Peter Bazalgette
| Sir Peter Bazalgette | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Peter Bazalgette May 22, 1953 London, England |
| Residence | Notting Hill, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | TV Producer |
| Employer | used to work with Endemol |
| Known for | Ready Steady Cook Changing Rooms Ground Force |
| Partner | Hilary Newiss |
| Children | Two children |
| Relatives | Sir Joseph Bazalgette Edward Bazalgette |
Sir Peter Lytton "Baz" Bazalgette (born on 22 May 1953) is a British media expert who helped create the independent TV production sector in the UK and went on to be the leading creative figure in the global TV company Endemol.
Widely known as Baz, The Independent has argued he may be "the most influential man in British television" because of his commercial fire power and impact on the development of both reality television and his pioneering role in lifestyle TV programmes." The Daily Mail named him as one of the "Ten Worst Britons" for Endemol's Channel 4 show Big Brother. The London Evening Standard television critic Victor Lewis-Smith says that Bazalgette has "done more to debase television over the past decade than anyone else."[1] He was knighted in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting.[2][3]
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[edit] Biography
Peter Bazalgette is the great-great-grandson of Victorian civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. A third cousin is Edward Bazalgette who directed and produced the 2003 documentary The Sewer King which charted Sir Joseph Bazalgette's design and engineering of the London sewers. Bazalgette himself presented a later show for five, called The Great Stink. He Chaired the Crossness Engines Trust raising £4.5 million to restore the magnificent Victorian pumping station built by his ancestor.
For the first 12 years of his life Peter Bazalgette's parents didn't have a television. He attended Dulwich College, and gained a third class degree in Law[4] from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University while also becoming the president of the Cambridge Union Society.
[edit] Career
Bazalgette joined the BBC News graduate news training scheme, and was subsequently picked by Esther Rantzen as a researcher on "That's Life!" from 1977.
While a reporter at the BBC for "Man Alive," he joined Eric Parsloe's video production company Epic. The BBC put him in charge of producing the programme "Food and Drink," where he claims to have created the celebrity chef. He continued producing by forming his own company Bazal, which created hits for British TV including Ready Steady Cook, Changing Rooms and Ground Force.
He's been awarded Fellowships by BAFTA and The Royal Television Society. He is currently President of the Royal Television Society and a Non-Executive Director of the Department of Culture Media & Sport.
[edit] Endemol
In 1990, Bazal was acquired by Broadcast Communications which itself was absorbed by Endemol. In September 2007 it was announced that he was standing down from this position to assume the role of advisor.[5]
Although John de Mol invented Big Brother in the Netherlands, Bazalgette is credited with popularising the format around the world thanks to his adaptations built into the UK version.
In January 2005 Bazalgette became Chairman of Endemol UK and Creative Director of Endemol Group worldwide. He was responsible for shows including Big Brother and Deal or No Deal which were hits around the world, and led Endemol's digital entertainment strategy. During his time on the global board Endemol grew strongly and in 2005 it was launched on the Dutch stock exchange. Over the next eighteen months it trebled in value and was sold in 2007 for €3.2 billion.
[edit] Other interests
He co-wrote four books including The Food Revolution and You Don't Have to Diet, is author of a study of the international TV formats business, Billion Dollar Game and is a regular speaker at global media events.
He is a consultant to two of Sony’s television divisions in the UK, Chairman of MirriAd, non-executive director of Base79, Nutopia and YouGov and also a member of BBH’s Advisory Board. He is a former board member of Channel 4 and former Deputy Chairman of the National Film & Television School where he helped put up an £8million new teaching building. He is Deputy Chairman of English National Opera and is a Trustee of Debate Mate.
He lectures on media convergence and creativity.
[edit] Views and advocacy
He has written widely on privacy and the internet, young people and voting, arts and philanthropy, public service broadcasting and student volunteering.
He once speculated whether the funding model of the BBC could be changed by reducing the licence fee to pay specifically for its core news and information content with voluntary subscription introduced to pay for drama and entertainment.[6]
[edit] Personal life
He is married to intellectual property rights lawyer and bioethicist, Hilary Newiss, with whom he has two children. The family lives in Notting Hill.
[edit] References
- ^ "Peter Bazalgette: Attack is the best form of defence". The Independent (London). 23 April 2007. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/peter-bazalgette-attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence-445797.html.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60009. p. 1. 31 December 2011.
- ^ "New Year Honours for Corbett, Bonham Carter and golf champions". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16364855. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "My Life In Media: Peter Bazalgette". The Independent (London). 8 November 2004. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/my-life-in-media-peter-bazalgette-532396.html.
- ^ Chris Tryhorn "Bazalgette to leave Endemol", The Guardian, 27 September 2007. Retrieved on 27 September 2007.
- ^ "Newsnight" (26th November 2009)
