Two of the most senior figures in British broadcasting have paid glowing tribute to Alan Yentob, the former BBC creative director and arts champion, following his death last month aged 78.
Michael Grade, former BBC chairman and ITV chief executive, and Jane Lush, the ex-controller of BBC Entertainment and Comedy, both hailed Yentob’s legacy as one of the most distinctive and influential figures of television’s public service heyday.
Grade recalled a decades-long relationship that began in friendly rivalry but evolved into mutual respect. “I knew Alan Yentob, or ‘Botney’ as he was nicknamed after a classic Guardian misspelling, almost all of my broadcasting career,” he said. “At first we had a friendly rivalry, I had launched Melvyn Bragg’s South Bank Show at ITV and Alan had launched the rival Arena arts series on BBC television.”
Later, as colleagues at the BBC’s Television Centre, Grade said he saw Yentob’s creative brilliance firsthand. “His creative taste was exceptional, as he later proved when I appointed him to run BBC Two. His management style was unusual, his canteen was the River Café, his contacts unmatched.
Michael Grade
“When he needed my approval for something, money or ideas, he would ‘stalk’ me, seeming to appear out of nowhere, ‘Oh, hello Michael, I was wondering if…’. This was more than coincidence, it was his technique.”
Grade added: “Alan was the last of the TV impresarios of the golden age of public service broadcasting, up there with Paul Fox, Bill Cotton, Brian Tesler, Brian Wenham and David Attenborough. I bless his memory and his legacy.”
Jane Lush, who also chaired BAFTA, echoed the sentiment and called Yentob “a TV genius”.
Jane Lush
“His stewardship of BBC Two moved it from a rather fusty channel to one where the best creatives wanted to showcase their work. But very unusually he also proved he had an eye for the most popular when he was handed the reins at BBC One. Television will miss him hugely.”
Yentob’s career spanned more than four decades, with credits including Arena, Imagine and top roles across BBC channels. He was widely regarded as one of the most creative minds in British broadcasting history.
