147-516: Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series French and Saunders (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders , and playing the lead role of Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2020). French has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won
294-613: A BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009. French was born on 11 October 1957 in Holyhead , Wales, to English parents Felicity Roma ( née O'Brien; 1934 – 2012) and Denys Vernon French (5 August 1932 – 11 September 1977), who married in their home town of Plymouth in 1953. French has an older brother, Gary. Her father served in the Royal Air Force , stationed at RAF Valley and later RAF Leconfield , where Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother went to tea at French's home when French
441-586: A charity single to raise money for Comic Relief. It was a cover version of The Beatles song " Help! ", and was released on the London Records label , entering the UK Singles Chart on 25 February 1989 and reaching a high of #3. It remained in the chart for nine weeks. French, Saunders and Burke returned for Comic Relief in 1997 as "The Sugar Lumps," along with Llewella Gideon and Lulu , to parody The Spice Girls , with whom they performed
588-707: A Master of Ceremonies for multiple awards shows and benefits, including the Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards (2000), the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences ' annual Interactive Achievement Awards (2001) and the American Cinematheque 's Moving Picture Ball honoring Michael Douglas (1993). Lewis also wrote and performed additional comedic material incorporated on the 1994 CD-ROM Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (7th Level) Lewis started his career in 1970 as
735-529: A celebrity guest judge on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK , where she judged the final five contestants, Lawrence Chaney , Bimini Bon-Boulash , Tayce , Ellie Diamond and A'Whora , on their comedy stand-up routines. In 1996, French appeared in The Adventures of Pinocchio as "The Baker's Wife" alongside Martin Landau and star Jonathan Taylor Thomas . French played The Fat Lady in
882-673: A censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war. Due to the BBC's advancements in shortwave radio technology, the corporation could broadcast across the world during the Second World War. Within Europe, the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English. Regional BBC workers, based on their regional geo-political climate, would then further censor
1029-482: A comedic performer and writer on American TV. He hosts his own daily radio show, heard in America on Sirius Satellite Radio and worldwide on Sirius Internet Radio. He is an occasional contributor to The Huffington Post website. Described by L.A. Weekly as "a true Renaissance Man", Lewis' career has encompassed work in music, comedy, TV, radio, film, theatre, books and politics. Lewis' official website credits
1176-732: A commentator discussing politics and pop culture on a broad array of major US TV networks. He has appeared as a satirist or comedic performer on shows such Politically Incorrect HBO's Night Rap , VH1's My Generation , and The Tom Arnold Show . He has also appeared on British TV, serving as US correspondent for BBC shows such as The Terry Wogan Show and Good Morning . Lewis has hosted and produced his own daily radio show heard nationally on Steven Van Zandt 's Underground Garage channel on Sirius Satellite Radio since 2005. Prior to that, Lewis hosted his own weekly radio show in Los Angeles on KGIL and wrote, hosted and produced
1323-647: A consultant on several of the Beatles's projects, including: The Beatles Anthology , Live at the BBC , and the DVD releases of A Hard Day's Night and The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show . He was a consultant for Michael Lindsay-Hogg 's 2000 VH1 television film, Two of Us , a fictionalized account of the last-ever encounter between John Lennon and Paul McCartney (in New York in 1976). He created
1470-930: A consultative role to Jack Healey in his creation of its 1988 Human Rights Now! world tour of all five continents that featured Bruce Springsteen , Sting and Peter Gabriel . In December 2009, Lewis co-hosted an event saluting Amnesty International in Washington DC. The event was attended by Robert De Niro , Meryl Streep , Martin Short , Mel Brooks , Matthew Broderick , Carol Burnett , Jon Stewart , Jack Black , Edward Norton , Bruce Springsteen , Patti Scialfa , Sting , Trudie Styler , Eddie Vedder , Ben Harper , Laura Dern , Dave Brubeck , Herbie Hancock , Bob Balaban , Joe Mantegna , Bill Irwin , Richard Kind , Florence Henderson , Roger Bart , Gary Beach , Shuler Hensley , Cory English , Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and opera singer Grace Bumbry . The event
1617-531: A different character each week, whether it was the murderer, victim, or both. French's biggest solo television role to date has been as the title figure in the long-running BBC comedy The Vicar of Dibley , which Richard Curtis created for her. The show began in 1994. She stars as Geraldine Granger, a vicar of a small fictional village called Dibley. An audience of 12.3 million watched the final full-length episode to see her character's marriage ceremony. She appeared on The Vicar of Dibley with Damian Lewis in
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#17327911719191764-579: A factor in the growing social activism of rock musicians since the early 1980s. In a 1986 interview in Rolling Stone magazine , Bono said: "I saw The Secret Policeman's Ball and it became a part of me. It sowed a seed..." Live Aid and Live 8 organizer Bob Geldof's first-ever participation in a benefit show was at 1981's The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, the event where he first worked with Midge Ure who later collaborated on Geldof's worldwide fund-raisers. Amnesty also credits Lewis with having
1911-495: A film producer, Lewis gained a reputation in the 1980s for engaging respected, veteran film directors such as Sam Peckinpah and Lindsay Anderson to work on film projects centered on contemporary music. Lewis produced Peckinpah's last works, a series of music videos featuring Julian Lennon . Anderson was hired by Lewis to direct Wham! in China: Foreign Skies , a film that documented the 1985 tour of China by
2058-959: A flat in London. French has co-written and starred in her and Saunders' comedy series, French & Saunders , which debuted in 1987. On their show, the duo have spoofed many celebrities such as Madonna , Cher , Catherine Zeta-Jones and the Spice Girls . They have also parodied films such as The Lord of the Rings , Star Wars and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . After 20 years being on television together, their sketch series A Bucket o' French & Saunders , began airing on 8 September 2007. French and Saunders have also followed separate careers. During French's time starring in Murder Most Horrid , from 1991 to 1999, she played
2205-558: A flat while at college and were influenced to do comedy by their flatmates as part of their projects for college. After talking in depth for the first time, they came to be friends. While at college, French broke up with her fiancé, a former Royal Navy officer. After French and Saunders graduated from the Royal Central School, they decided to form a double-act called the Menopause Sisters. Saunders has described
2352-556: A freelance journalist writing for British music weeklies such as the New Musical Express , Record Mirror and Disc . He has written speeches, commercials and material for many entertainers including members of Monty Python as well as Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Jennifer Aniston , Zsa Zsa Gabor , Elliott Gould , Teri Hatcher , Anjelica Huston , Quincy Jones , Patrick Macnee , Roger Moore , Sarah Jessica Parker , Sally Jessy Raphael and Susan Sarandon . He
