Tributes from throughout the UK’s arts and cultural panorama have been paid to long-serving BBC producer Alan Yentob, following his demise aged 78.
Yentob’s spouse Philippa Walker paid tribute to her husband, calling him “curious, humorous, annoying, late and artistic in each cell of his physique” and added that he was “the kindest of males.”
And the BBC has reported director-general Tim Davie’s tribute. Davie remembered Yentob as “a cultural drive” and “artistic visionary.”
Davie stated: “To work with Alan was to be impressed and inspired to assume larger. He had a uncommon reward for figuring out expertise and lifting others up – a mentor and champion to so many throughout the worlds of tv, movie and theatre.
“Above all, Alan was a real authentic. His ardour wasn’t performative – it was private. He believed within the energy of tradition to complement, problem and join us.”
Jeremy Clarkson, who Yentob needed to sack from Prime Gear following the presenter’s altercation with a producer on the set of the hit motoring present, remembered his colleague, saying on X:
“Alan Yentob is the man who referred to as to finish my profession at Prime Gear. He knew what had actually gone on although and two days later, we had dinner. Nice man. Beloved and understood tv. My like to Philippa.”
Veteran information correspondent John Simpson wrote on the identical platform:
“Very unhappy to listen to that my good buddy Alan Yentob has died. He was such good firm, and an exquisite interviewer and documentary-maker. I shall miss him drastically.”
Piers Morgan remembered him, writing: “RIP Alan Yentob, a large of British tv, an outstanding interviewer, and a fantastic character – all the time brimming with attraction, intelligence and mischief.”
Yentob was a big determine in British tradition, each on display – the place he offered dozens of programmes profiling topics from David Bowie to Beyonce, Orson Welles to Mel Brooks – and off, the place his roles included channel commissioner for BBC One and BBC Two, in addition to the BBC’s artistic director and head of music and humanities.
His memorable 1975 Omnibus function noticed him accompanying David Bowie on a tour to the US, The programme referred to as ‘Cracked Actor’, noticed Bowie, then beneath the affect of medication, give a revealing interview at the back of a limousine the place he talked about his creativity but additionally the psychological value of his excessive profile. It was heralded as a brand new frontier in profile-making.
Yentob’s prodigious profession noticed him turn into controller of BBC Two in 1988, making him one of many youngest channel controllers within the company’s historical past. He presided over a golden period for arts protection throughout the organisation.
He went on to turn into controller of the flagship TV channel BBC One from 1993 to 1997, earlier than he labored as tv’s director of programmes. He subsequently labored because the company’s artistic director for greater than a decade. He was awarded a CBE in 2024 for providers to the humanities and media.
