew Howe Fox is an English DJ and TV presenter, known for many years as Dr. Fox before he became "Foxy" in the 2000s. He is now known simply as "Neil Fox". He is not to be mistaken for Conservative MP
Liam Fox
who is also known as Dr. Fox. He was a judge on Pop Idol
, along with Simon Cowell
, Pete Waterman
and Nicki Chapman
. He appeared as himself ( judging a superhero
talent show) in BBC Three
sketch show The Wrong Door
. The Wrong Door finished in 2008. He is expected now to concentrate on his DJ work.
, Surrey
where he lived for a number of years. He was then educated at Kingston Grammar School
in London
and joined the Air Training Corps
, before becoming a management student at the University of Bath
, where he joined the student radio station University Radio Bath
, and began his career as a radio presenter using the pseudonym Andrew Howe.
(then Radio Wyvern) in Hereford
and Worcester
, starting off with a show called Mellow Yellow. This was broadcast on Friday nights from 9-11pm & Saturday nights from 8-11pm. In 1985, Fox took over the weekday evening show from 6-9pm, before moving to their weekday afternoon show from 2-6pm. He also presented a Saturday morning show for the station, which went out from 10am-1pm. He remained there until late 1986, then joined Radio Luxembourg
in early 1987 before joining Capital Radio in October the same year.
), where some of his first shows were broadcast only on medium wave, because Capital were then broadcasting "adult" rock music on FM while mainstream chart music was played on MW. However this soon ceased, the MW transmitters were given over to 'oldies
' station Capital Gold
, and the FM service became Capital FM. He also presented a Saturday morning show.
In the very early 1990s, there was a short period in which Fox hosted a show starting at midnight on Saturday, specifically aimed at the club crowd. It was for this show that he adopted the moniker "Dr. Fox", with the full title of the programme being "Dr. Fox's Midnight Surgery". This was at the suggestion of Capital's Programme Director, Richard Park
, who some years previously had been a presenter on Radio Clyde
and had hosted a similar show under the pseudonym "Dr. Dick". Many people called the show for requests, Foxy was well known for lots of banter with the callers and the "Surgery" was soon extended to his weekday evening shows.
Fox was establishing himself as one of Capital FM's most popular DJs, and in 1993 he began presenting the Sunday-afternoon Network Chart Show; which due to sponsorship went on to be called the Pepsi Network Chart before becoming simply the Pepsi Chart
in 1996 and then hit40uk
, sponsored by Woolworths
in 2003. During Fox's tenure, this show, which had previously been hosted by David Jensen
, overtook the official Top 40 show on BBC Radio 1
(broadcast at exactly the same time) in terms of audience share as published in the JICRAR figures during the time. In addition to this, he still continued with his Evening show, although from 1995, he went out on Sundays - Thursdays. On Sundays, his show went out from 7.00-8.30pm on Sundays as he presented the Chart show beforehand. In 1997, it was rumoured that Matthew Bannister
offered Fox the Breakfast show on BBC Radio 1
, following the departure of Chris Evans
from the station. In late 1998 he took over Capital's 4-7pm drivetime show from David Jensen
which was later extended to 8pm.
Fox also presented a show on Channel 5 based around the Pepsi Chart from 1998 until 2002, and he was famously a judge on Pop Idol
, as well as presenting various other ITV1
shows. On Capital FM he moved from the weekday evening show to the drivetime
show in 1998, again succeeding David Jensen
. He deputised for Chris Tarrant
on the station's breakfast show on many occasions, especially after Tarrant changed to part-time work in 2003, but was passed over in favour of Johnny Vaughan
as Tarrant's successor.
Fox claimed that he wanted to leave Capital when he didn't get the breakfast show, but he initially changed his mind and remained for a while longer. On 30 May 2004 he presented his last hit40uk after 11 years, but remained on Capital FM until the spring of 2005 when he left the station after 18 years, his drivetime show being taken over by Richard Bacon
.
Poll Winners Party multiple times.
He now lives in East Preston, West Sussex and Chelsea, London.
judges Pete Waterman
and Nicki Chapman
on Peter Kay
's Britain's Got The Pop Factor ... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, a spoof on the talent show genre of programmes.
Fox appeared on the satirical show Brasseye's controversial 2001 Paedophilia Special, where he claimed that "Paedophiles have genetically more in common with crabs than they do with you or me. Now that's scientific fact... there's no real evidence for it, but it is scientific fact."