2499-399: A history of severe depression and made two suicide attempts, but managed to conceal his illness from Dawn and Gary. When French was 19, her father died by suicide. In 1977, French began studying drama at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama , where she met her future comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders . Both came from RAF backgrounds. They had grown up on the same camps, even having had
2646-469: A larger brand: in 2003, BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three , with programming for younger adults and shocking real-life documentaries, BBC News 24 became the BBC News Channel in 2008, and BBC Radio 7 became BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2011, with new programmes to supplement those broadcast on Radio 4. In 2008, another channel was launched, BBC Alba , a Scottish Gaelic service. During this decade,
2793-521: A mansion overlooking Readymoney Cove. The Grade II-listed building dates back to the 19th century. In May 2021 it was announced that French had sold her Fowey property, having moved to an 1868 Gothic revival property in Calstock . In September 2014, French was named as the new Chancellor of Falmouth University . French is a supporter of Plymouth Argyle . French and Saunders won the honorary Golden Rose of Montreux award in 2002 and in 2003, she
2940-462: A mini-episode made for Comic Relief in 2013. She was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance in the last episode of The Vicar of Dibley . Repeats of the show on BBC One still attract millions of viewers and it also retains a following amongst PBS viewers in the United States. Although the main series ended in 2007, the show has returned for numerous short special episodes since,
3087-607: A news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4 ), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In
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#17327911719193234-493: A number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: Radio 5 was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with BBC Radio 5 Live to become a live radio station, following the success of the Radio 4 service to cover the 1991 Gulf War . The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, BBC News 24 , a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and
3381-744: A proposal to cut 4,000 jobs, and to privatise parts of the BBC, disrupted much of the BBC's regular programming. In 2006, BBC HD launched as an experimental service and became official in December 2007. The channel broadcast HD simulcasts of programmes on BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three and BBC Four as well as repeats of some older programmes in HD. In 2010, an HD simulcast of BBC One launched: BBC One HD . The channel uses HD versions of BBC One's schedule and uses upscaled versions of programmes not currently produced in HD. The BBC HD channel closed in March 2013 and
3528-578: A question about how she and Henry would feel if Billie wanted to find out about her birth mother, French commented, "Whatever she wants to do when she's 18, we'll support her. What I do worry about is anyone else making the decision for her." During the 2010 general election campaign, French was cited as a supporter of the Labour Party . She supported Keir Starmer during the 2020 Labour leadership election . On 6 April 2010, French and Henry announced they were separating after 25 years of marriage. It
3675-400: A self-contained story and, in addition to French and Saunders, showcased Comic Strip performers Peter Richardson , Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer , Robbie Coltrane and Adrian Edmondson . She acted in 27 of the 37 episodes and wrote two of them. One episode featured a parody of spaghetti westerns and another a black and white film about a hopelessly goofy boy. Some of French's first exposure to
3822-501: A series of radio specials for Los Angeles radio station KLSX . From 1998 to 2004 Lewis was a regular commentator on the British radio program Up All Night on BBC Radio Five Live (heard in the UK and worldwide on the internet) offering perspectives on American politics and pop culture. He was a Special Correspondent for the show during the political conventions in the 2000 and 2004 US presidential elections and also reported for
3969-555: A series of strikes; however, the BBC stated that the cuts were essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming. On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the television licence fee would be frozen at its current level until the end of the current charter in 2016. The same announcement revealed that the BBC would take on
4116-509: A sidekick called ‘Duckie’. The pair, in the main advert, go on a journey to fill Duckie with ‘some festive cheer’ while showing off the M&;S Food Christmas range for 2022. French has also written a best-selling epistolary autobiography, which she has titled Dear Fatty . French was paid a £ 1.5 million advance for the book, which was released in 2008. On an appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show on 6 October 2008, French said that "Fatty"
4263-501: A special American tribute for It's... the Monty Python Story - the BBC 's four-hour TV special on Monty Python's 30th anniversary. For this, Lewis conceived an animated sequence featuring the characters from South Park and he produced this tribute with series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone . Lewis' work in the DVD field includes producing the DVD edition of the Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night . He
4410-478: A special guest on Michael Bublé 's Home For Christmas in December 2011. In July 2012, she was a judge in ITV's Superstar live shows. In March 2013, it was announced that French would replace Brian McFadden on the judging panel of Nine Network 's Australia's Got Talent alongside Kyle Sandilands , Geri Halliwell (who replaced Dannii Minogue ) and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge. French departed
4557-480: A version of " Who Do You Think You Are ?". French met comedian Lenny Henry on the alternative comedy circuit. The couple married on 20 October 1984 in Covent Garden , London. They adopted a daughter, Billie. French has stated that Billie has always known that she was adopted, but once took out an injunction when a biographer came close to revealing the identity of Billie's biological mother. When faced with
Dawn French - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-615: A wider audience occurred when comedy producer Martin Lewis recorded a Comic Strip record album in 1981 which featured sketches by French & Saunders. The album was released on Springtime!/Island Records in September 1981 and presented French and Jennifer Saunders to an audience outside London. In 1985, French starred with Saunders, Tracey Ullman , Ruby Wax and Joan Greenwood in Girls on Top , which portrayed four eccentric women sharing
4851-569: A woman living in Cornwall who is a lesbian, more through lack of choice than any specific natural urge. This series did not meet with as much success as her earlier roles and it ended in 2004 after two years. French played a major role in Jam & Jerusalem as a woman called Rosie who has dissociative identity disorder and with it an alter ego called "Margaret". She co-starred alongside Sue Johnston , Jennifer Saunders (who also created and wrote
4998-599: Is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London , England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company , it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees, the BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,200 are in public-sector broadcasting. The BBC
