My friend Jim Davis, who has died aged 74, was an internationally respected theatre historian, inspirational lecturer and a leading authority on 19th-century theatre. From 2004 to 2009 he was head of theatre and performance studies at the University of Warwick, where he established the department’s reputation for excellence.
Jim published widely and to critical acclaim. His most recent book, Comic Acting and Portraiture in Late-Georgian and Regency England (2015), won the Theatre and Performance Research Association David Bradbury award in 2017. Jim was joint author, with Victor Emeljanow, of Reflecting the Audience, London Theatre Going, 1840-1880, which was awarded the 2001 Theatre Book prize.