Other television work and appearances include Doctor Fox's Video Jukebox on LWT, Ice Warriors (voiceover) and The Big Call (host) on ITV, and Not The Jack Docherty Show (host) on Channel 5.
The album Mix'o'matic is a remix album, containing fifty songs over two discs mixed together by Fox.
MP
MP or mp may refer to:*Machine pistol*Malayo-Polynesian languages*Manu propria, a Latin expression for with one's own hand*Martinair IATA airline designator or reservation code*Maximum parsimony, a term used in statistical analyses...
Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
who is also known as Dr. Fox. He was a judge on Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, along with Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
and Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman is an English television presenter who also works in the British pop music industry. She was also a judge on the ITV reality shows Popstars, with Nigel Lythgoe and Paul Adam, and Pop Idol, along with Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and Neil Fox...
. He appeared as himself ( judging a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
talent show) in BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
sketch show The Wrong Door
The Wrong Door
The Wrong Door is a comedy sketch show, first aired on BBC Three on 28 August 2008. The programme is the first comedy show in which almost all of the sketches have a CGI element. As such, it was produced under the working title of The CGI Sketch Show...
. The Wrong Door finished in 2008. He is expected now to concentrate on his DJ work.
Early life
As a boy he moved to Thames DittonThames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
where he lived for a number of years. He was then educated at Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century. It is a registered charity under English law....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and joined the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
, before becoming a management student at the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, where he joined the student radio station University Radio Bath
1449AM URB
- History :URB , previously URB 963, and currently 1449AM URB launched on May 16, 1973 and is a student-run radio station at the University of Bath. It was launched by Annie Nightingale & Pete Murray from Radio 1. In 1994 and 2003 URB also broadcast under short-term Restricted Service Licences...
, and began his career as a radio presenter using the pseudonym Andrew Howe.
Wyvern
In 1984 he started his professional radio career on what is now Wyvern FMWyvern FM
Wyvern is a radio station broadcasting to Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. Wyvern is predominantly music-based, playing pop from the 1980s through to the present day...
(then Radio Wyvern) in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, starting off with a show called Mellow Yellow. This was broadcast on Friday nights from 9-11pm & Saturday nights from 8-11pm. In 1985, Fox took over the weekday evening show from 6-9pm, before moving to their weekday afternoon show from 2-6pm. He also presented a Saturday morning show for the station, which went out from 10am-1pm. He remained there until late 1986, then joined Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
in early 1987 before joining Capital Radio in October the same year.
Capital Radio
Fox presented the station's evening show from 7.30-10pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (sharing weekday evenings with Pat SharpPat Sharp
Pat Sharp is a British radio and television presenter and disc jockey. In the UK, he is known mainly for his work on the children's television programme Fun House, his former mullet and his radio shows as well as his support of Arsenal...
), where some of his first shows were broadcast only on medium wave, because Capital were then broadcasting "adult" rock music on FM while mainstream chart music was played on MW. However this soon ceased, the MW transmitters were given over to 'oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
' station Capital Gold
Capital Gold
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007...
, and the FM service became Capital FM. He also presented a Saturday morning show.
In the very early 1990s, there was a short period in which Fox hosted a show starting at midnight on Saturday, specifically aimed at the club crowd. It was for this show that he adopted the moniker "Dr. Fox", with the full title of the programme being "Dr. Fox's Midnight Surgery". This was at the suggestion of Capital's Programme Director, Richard Park
Richard Park (broadcaster)
Richard Park is a Scottish media personality and businessman, who is Executive Director of Global Radio. He was previously a media consultant and broadcaster in the UK and has also made appearances as the 'Headmaster' of BBC TV's Fame Academy programmes.-Professional career:Voted most influential...
, who some years previously had been a presenter on Radio Clyde
Radio Clyde
Radio Clyde is a division of Bauer Radio based in Glasgow, Scotland. They currently operate an FM station and an AM station from studios in Clydebank West Dunbartonshire.- History :...
and had hosted a similar show under the pseudonym "Dr. Dick". Many people called the show for requests, Foxy was well known for lots of banter with the callers and the "Surgery" was soon extended to his weekday evening shows.
Fox was establishing himself as one of Capital FM's most popular DJs, and in 1993 he began presenting the Sunday-afternoon Network Chart Show; which due to sponsorship went on to be called the Pepsi Network Chart before becoming simply the Pepsi Chart
Pepsi Chart (UK)
The Pepsi Chart was a networked Sunday afternoon Top 40 countdown on UK radio that started life on 1st August 1993 with Neil 'Doctor' Fox hosting the show live from the Capital Radio studios in London...
in 1996 and then hit40uk
Hit40uk
Hit40UK was a networked Top 40 chart show broadcasting on around 130 UK commercial radio stations every Sunday from 4pm to 7pm. It is now a TV programme shown on 4Music. The radio version was produced in house by Global Radio and Somethin' Else...