5145-512: Is a US-based English humorist , writer , radio / TV host , producer , and marketing strategist . He is known for his participation in a variety of projects in the arts and entertainment worlds including his work as the co-creator and co-producer of the Secret Policeman's Balls benefit shows for Amnesty International (a series he created with Monty Python alumnus John Cleese and Amnesty fund-raising officer Peter Walker) and as
5292-832: Is a long-term member of the Board of Trustees of The American Cinematheque . He has produced and hosted multiple film festivals in Los Angeles since 1993 including the Mods & Rockers Film Festival celebrating 1960s and rock-related movies (presented annually since 1999) - and Lust For Glory! the official 25th Anniversary celebrations of the Monty Python troupe (1994). Other film festivals produced and hosted by Lewis in Hollywood have saluted Peter Sellers , Richard Pryor , Peter Cook, Graham Chapman, Ken Russell , Nicolas Roeg , and
5439-518: Is her nickname for Jennifer Saunders, as a joke about her own size. French said that she became great friends with Saunders well before they started working together, which was "over 30 years ago". The book consists of letters to the different people who have been in her life. In 2017, Me. You. A Diary , French's second non-fiction book, was released. She has also written four novels – A Tiny Bit Marvellous (2010), Oh Dear Silvia (2012), According to Yes (2015) and Because of You (2020). Because of You
5586-500: Is obviously of paramount importance." Reith succeeded in building a high wall against an American-style free-for-all in radio in which the goal was to attract the largest audiences and thereby secure the greatest advertising revenue. There was no paid advertising on the BBC; all the revenue came from a tax on receiving sets. Highbrow audiences, however, greatly enjoyed it. At a time when American, Australian and Canadian stations were drawing huge audiences cheering for their local teams with
5733-459: Is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the board, and is chaired by the director-general , currently Tim Davie , who is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief. The corporation has the following in-house divisions covering the BBC's output and operations: Martin Lewis (humorist) Martin Neil Lewis (born 24 July 1952)
5880-658: Is set by the British Government , agreed by Parliament , and is used to fund the BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has also funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian . Some of
6027-416: The Secret Policeman's Ball series of benefits for Amnesty International (initially held 1976–1981) that brought together comedic talents (including Monty Python, Beyond The Fringe , Rowan Atkinson and Billy Connolly ) and rock musicians (including Paul McCartney , Pete Townshend , Sting , Eric Clapton , Jeff Beck , Phil Collins , Tom Robinson , Donovan and Bob Geldof .) In addition to producing
Dawn French - Misplaced Pages Continue
6174-589: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York came to St Paul's to broadcast to the UK and the world on the National Day of Prayer. BBC employees during the war included George Orwell who spent two years with the broadcaster. During his role as prime minister during the war, Winston Churchill delivered 33 major wartime speeches by radio, all of which were carried by the BBC within the UK. On 18 June 1940, French general Charles de Gaulle , in exile in London as
6321-598: The BBC Television Service ) started from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, alternating between an improved Baird mechanical 240-line system and the all-electronic 405-line Marconi-EMI system which had been developed by an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg . The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year, with the Marconi-EMI system
6468-489: The Churchill Insurance Company . In 2019, French provided her voice for numerous Station idents for Greatest Hits Radio . This was produced in partnership with Bespoke Music. In 2021, French was chosen to play the voice of a fairy lady for the Christmas food advertisements for leading retailer Marks and Spencers alongside Tom Holland voicing the company's mascot Percy Pig (who came to life for
6615-526: The George Michael -led pop group Wham! which was the first visit to China by Western pop artists. In 1995, Lewis produced a reunion of the Rutles , the comedic ensemble created by Monty Python alumni Eric Idle and Neil Innes in 1977 to lampoon the Beatles . Lewis executive-produced the band's Archaeology album, a pastiche of the Beatles' Anthology project. In 1999, Lewis produced
6762-958: The MediaCityUK development in Salford , with BBC Three moving online only in 2016, the sharing of more programmes between stations and channels, sharing of radio news bulletins, more repeats in schedules, including the whole of BBC Two daytime and for some original programming to be reduced. BBC HD was closed on 26 March 2013, and replaced with an HD simulcast of BBC Two; however, flagship programmes, other channels and full funding for CBBC and CBeebies would be retained. Numerous BBC facilities have been sold off, including New Broadcasting House on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Many major departments have been relocated to Broadcasting House in central London and MediaCityUK in Salford, particularly since
6909-556: The Secret Policeman's Ball title for its fundraising shows and this prompted multiple press articles in Britain reflecting on the impact of the original shows, including the attribution by Bob Geldof that Live Aid had been inspired in part by the shows. A series of live, acoustic performances by rock musicians Pete Townshend, Sting, Phil Collins, Tom Robinson, Donovan and Bob Geldof that Lewis conceived and produced for
7056-675: The Weinstein Company have credited Lewis with providing the inspiration and prototype for their own expertise in movie marketing . A story about Lewis in The Hollywood Reporter in June 2001 included a joint statement by the Weinstein Brothers: "Back in 1982 when we were starting Miramax Films, Martin Lewis was the producer of what became our first hit movie - The Secret Policeman's Other Ball starring
7203-586: The 1979 and 1981 Secret Policeman's shows are widely regarded as being one of the inspirations for the " Unplugged " format that was introduced by MTV in 1989. His work as a comedy producer includes recordings with Sir Peter Ustinov, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and the first audio recordings of new-wave British comedians such as Jennifer Saunders (of Absolutely Fabulous ), Alexei Sayle , Rik Mayall and other performers in Britain's The Young Ones / Comic Strip comedy troupe. Many of these recordings were released on Lewis' own Springtime! Records label. As
7350-743: The 2006 episode " Sleeping Murder ". She appeared as Caroline Arless in the BBC television drama Lark Rise to Candleford in 2008. Talking about her role, she has stated, "I'm quite a vibrant character. She's quite extreme, in that she drinks too much, laughs too much and sings too much. But she loves her family very much; it's just that she goes over the top sometimes." In late 2010, French starred in Roger & Val Have Just Got In with actor Alfred Molina , which aired for two series. French appeared in Little Crackers , short comedy films which were broadcast over Christmas in 2010. French appeared as
7497-523: The 2025–26 season of the Women's Super League campaign. The BBC is a statutory corporation , independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen from April 2017 by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom . The chairman is Samir Shah. The BBC is a state owned public broadcasting company and operates under a royal charter . The charter is the constitutional basis for
