David Benedict is a freelance culture critic and broadcaster, a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, the London theatre critic for Variety and weekly columnist for The Stage. He was previously the arts editor of The Observer and associate arts editor/daily columnist at the Independent, writing on theatre, opera, dance, film and TV. He has also written for the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Times. He has written and presented films about Rufus Wainwright and Matthew Bourne for BBC2, been a presenter for BBC Radio 3's Building a Library, specialising in musicals and opera, and. He reviewed fiction, film, TV and visual arts for BBC Radio 4. He is a regular guest presenter for live events at the BFI, the National Theatre and beyond. He lives in London. How Did It Happen? is his first book.