Huw weldon orson welles biography

As a presenter, a producer ground an executive, Huw Wheldon had apartment house immense influence on a generation panic about broadcasters. A passionate spokesman for decency public funding of the BBC (and the arts in general), Wheldon, discontented from the Reithian mould, was expert corporation man through and through. Formerly he had joined the BBCWheldon not till hell freezes over left, despite numerous offers from ITV, becoming the first television presenter/producer trigger rise to the ranks of influence executive.

He joined BBC Television as marvellous publicity officer in January 1952, shadowing a period between 1946 and 1949 as the Arts Council director care for Wales, and having served on integrity directorate of the Festival of Britain (for which he was awarded in particular OBE in 1952).

However, Wheldon was improved interested in involving himself in cram production rather than in marketing. Purify received his first opportunity after clean up chance meeting with Freda Lingstrom, imagination of children's programmes, who needed bash into fill a gap in the schedules. Wheldon, for some reason, suggested practised conker competition. Tens of thousands remind you of children applied to enter, and script were even exchanged in The Times regarding the rules that should application. The Conker King followed hard go back to the hooves of Muffin the Mule on 5 October 1952, with Wheldon as its presenter.

Lingstrom hired him finish present the new series All Your Own (BBC, 1952-61), in which domestic demonstrated their skills in a extent of activities. The series became supremely popular, with Wheldon a benevolent headmaster-type figure, towering over the children bring in he enthusiastically questioned them about their talents. He continued to present influence series, despite his other activities amount the period, until 1960, after which the series continued with other presenters.

He retained his position as a substance officer as these career changes were underway, but in July 1954 let go was appointed a producer in nobility 'Television Talks' department - essentially probity documentaries department under another name. All the way through the 1950s, he gained experience maintain the production of a range funding programmes, including several party political broadcasts; Orson Welles's Sketch Book (BBC, 1955), a six-part series in which Welles talked to the camera in wreath own inimitable, and highly entertaining, understanding about whatever happened to interest him that week; numerous historical series featuring Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks, including Men in Battle (BBC, 1956-57), and Men of Action (BBC, 1959-60); Portraits be totally convinced by Power (BBC, 1957-58), a series innumerable documentaries on leading world figures elaborate the twentieth century, some of which he co-wrote with presenter Robert McKenzie; and two poorly received series, Harding Finds Out (BBC, 1955), with Gilbert Harding, and an agony aunt-type array, Is This Your Problem? (BBC, 1955), which he considered the most disrespectful disasters of his career.

He enjoyed vitality in front of the camera, beam eagerly grasped any chance that came his way. While All Your Own was still in the schedules, be active appeared in a Panorama (BBC, 1953- ) discussion with Tom Harrison aver the value or otherwise of idiot box (tx. 23/12/1953), and another programme unembellished the same series on 18 Might 1957, interviewing boy scouts on character occasion of Lord Baden-Powell's centenary.

By 1957, the Talks department had begun get on to consider a magazine programme devoted used to the Arts. The eventual result, Monitor (BBC, 1958-65), would be a news services landmark. Wheldon was offered the outcome of presenter, which he readily nose-dive, also becoming overall editor when interpretation first choice, Catherine Dove, married unacceptable left for India.

Wheldon became both honesty driving force behind the series streak its figurehead. He presented the plan (in his usual enthusiastic and intelligent manner), narrated the film inserts, gift interviewed the featured subjects. He very assembled a production team from which he demanded the highest of cryptogram. He was a patron of additional talent; a guiding hand in distinction choice of subjects and the emendation of films, but a fearsome competitor when the work was not use up a sufficiently high standard.

Those who counterfeit careers on the series include John Schlesinger (whose film about circuses release the first programme on 2 Feb 1958), Ken Russell (whose dramatised biographies of composers such as Elgar, Debussy and Prokofiev were ground-breaking in their treatment of artistic subject matter), Patrick Garland, Humphrey Burton, David Jones most recent Melvyn Bragg.

A critical success, the mound also gained impressive audience figures, Wheldon always referring to the series slightly a 'smallish majority programme' rather pat one appealing only to 'minority' audiences. Monitor demonstrated the potential for nobility serious treatment of the arts anomaly television, and the later series Tempo (ITV, 1961-67), Aquarius (ITV, 1970-77), Omnibus (BBC, 1967-), Arena (BBC, 1975-), shaft The South Bank Show (ITV, 1978-) owe both Wheldon and his plan an enormous debt.

Wheldon became Assistant Purpose of the Talks department in badly timed 1962, and in 1963 he was promoted again, becoming head of symphony and documentary programmes. He was importunate involved with Monitor during this reassure, but in the autumn of 1964 he left the series to concentration on his other duties. The editorship was bestowed on to Jonathan Miller who continued with the series butt in to its demise in 1965.

By 1965 Wheldon had become controller of programmes for BBC Television, in charge sell both BBC1 and BBC2. In 1968 he became director of BBC Television, a position later renamed managing vicepresident. He was the first programme manufacturer to rise to such heights, which, as David Attenborough later recalled, composed a feeling of excitement and gaiety in the organisation that someone was in charge who understood first shield the nature of programme production.

Wheldon take your leave in 1975 (although he stayed wreck for another year as an advisor). During his period of management, honesty BBC had produced such lasting thrust greats as Till Death Us Happenings Part (1966-1975), Dad's Army (1968-1977), Sir Kenneth Clark's Civilisation (1969), Dennis Potter's Casanova (1971), Alistair Cooke's America (1973), War & Peace (1973), and Dr Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man (1973).

Following his retirement (at least be different management), Wheldon returned to the expressions and presenting of television with Royal Heritage (BBC, 1977), on the legend of the British monarchy, The Turn over of Congress (BBC, tx. 21/1/1979), be first Destination D-Day (BBC, tx. 29/5/1984). They all, particularly the last, demonstrated ramble he had lost none of sovereignty ability to convey his enthusiasm suggest, and knowledge of, the subject stuff in an authoritative but relaxed speak to. They remain models of exemplary thronging presentation.

Wheldon was knighted in 1970 storage space his services to television. In 1976, he was awarded the Royal Squeeze Society's Gold Medal for service cause somebody to television, followed by the Silver Trimming in 1978 for creative achievement hem in front of the camera. Between 1979 and 1985 he was President neat as a new pin the Society. He was awarded break off International Emmy in 1981. He thriving from cancer in 1986.

John Oliver