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#17327911719197644-467: The BBC announced a BBC News savings target of £80 million per year by 2022, involving about 520 staff reductions. The BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said there would be further moves toward digital broadcasting, in part to attract back a youth audience, and more pooling of reporters to stop separate teams covering the same news. In 2020, the BBC reported a £119 million deficit because of delays to cost reduction plans, and
7791-460: The BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is sometimes informally referred to as the Beeb or Auntie . In 1923 it launched Radio Times (subtitled "The official organ of the BBC"), the first broadcast listings magazine; the 1988 Christmas edition sold 11 million copies, the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history. Britain's first live public broadcast
7938-585: The BBC is subject to an additional 'Agreement' between it and the Culture Secretary , and that its operating licence is to be set by Ofcom, an external regulatory body . It used to be that the Home Secretary be departmental to both Agreement as well as Licence, and regulatory duties fall to the BBC Trust , but the 2017 charter changed those 2007 arrangements. The charter, too, outlines
8085-771: The BBC released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation. Unlike the other departments of the BBC, the BBC World Service was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. A strike in 2005 by more than 11,000 BBC workers, over
8232-440: The BBC suddenly became the primary source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position. On the one hand Reith was acutely aware that the government might exercise its right to commandeer the BBC at any time as a mouthpiece of the government if the BBC were to step out of line, but on the other he was anxious to maintain public trust by appearing to be acting independently. The government
8379-480: The BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing. Supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blake's " Jerusalem " signifying that England had been saved. While the BBC tends to characterise its coverage of the general strike by emphasising
8526-480: The BBC", was priced at tuppence (two pence ) on newsstands, and quickly sold out its run of a quarter of a million copies. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee. By now, the BBC, under Reith's leadership, had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified (monopoly) broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit
8673-408: The BBC's airwaves. In 1937, a MI5 security officer was given a permanent office within the organisation. This officer would examine the files of potential political subversives and mark the files of those deemed a security risk to the organisation, blacklisting them. This was often done on spurious grounds; even so, the practice would continue and expand during the years of the Cold War. There
8820-485: The BBC's censorship office, which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs. By 1940, across all BBC broadcasts, music by composers from enemy nations was censored. In total, 99 German, 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored. The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages, listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers. Any potential broadcasters said to have pacifist, communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on
8967-465: The BBC's revenue comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide ), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and also distributes the BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC News , and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements in business. Since its formation in 1922,
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#17327911719199114-402: The BBC, and sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. It emphasises public service , (limited) editorial independence , prohibits advertising on domestic services and proclaims the BBC is to "seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes". The charter also sets out that
9261-468: The British government's asylum policy on social media. Lineker was suspended from his position on Match of the Day before being re-instated after receiving overwhelming support from his colleagues. The scandal was made worse due to the connections between BBC's chairman, Richard Sharp, and the Conservative Party. In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as chairman after a report found he did not disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest in his role in
9408-445: The CBBC Channel and CBeebies Channel. In addition to the television channels, new digital radio stations were created: 1Xtra , 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra . BBC 1Xtra was a sister station to Radio 1 and specialised in modern black music, BBC 6 Music specialised in alternative music genres and BBC7 specialised in archive, speech and children's programming. The following few years resulted in repositioning of some channels to conform to
9555-470: The Clock " (2005). His work as a marketing and publicity strategist includes two successful Oscar campaigns for movies that won the Academy Award for Best Picture : the 2005 Best Picture winner Crash and the 2011 Best Picture winner The King's Speech . The promotional website Lewis wrote for the 2000 theatrical reissue of A Hard Day's Night won a Gold Pencil Award for the Best Promotional Website of 2000, awarded annually by The One Club . Lewis
9702-418: The Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements as a statutory corporation, including the role and composition of the BBC Board. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027; the Agreement being coterminous. The BBC Board was formed in April 2017. It replaced the previous governing body, the BBC Trust, which itself had replaced the board of governors in 2007. The board sets
9849-482: The Duchesse de Crackentorp at the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden , London, in The Daughter of the Regiment ( La fille du régiment ) by Gaetano Donizetti starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez . French returned to Covent Garden and La Fille du règiment in the 2010 revival. In December 2022, French began appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium . In 2014, French toured an autobiographical one woman show 30 Million Minutes in
9996-477: The GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee. The committee recommended a short-term reorganisation of licence fees with improved enforcement in order to address the BBC's immediate financial distress, and an increased share of the licence revenue split between it and the GPO. This was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee to fund broadcasts. The BBC's broadcasting monopoly
10143-413: The Monty Pythons. Martin had a background in publicity and marketing and came up with a great campaign for the movie, creating a huge buzz and getting us free publicity, which was crucial to the film's success. We learned a lot about publicity and marketing from our experience with Martin Lewis." Early in his career, Lewis had been a protégé of former Beatles publicist Derek Taylor - then working for
10290-420: The Official Brian Epstein Website and spearheaded the campaign to have Epstein inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In 2008, Lewis proposed to NASA that the Beatles' song " Across the Universe " be transmitted towards the North Star, Polaris , via the Deep Space Network antenna. The transmission was timed to coincide with celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of NASA, the 50th anniversary of
10437-441: The Prime Minister, maintained the censorship of editorial opinions on public policy, but allowed the BBC to address matters of religious, political or industrial controversy. The resulting political "talk series", designed to inform England on political issues, were criticised by members of parliament, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Sir Austen Chamberlain . Those who opposed these chats claimed that they silence
