Alan Davey: Former punk fan from Billingham named as new controller of BBC Radio 3

A former punk enthusiast and son of a Stockton electrician has been named as the new controller of BBC Radio 3.

Alan Davey, the chief executive of the Arts Council, succeeds Roger Wright, who left the BBC this year after 15 years in charge of Radio 3.

Billingham-born Mr Davey, a former director of arts and culture at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, is a passionate advocate of the arts.

He is expected to earn less than the 227,000 of his predecessor Wright, although exact details of his salary will not be confirmed until after he has started the job.

However, it will still be a substantial pay increase for Mr Davey, who is thought to have earned between 110,000 and 120,000 at the Arts Council where he has been chief exec since 2007.

Unlike Wright, Mr Davey will not be directly in charge of the Proms, with a director of the eight-week summer season of concerts, who will report into the new Radio 3 controller, due to be appointed.

Said Mr Davey: Radio 3, the BBC Performing Groups and the Proms together form one of our most important cultural institutions and a beacon of excellence, there to help everyone discover the best in music, arts and ideas.

It is an honour to be asked to lead this wonderful institution and to renew it for the digital age, helping new audiences to encounter the wonderful things serious music and culture can bring.

Mr Davey grew up in Stockton and his father William was an electrician at ICI.

A music nut, his passion for arts and culture started as a child visiting pantomimes at Stocktons Hippodrome and at Billingham Forum.

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Alan Davey: Former punk fan from Billingham named as new controller of BBC Radio 3