Savidge Reads

Simon Savidge is the man behind Savidge Reads. He is -simply- infatuated with books. 
 

Coming from a long line of Northern book lovers, Simon has loved books since he first encountered Elmer, who he has recently realised is his subconscious style icon. Simon fell out of love with reading in his late teens and early twenties, until a friend gave him Du Maurier’s Rebecca and he hasn’t really been seen without a book since.

Simon started the book blog Savidge Reads in 2007, he then moved into podcasts with The Readers, before heading to YouTube in 2016 which has become his main focus. Simon has judged The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, Fiction Uncovered, the HWA Debut Crown, the Costa Book Awards and was chair of the Portico Prize 2019, often described as the Booker of the North. He currently project manages The BBC Novels That Shaped Our World Libraries Events Programme UK wide, as well as hosting literary events at festivals and bookshops.

Most known for his YouTube channel, Savidge Reads, Simon has also appeared on the Booker Prize, BBC News 24/BBC One live show, has hosted a books section on Radio 5 Live and was a presenter on Sky Arts Live from Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2019. He returns to Sky Arts this autumn as one of the presenters on Sky Art’s new forthcoming Book Club Live. Simon also hosts a book club with Melanie Sykes.