10584-603: The UK and Oceania. The title is based on the amount of minutes she had been alive at the time of producing the show. In 2022, she toured the UK with a further show titled Dawn French is a Huge Twat . In late 2022 it was announced that she would continue touring the UK with the same show in Autumn 2023, with further shows taking place in Australia in 2024. French was chosen as the face of Terry's Chocolate Orange , from 1997 until August 2007. She has also been in advertisements for
10731-688: The UK division of Warner / Elektra / Atlantic Records . Lewis subsequently worked at British independent record company Transatlantic Records as Director of Publicity & Marketing - where he worked on campaigns for musicians and comedic artists such as Gerry Rafferty , Billy Connolly , Ralph McTell , Gryphon , the Sadista Sisters , Mike Harding , the Pasadena Roof Orchestra , and the Portsmouth Sinfonia . In 1994-1996 he reunited with Derek Taylor when he
10878-501: The UK's first Independent local radio station, LBC came on-air in the London area. As a result of the Pilkington Committee report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, BBC2 , in 1964, renaming the existing service BBC1 . BBC2 used
11025-579: The United States, the GPO proposed that it would issue a single broadcasting licence to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd , which was formed on 18 October 1922. John Reith , a Scottish Calvinist , was appointed its general manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. L. Stanton Jefferies
11172-678: The Witch and the Wardrobe . In 2010, French lent her voice to the role of Angie the Elephant in the English dub of the German-British environmental animated film Animals United . She has also taken roles in the theatre. French has appeared in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream , My Brilliant Divorce, and Smaller, the latter of which she played a schoolteacher caring for her disabled mother. January 2007 saw French performing as
11319-630: The act, which involved wearing tampons in their ears, as "cringeworthy". The manager of the club recalled, "They didn't seem to give a damn. There was no star quality about them at all." French and Saunders came to public attention as members of the Comic Strip , part of the alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s. French has had an extensive career on television, debuting on Channel 4 's The Comic Strip Presents series in an episode called "Five Go Mad in Dorset" in 1982. Each episode presented
11466-629: The air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 more "Easy Listening". The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as
11613-462: The broadcast of baseball, rugby and hockey, the BBC emphasised service for a national rather than a regional audience. Boat races were well covered along with tennis and horse racing, but the BBC was reluctant to spend its severely limited air time on long football or cricket games, regardless of their popularity. John Reith and the BBC, with support from the Crown , determined the universal needs of
11760-631: The challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK". Since 2017, the BBC has also funded the Local Democracy Reporting Service , with up to 165 journalists employed by independent news organisations to report on local democracy issues on a pooled basis. In 2016, the BBC Director General Tony Hall announced a savings target of £800 million per year by 2021, which is about 23% of annual licence fee revenue. Having to take on
11907-469: The closure of BBC Television Centre in March 2013. On 16 February 2016, the BBC Three television service was discontinued and replaced by a digital outlet under the same name, targeting its young adult audience with web series and other content. Under the new royal charter instituted in 2017, the corporation must publish an annual report to Ofcom, outlining its plans and public service obligations for
12054-408: The corporation began to sell off a number of its operational divisions to private owners; BBC Broadcast was spun off as a separate company in 2002, and in 2005, it was sold off to Australian -based Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Group Limited and rebranded Red Bee Media . The BBC's IT , telephony and broadcast technology were brought together as BBC Technology Ltd in 2001, and
12201-474: The diversity in his professional life to his having been inspired by individuals with whom he worked early in his career and who were noted polymaths , including Sir Peter Ustinov , Peter Cook and Monty Python alumni Michael Palin and Terry Jones . Lewis has worked since 1974 as a producer of comedy and music recordings, stage shows, films, music videos, TV shows, DVDs and radio programs. Arguably his most notable work has been co-creating and producing
12348-561: The division was later sold to the German company Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS). SIS was subsequently acquired from Siemens by the French company Atos . Further divestments included BBC Books (sold to Random House in 2006); BBC Outside Broadcasts Ltd (sold in 2008 to Satellite Information Services ); Costumes and Wigs (stock sold in 2008 to Angels Costumes ); and BBC Magazines (sold to Immediate Media Company in 2011). After
12495-407: The facilitation of a loan to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Dame Elan Closs Stephens was appointed as acting chairwoman on 27 June 2023, and she would lead the BBC board for a year or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. Samir Shah was subsequently appointed with effect from 4 March 2024. In October 2024 it was announced that the BBC along with Sky Sports signed a deal to broadcast
12642-743: The feature film output of Britain's Channel Four . He also organized the official celebrations marking the 90th birthday of actor Glenn Ford in 2006. Lewis has served as Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Los Angeles), sitting on its board of directors for six years. He produced and hosted multiple film events for BAFTA/LA including co-presentations with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Directors Guild of America . In 2009, Lewis instigated, produced and hosted The Secret Policeman's Film Festival an in-depth retrospective of 25 films and TV specials produced as fund-raisers for Amnesty International over
12789-628: The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , replacing Elizabeth Spriggs , who played the character in the first film of the series. French's then-husband, Lenny Henry , provided the voice of the Shrunken Head in the same film, though they shared no screen time. In 2005, French provided the voice for the character Mrs. Beaver in Disney and Walden Media's film adaptation of C. S. Lewis ' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,
12936-447: The first fully electronic television system in the world to be used in regular broadcasting. The success of broadcasting provoked animosities between the BBC and well-established media such as theatres, concert halls and the recording industry. By 1929, the BBC complained that the agents of many comedians refused to sign contracts for broadcasting, because they feared it harmed the artist "by making his material stale" and that it "reduces
13083-470: The first time in 29 years). In the main advert French as the fairy drops her magic wand onto a box covered in Percy pig wrappings, the lid opens and Percy pops out of the box. Throughout the rest of the advertisement she shows Percy all of the items which the retailer was selling for Christmas food. She later reprised the role for the 2022 M&S Christmas advert, playing alongside Jennifer Saunders voicing