, sponsored by Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
in 2003. During Fox's tenure, this show, which had previously been hosted by David Jensen
David Jensen
David "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...
, overtook the official Top 40 show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
(broadcast at exactly the same time) in terms of audience share as published in the JICRAR figures during the time. In addition to this, he still continued with his Evening show, although from 1995, he went out on Sundays - Thursdays. On Sundays, his show went out from 7.00-8.30pm on Sundays as he presented the Chart show beforehand. In 1997, it was rumoured that Matthew Bannister
Matthew Bannister
Richard Matthew Bannister is a British media executive and broadcaster. After attending King Edward VII School , he graduated in law at the University of Nottingham in 1978, and joined BBC Radio Nottingham as a trainee reporter and subsequently the presenter of its speech-based breakfast show,...
offered Fox the Breakfast show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, following the departure of Chris Evans
Chris Evans
Christopher James "Chris" Evans is an English broadcaster, businessman and producer for radio & television.-Early life:Evans was born in 1966, in Warrington, Cheshire, England, the youngest child of bookmaker...
from the station. In late 1998 he took over Capital's 4-7pm drivetime show from David Jensen
David Jensen
David "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...
which was later extended to 8pm.
Fox also presented a show on Channel 5 based around the Pepsi Chart from 1998 until 2002, and he was famously a judge on Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, as well as presenting various other ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
shows. On Capital FM he moved from the weekday evening show to the drivetime
DriveTime
DriveTime Automotive Group Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona, is the largest used car seller and automobile finance company focusing on buyers with credit problems. The company has 88 dealerships in 36 U.S. metropolitan areas, and more than 2000 employees...
show in 1998, again succeeding David Jensen
David Jensen
David "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...
. He deputised for Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
on the station's breakfast show on many occasions, especially after Tarrant changed to part-time work in 2003, but was passed over in favour of Johnny Vaughan
Johnny Vaughan
Jonathan Randall Vaughan is an English broadcaster and journalist. Vaughan has become well known as a television and radio personality and has also built a reputation as a film critic. He co-presented Capital Breakfast alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011...
as Tarrant's successor.
Fox claimed that he wanted to leave Capital when he didn't get the breakfast show, but he initially changed his mind and remained for a while longer. On 30 May 2004 he presented his last hit40uk after 11 years, but remained on Capital FM until the spring of 2005 when he left the station after 18 years, his drivetime show being taken over by Richard Bacon
Richard Bacon (television presenter)
Richard Paul Bacon is an English television and radio presenter.Bacon's first high-profile media role was as a presenter of Blue Peter, from which he was sacked in 1998 following newspaper reports of him taking cocaine...
.
Magic 105.4
Since 12 September 2005, he has been the presenter of the "More Music Breakfast Show" on Magic 105.4 FM in London, and on DAB, Freeview and Satellite across the UK. The show is broadcast every weekday morning from 5.30-9.00amAwards
Fox holds nine Sony awards and was awarded the Gold award for lifetime achievement in 2009, as well as having been voted to claim the "Best Disc Jockey" award from the Smash HitsSmash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
Poll Winners Party multiple times.
He now lives in East Preston, West Sussex and Chelsea, London.
TV
12 October 2008, Fox joined his fellow ex-Pop IdolPop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
judges Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
and Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman is an English television presenter who also works in the British pop music industry. She was also a judge on the ITV reality shows Popstars, with Nigel Lythgoe and Paul Adam, and Pop Idol, along with Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and Neil Fox...
on Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
's Britain's Got The Pop Factor ... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, a spoof on the talent show genre of programmes.
Fox appeared on the satirical show Brasseye's controversial 2001 Paedophilia Special, where he claimed that "Paedophiles have genetically more in common with crabs than they do with you or me. Now that's scientific fact... there's no real evidence for it, but it is scientific fact."
Other television work and appearances include Doctor Fox's Video Jukebox on LWT, Ice Warriors (voiceover) and The Big Call (host) on ITV, and Not The Jack Docherty Show (host) on Channel 5.
Discography
- Mix'o'matic (1996)
The album Mix'o'matic is a remix album, containing fifty songs over two discs mixed together by Fox.