Neil Fox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neil Andrew Howe Fox (born 12 June 1961) is a British radio and television presenter, known for many years as Dr Fox before he became "Foxy" in the 2000s.
Contents |
[edit] Early career
He was educated at Kingston Grammar School in London, 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. He started his professional radio career on what is now Wyvern FM (then Radio Wyvern) and Radio Luxembourg before joining Capital Radio in 1987.
[edit] Capital Radio
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. By the early 1990s, Fox was one of Capital FM's most popular DJs[citation needed], and in 1993 he began presenting the Sunday-afternoon Network Chart; which was initially 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[citation needed].
Fox also presented a show on Channel 5 based around the Pepsi Chart[citation needed] 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.
[edit] Leaving Capital
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.
[edit] 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. He is now known simply as 'Neil X. Fox'.
[edit] Trivia
- Fox holds eight Sony awards, as well as having been voted to claim the "Best Disc Jockey" award from the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party multiple times.
- Fox featured as himself in an episode of Monkey Dust in which he is abducted and tortured by a hidden assailant, who questions the nature of his doctorate before setting blood-thirsty hounds on him, thinking he therefore must be a fox.
- Fox also holds a helicopter licence[citation needed].
- Fox informed viewers on the satirical Channel 4 Television show brasseye that "paedophiles have more genes in common with crabs than they do with you and me", before qualifying his remarks with "Now that is scientific fact - there's no real evidence for it - but it is scientific fact".
- Fox is a keen supporter of Halifax Town A.F.C.
[edit] Disproven Trivia
- Fox collects stuffed owls and has one of the largest collections in the UK
Famously disproven on Simon Logan's Breakfast show on 96.3 Radio Aire. This was due to a researcher finding the false information on wikipedia and creating a quiz on owls for Simon Logan to give to Dr Fox. It turns out that it is another Neil Fox who holds one of the largest collections of stuffed owls in the UK.