13230-429: The following year, BBC Choice was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed BBC Parliament . In 1999, BBC Knowledge launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched BBC Text digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on BBC Online . The channel had an educational aim, which
13377-458: The forthcoming ending of the remaining £253 million funding towards pensioner licence fees would increase financial pressures. In January 2021, it was reported that former banker Richard Sharp would succeed David Clementi , as chairman, when he stepped down in February. In March 2023, the BBC was at the centre of a political row with football pundit Gary Lineker , after he criticised
13524-506: The four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including Radio London . In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial spin-off products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd. In 1974, the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax , was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into
13671-633: The full cost of running the BBC World Service and the BBC Monitoring service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and partially finance the Welsh broadcaster S4C . Further cuts were announced on 6 October 2011, so the BBC could reach a total reduction in their budget of 20%, following the licence fee freeze in October 2010, which included cutting staff by 2,000 and sending a further 1,000 to
13818-647: The government. Throughout the 1930s, political broadcasts had been closely monitored by the BBC. In 1935, the BBC censored the broadcasts of Oswald Mosley and Harry Pollitt . Mosley was a leader of the British Union of Fascists , and Pollitt a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain . They had been contracted to provide a series of five broadcasts on their parties' politics. The BBC, in conjunction with The Foreign Office of Britain, first suspended this series and ultimately cancelled it without
13965-405: The higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line VHF transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985. Starting in 1964, a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Caroline ) came on
14112-549: The late 1980s, the BBC began a process of divestment by spinning off and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the Hulton Press Library, a photographic archive which had been acquired from the Picture Post magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by Getty Images . In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with
14259-431: The latest four of which aired in December 2020. In 1995, she appeared as a talk-show host in a Comic Relief sketch called Dawn , written by Victoria Wood . The sketch also featured Wood herself, Celia Imrie , Lill Roughley , Anne Reid , Philip Lowrie , Robert Kingswell, Bryan Burdon, Duncan Preston , Jim Broadbent , and Lynda Bellingham . In 2002, French appeared in the comedy/drama mini-series Ted and Alice . In
14406-501: The launch of America's first satellite, Explorer 1 , and the 40th anniversary of the Beatles recording John Lennon 's composition "Across the Universe". Lewis is credited with discovering British comedian Alexei Sayle at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival and orchestrating Sayle's breakthrough success in 1980–1984. Other artists who have engaged Lewis' services include Eric Burdon , Donovan , and The Comets . Since 1973, he has been
14553-686: The leader of the Free French, made a speech, broadcast by the BBC, urging the French people not to capitulate to the Nazis. In October 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made their first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour , addressing other children who had been evacuated from cities. In 1938, John Reith and the Government of the United Kingdom , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII, designed
14700-546: The loss-making consortium, and Reith was keen that the BBC be seen as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 United Kingdom general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production, and with restrictions on news bulletins waived,
14847-463: The manager of the infamous Portsmouth Sinfonia, the self-described World's Worst Orchestra, whose alumni include ambient pioneer Brian Eno , film composer Michael Nyman , avant-garde composer Gavin Bryars , and rock producer Clive Langer . Lewis' work with Amnesty International has been credited by politically conscious and active artists such as Bono , Sting and Peter Gabriel as having been
14994-776: The material their broadcasts would cover. Nothing was to be added outside the preordained news items. For example, the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardising relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics, i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border, the deportation of Polish citizens, the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts. American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels. This material also passed through
15141-534: The modest, church-going elderly or a member of the Clergy . Until 1928, entertainers broadcasting on the BBC, both singers and "talkers" were expected to avoid biblical quotations, Clerical impersonations and references, references to drink or Prohibition in the United States , vulgar and doubtful matter and political allusions. The BBC excluded popular foreign music and musicians from its broadcasts, while promoting British alternatives. On 5 March 1928, Stanley Baldwin,
15288-413: The new corporation adopted the coat of arms , including the motto "Nation shall speak peace unto Nation". British radio audiences had little choice apart from the upscale programming of the BBC. Reith, an intensely moralistic executive, was in full charge. His goal was to broadcast "All that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.... The preservation of a high moral tone
15435-477: The next year. In its 2017–18 report, released July 2017, the BBC announced plans to "re-invent" its output to better compete against commercial streaming services such as Netflix . These plans included increasing the diversity of its content on television and radio, a major increase in investments towards digital children's content, and plans to make larger investments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to "rise to
15582-413: The notice of the public. Less radical politicians faced similar censorship. In 1938, Winston Churchill proposed a series of talks regarding British domestic and foreign politics and affairs but was similarly censored. The censorship of political discourse by the BBC was a precursor to the total shutdown of political debate that manifested over the BBC's wartime airwaves. The Foreign Office maintained that
15729-559: The opinions of those in Parliament who are not nominated by Party Leaders or Party Whips, thus stifling independent, non-official views. In October 1932, the policemen of the Metropolitan Police Federation marched in protest at a proposed pay cut. Fearing dissent within the police force and public support for the movement, the BBC censored its coverage of the events, only broadcasting official statements from
15876-428: The original stage shows, Lewis produced albums, TV specials and movies that documented the shows. The film of the fourth show of the series, The Secret Policeman's Other Ball , was a box office success in the UK and US in 1982 and also inspired a book co-edited by Lewis. The series continued through the 1980s and 1990s (though the Secret Policeman's Ball name was not used after the 1989 show). In 2006, Amnesty revived
16023-407: The people of Britain and broadcast content according to these perceived standards. Reith effectively censored anything that he felt would be harmful, directly or indirectly. While recounting his time with the BBC in 1935, Raymond Postgate claims that BBC broadcasters were made to submit a draft of their potential broadcast for approval. It was expected that they tailored their content to accommodate
