Bryan Cowgill
Bryan Cowgill | |
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Born | (1977–1985) | 27 May 1927
Bryan Cowgill (27 May 1927 – 14 July 2008) was a British television executive. He was Head of Sport for BBC Television from 1963 to 1973, Controller of BBC1 from 1973 to 1977, and Managing Director of Thames Television from 1977 to 1985.
Early life
Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, Cowgill attended Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. After leaving school he became a copy boy with the Lancashire Evening Post, where his father was a printer. In 1943, he joined the Royal Marines, and during the next four years he saw service in Southeast Asia.[1]
Career
After Cowgill was
In 1958, Cowgill devised the Saturday afternoon sports showcase
In 1973, after a decade in charge of the sports department of BBC Television, Cowgill was promoted to Controller of BBC1, the corporation's premier television network.
In 1977, Cowgill accepted an offer to leave the BBC after over twenty years to join
During Cowgill's tenure at Thames he tried to acquire the popular 1980s soap opera Dallas, which had previously been associated with the BBC, abandoning a gentleman's agreement not to poach purchased programming. Other ITV companies refused to show Dallas if Thames retained it, and this led to Cowgill's resignation in 1985 at the age of 58.[2]
Towards the end of his life, Cowgill argued for the abolition of the television licence that finances the BBC, asking "in the context of more than 200 channels how can little green vans going up and down the country saying effectively: 'What are you watching and have you got a licence to watch it?' survive?"[3]
Cowgill's autobiography, Mr Action Replay, was published in 2006.[4]
References
- ^ Barker, Dennis (18 July 2008). "Bryan Cowgill". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b Obituary "Brian Cowgill", The Daily Telegraph, 15 July 2008.
- ^ "Interview – Bryan Cowgill: Mr Action Replay".
- ^ "Who shot Bryan Cowgill?". Royal Television Society. June 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2023.