Gavin Bantock is an English poet; he is the grandson of Granville Bantock. He was born in Barnt Green, and attended New College, Oxford, where he won the Richard Hillary prize for poetry. He traveled to Japan in 1964 on the advice of his father, Raymond, and returned five years later to teach at Reitaku University. He has remained in the country ever since. Initially teaching English language and literature at Reitaku, he began also leading a group of students in productions of English plays, which eventually became his primary career. After retiring from Reitaku in 1994, he became the drama coach at Meitoku Gijuku High School in Kochi.