16170-435: The positive impression created by its balanced coverage of the views of government and strikers, Seaton has characterised the episode as the invention of "modern propaganda in its British form". Reith argued that trust gained by 'authentic impartial news' could then be used. Impartial news was not necessarily an end in itself. The BBC did well out of the crisis, which cemented a national audience for its broadcasting, and it
16317-482: The post, with a note saying 'We regret, etc.'" In the 1930s music broadcasts also enjoyed great popularity, for example the friendly and wide-ranging BBC Theatre Organ broadcasts at St George's Hall , London by Reginald Foort , who held the official role of BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 1939 to 7 June 1946, during the World War II , and it
16464-689: The preceding three decades. The festival was presented over five weeks in the summer of 2009 in New York at Lincoln Center and the Paley Center For Media, Manhattan and in Los Angeles at the American Cinematheque's Grauman's Egyptian Theatre and the Paley Center For Media, Beverly Hills. The festival was subsequently presented in Washington DC in December 2009 at the American Film Institute coinciding with International Human Rights Day. Lewis worked as
16611-504: The pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office (GPO), was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests and moved to rescind its ban in the wake of a petition by 63 wireless societies with over 3,000 members. Anxious to avoid the same chaotic expansion experienced in
16758-466: The public should not be aware of their role in the censorship. From 1935 to 1939, the BBC also attempted to unite the British Empire's radio waves, sending staff to Egypt, Palestine , Newfoundland , Jamaica, India, Canada and South Africa. Reith personally visited South Africa, lobbying for state-run radio programmes which was accepted by South African Parliament in 1936. A similar programme
16905-423: The radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate. During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries , with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises
17052-443: The sales of OBs and costumes, the remainder of BBC Resources was reorganised as BBC Studios and Post Production , which continues today as a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The 2004 Hutton Inquiry and the subsequent report raised questions about the BBC's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General, Greg Dyke . In January 2007,
17199-423: The same best friend, although never meeting. Saunders recalled her first perception of French was that she was a "cocky little upstart"; French considered Saunders to be snooty and aloof. The comic duo originally did not like each other as French wanted to become a drama teacher whereas Saunders loathed the idea and thus disliked French for being enthusiastic and confident about the course. French and Saunders shared
17346-585: The series) and Joanna Lumley . She made a guest appearance in Little Britain as Vicky Pollard 's mother. French also appeared in a special version of Little Britain Live which featured several celebrity guests and was shown by the BBC as part of Comic Relief . She played the part of a lesbian barmaid in a sketch with Daffyd Thomas . In 2006, French appeared in Agatha Christie's Marple in
17493-588: The series, set in the Lake District , French played a tourist information officer who falls in love with an alien. She appeared once in the Saunders led sitcom Absolutely Fabulous as TV interviewer Kathy in 1992, a parody of Lorraine Kelly , she reprised that role for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie in 2016 as a more established veteran journalist as Kelly is now. She also appeared in the BBC sitcom Wild West , with Catherine Tate , in which she played
17640-541: The show after one series and was replaced by Kelly Osbourne . From 2016 until 2019, French starred in three series of Delicious on Sky 1 , co-starring as a talented cook who is having an affair with her celebrity chef ex-husband ( Iain Glen ) who has remarried and started a successful hotel business with his new wife ( Emilia Fox ) in Cornwall . In 2020, she appeared in the six-part series The Trouble with Maggie Cole alongside Mark Heap . In 2021, French appeared as
17787-597: The show from Washington DC during the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush . Lewis has written two autobiographical one-man stage-shows - Great Exploitations! and Murder, He Wrote! Great Exploitations! was selected for inclusion in the 9th Annual Toyota Comedy Festival (June 2001) in New York and was the debut production at the Steven Spielberg Theatre in Los Angeles in July 1999. Lewis has been
17934-427: The strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the BBC's executive board in delivering the BBC's services, and appoints the director-general. Ofcom is responsible for the regulation of the BBC. The board consists of the following members: The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the broadcaster. Consisting of senior managers of the BBC, the committee meets once per month and
18081-563: The value of the artist as a visible music-hall performer". On the other hand, the BBC was "keenly interested" in a cooperation with the recording companies who "in recent years ... have not been slow to make records of singers, orchestras, dance bands, etc. who have already proved their power to achieve popularity by wireless." Radio plays were so popular that the BBC had received 6,000 manuscripts by 1929, most of them written for stage and of little value for broadcasting: "Day in and day out, manuscripts come in, and nearly all go out again through
18228-519: The £700 million cost for free TV licences for the over-75 pensioners, and rapid inflation in drama and sport coverage costs, was given as the reason. Duplication of management and content spending would be reduced, and there would be a review of BBC News . In September 2019, the BBC launched the Trusted News Initiative to work with news and social media companies to combat disinformation about national elections. In 2020,
18375-712: Was Associate Producer of the DVD editions of the 1979 Who documentary The Kids Are Alright and the DVD release of all four full-length shows featuring live appearances by the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show . Lewis has also been a producer of TV specials for NBC , VH1 and E! Entertainment TV. Lewis has appeared on American TV since 1990 as a satirist, commentator, comedic performer and special correspondent. He has been co-host of US TV specials celebrating award shows (The Academy Awards , The Golden Globes , The British Academy Awards , and The BRIT Awards (the British Grammys )). He frequently appears as
18522-493: Was a member of Downton house. After finishing her schooling, she spent a year studying at the Spence School in New York on a debating scholarship that she won while at school. French has said that her self-confidence and self-belief stem from her father, who told her how beautiful she was each day. She stated, "He taught me to value myself. He told me that I was beautiful and the most precious thing in his life." Denys had
18669-442: Was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer Leslie Mitchell started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted ..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was Jasmine Bligh and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh ... ?" The European Broadcasting Union
