A Scot from Edinburgh, David started his career in the Newsroom at Radio Clyde in Glasgow after university, but the lure of teaching Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and French was too great to resist. He later owned his own restaurant in Harrogate, but returned to teaching until his retirement.

Since then David has worked on local radio and the internet, providing programmes on music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and a recent interest – country music.

David loves meeting people from all walks of life and is frequently invited to talk to groups locally and on cruises.

A light-hearted reflection on British singing stars, including Alma Cogan, Dorothy Squires, Joan Regan, Kathy Kirby, Ruby Murray, Anthony Newley, David Whitfield, Russ Conway, Billy Fury, Lonnie Donegan and Frankie Vaughan, Billy Fury.
Records of the 1940s & 50s, banned by the BBC - risqué lyrics, of course, but why then ban some instrumentals?
Steptoe & Son - a happy family?
Judy Garland - a 20th Century icon.
Doris Day - everybody's favourite actress and singer.
Dubbing in Hollywood Musicals - we thought the actors were singing, however .....
The magic of Fred Astaire in the 1930s & 40s - with his various dancing partners.
The Great American Songbook - a look t some major composers and the singers who made the songs famous.
The Great British Songbook - this doesn't really exist but it's my take on it.
Scottish entertainers who made it in England and America - comedians and musicians.
Christmas in the Movies - remember some of your favourite Christmas films.
Christmas TV Memories from British Television from the 60s, 70s & 80s.
Studying in Moscow during the Communist era.
Destination presentations: Copenhagen, Riga & Tallinn, Warnemunde, Rostock & Berlin, Norway, Sweden.
The Bronte Sisters - how where they lived influenced their writings.
Sherlock Holmes & his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Two amazing characters - one real and one imaginary.
Sir Bernard Spilsbury - Home Office Pathologist, who helped convict Dr Crippen, often called 'the real-life Sherlock Holmes' - success or failure?
The Murders of Burke & Hare - Edinburgh's infamous 'suppliers' of corpses to a respected doctor, which led to a new law to protect us.
The Dr Crippen Case - did he really kill his second wife and run off with his secretary to America? Follow the whole story in this talk.
Jack the Ripper - the murders occurred in the East End of London in 1888 - but the police never caught him. But just how many victims were there?
Two Royal Rulers who lost their heads – one way or another! – Charles I and George III.
Spain - The Moorish Invasion 711 - 1492 - the biggest impact on Spain today started 1300 years ago.
Spain - The Reconquest - after almost 800 years, Ferdinand & Isabel expel the Moors from Spain.
Spain - The Legacy of the Moors - their architecture, with focus on The Alhambra in Granada and the Giralda and Cathedral in Seville.
Spain - The Spanish Golden Age - the development of music, architecture, attitudes and literature, including Don Quixote.
Spain - Modern-day Spain - philology, food and flamenco.
Spanish Language Lessons - beginners and intermediary.
Portuguese language lessons - beginners.

CMV mostly, Princess, Fred Olsen, Ambassador, Saga & Celebrity. Video/audio presentations on British singers (3 per session), Dubbing in American Musicals, Judy Garland, Steptoe & Son, Fred Astaire, Great American Songbook, Great British Songbook, Record Banned by BBC in the 1940s & 50s. Also some port lectures, Spanish cuisine, Portuguese cuisine. Norway, Sweden, Baltic countries.

The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.