BBC legend Sir Paul Fox, who contributed significantly to the ‘golden era’ of television, has passed away at the age of 98.
Known for his instrumental role in the creation of iconic shows like Dad’s Army and The Two Ronnies, Sir Paul left an indelible mark on UK television. A statement from the BBC Director General highlights Sir Paul’s “towering career in television not just with the BBC but across the industry”.
In his statement announcing Sir Paul’s passing, he said: “Few people have had such a broad and lasting impact on the TV landscape, commissioning shows that audiences have loved for decades and still love.”
“From Sports Personality of the Year and Panorama to the Two Ronnies, Dad’s Army and Parkinson, his legacy is unmatched.” He concluded by expressing the sentiment that “He was one of the best TV executives from a golden era in television. He will be hugely missed.”
Born in 1925, Sir Paul joined the BBC in the 1950s as a newsreel scriptwriter before going on to edit round-up show Sportsview and news and investigation programme Panorama. During this period, he came up with the idea of BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, which was first awarded to runner Sir Chris Chataway in 1954. Sir Chris later became a Conservative MP.
Sir Paul was also a founding editor of sports show Grandstand and a controller of BBC One. He then moved to become managing director of Yorkshire TV, which became ITV Yorkshire, from 1973 to 1988.
He returned to the BBC as managing director of network television and retired in 1991, the year in which he was knighted for services to the TV industry. Sir Paul then went on to become chairman of the Racecourse Association and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) before leaving both roles in the 1990s. He was also a former chairman of breakfast franchise consortium Daybreak TV and was a board member of Thames Television.
TV producer Richard Marson paid tribute to Sir Paul as the news broke, writing on Twitter (X): “Sir Paul Fox deserved the overused term ‘legend’ – he was a broadcasting Titan. On a personal note, he contributed to several projects of mine – from the TV Centre doc to the biographies of Verity Lambert and Biddy Baxter. Razor sharp, acerbic, wise and kind.”
An account describing itself as the “official Twitter channel of the Alexandra Palace Television Society” added: “Very sorry to read Sir Paul Fox has died (27/10/1925 – 9/4/2024). Started working at @YourAllyPally, writing for TV Newsreel & later responsible for many firsts within television, such as Sportsview, Panorama & Grandstand. It was a pleasure to call him a friend.”
Another shared their memories of working with Sir Paul, tweeting: “Sir Paul Fox has died at the age of 98. My favourite boss when he was the Managing Director at Yorkshire Television. He made that ITV company greater than it had ever been. As a former programme maker, (he put ‘Grandstand’ on TV) Paul Fox backed his producers. Former BBC DG.” Replying to the tweet, another person recalled: “I was his secretary for about a fortnight – Geoff Smith lent me to him when his was on holiday. He said I was the worst secretary he’d ever had (it’s true my typing was shocking) but he liked me because I fed him gossip from the studio floor. A man with a twinkle in his eye.”
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