18816-499: Was adopted in Canada. Through collaboration with these state-run broadcasting centres, Reith left a legacy of cultural influence across the empire of Great Britain with his departure from the corporation in 1938. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical 30-line system developed by John Logie Baird . Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service (now named
18963-750: Was co-hosted by Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International, USA. Lewis was born in Ashtead , in the county of Surrey , in southern England . He was born into an Orthodox Jewish family. He was raised in Hampstead , in parts a bohemian enclave in northwest London. He was educated at a private school - University College School in Hampstead - but was expelled at the age of 14. He had no formal education after his expulsion. He lived and worked in London until he moved to America in 1982. Between 1982 and 1988 he lived and worked in New York , where he
19110-519: Was divided on how to handle the BBC, but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PM's own. Although Winston Churchill in particular wanted to commandeer the BBC to use it "to the best possible advantage", Reith wrote that Stanley Baldwin 's government wanted to be able to say "that they did not commandeer [the BBC], but they know that they can trust us not to be really impartial". Thus
19257-415: Was engaged by Capitol Records as US marketing strategist for the Beatles' Anthology and Live at the BBC projects. Other notable projects in recent years include the worldwide launch of Sir Paul McCartney 's Music & Animation Collection DVD of animated musical films for children (2004), the 50th anniversary of the movie Blackboard Jungle and the 50th anniversary of the song " Rock Around
19404-468: Was established under a royal charter , and operates under an agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households, companies, and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts or to use the BBC's streaming service, iPlayer . The fee
19551-671: Was followed by the Government's acceptance of the recommendation made by the Crawford Committee (1925–26) that the British Broadcasting Company be replaced by a non-commercial, Crown-chartered organisation: the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on 1 January 1927, and Reith – newly knighted – was appointed its first director general. To represent its purpose and (stated) values,
19698-479: Was formed on 12 February 1950, in Torquay with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations. Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of Independent Television (ITV) . However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),
19845-601: Was invited to become a Special Correspondent for TIME.com, for which he covered the 2000 United States presidential election and various cultural events in 2001. Lewis writes columns for various online publications including Salon.com , the Huffington Post (for which he is a regular contributor) and his own Agent Provocateur literary website. Lewis also works as a publicity and marketing consultant through his company Springtime! which he founded in 1977. Bob and Harvey Weinstein - founders of Miramax Films and
19992-509: Was its first director of music. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved domestic manufacturers. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate. Set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between
20139-596: Was left to BBC Radio broadcasters such as Reginald Foort to keep the nation's spirits up. The BBC moved most of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol , and then to Bedford . Concerts were broadcast from the Bedford Corn Exchange ; the Trinity Chapel in St Paul's Church, Bedford was the studio for the daily service from 1941 to 1945, and, in the darkest days of the war in 1941,
20286-460: Was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2006 poll consisting of 4,000 people, French was named as the most admired female celebrity amongst women in Britain. In February 2013, she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 . BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC )
20433-729: Was longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction . Her third non-fiction book, The Twat Files , tied in to her second stand-up show Dawn French is a Huge Twat , was published in October 2023. In 1986, she appeared in Kate Bush 's music video " Experiment IV " alongside Hugh Laurie , Richard Vernon and Peter Vaughan . French has appeared in the videos for Alison Moyet 's songs " Love Letters " (which also featured Saunders) in 1987 and " Whispering Your Name " in 1994. She also appeared in two Comic Relief music videos. In 1989 she joined Jennifer Saunders and Kathy Burke to form Lananeeneenoonoo and, along with Bananarama , they created
20580-486: Was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, as was the prohibition on advertising. To avoid competition with newspapers, Fleet Street persuaded the government to ban news bulletins before 7 pm and the BBC was required to source all news from external wire services. The Radio Times , the world's first and longest-running radio and television listings magazine, was launched by Reith in September 1923. The first edition, subtitled "The official organ of
20727-648: Was made from the factory of Marconi Company in Chelmsford in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mail ' s Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba . The Melba broadcast caught the people's imagination and marked a turning point in the British public's attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920,
20874-400: Was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries. In 2002, several television and radio channels were reorganised. BBC Knowledge was replaced by BBC Four and became the BBC's arts and documentaries channel. CBBC , which had been a programming strand as Children's BBC since 1985, was split into CBBC and CBeebies , for younger children, with both new services getting a digital channel:
21021-461: Was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd. In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd. The BBC Research & Development has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the NICAM stereo standard. In recent decades,
21168-479: Was replaced by BBC Two HD in the same month. On 18 October 2007, BBC Director General Mark Thompson announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the BBC as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in London. These plans were fiercely opposed by unions, who threatened
21315-470: Was reported that the separation was amicable. They had decided to separate in October the previous year but left announcing it until some months later, as they were still in discussion over the separation. Their divorce was finalised later that year. French began dating charity executive Mark Bignell in 2011. On 22 April 2013, it was reported that they had just married. The couple resided in Fowey , Cornwall, in
21462-610: Was the writer of the 1998 VH1 Honors Awards – Divas Live - which launched the VH1's Divas franchise and featured Celine Dion , Shania Twain , Mariah Carey , Gloria Estefan , and Aretha Franklin . He has also written for the annual British Academy Awards, collaborating with Oscar show writer Bruce Vilanch . Lewis wrote the extensive "companion narrative" for the 1998 re-publication of Beatles manager Brian Epstein 's 1964 autobiography A Cellarful of Noise ( Pocket Books , 1998). Lewis re-commenced his journalistic career in 2000 when he
21609-477: Was three years old. RAF archive footage of this event was included in French's comedy tour/video Thirty Million Minutes . The RAF partly funded French's private education. When her father was stationed at RAF Faldingworth , French attended Caistor Grammar School for one year. She later attended boarding school at St Dunstan's Abbey School for Girls in Plymouth (since absorbed by Plymouth College ), where she
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