Bryan Cowgill (27 May 1927 – 14 July 2008) was a senior British television executive. He was Head of Sport for BBC Television from 1963-1973, Controller of BBC One from 1973-1977, and Managing Director of Thames TV from 1977-1985.
Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, he attended Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. After leaving school he became a copy boy with the Lancashire Evening Post, where his father was a printer. In 1942 he joined the Royal Marines,...
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Bryan Cowgill (27 May 1927 – 14 July 2008) was a senior British television executive. He was Head of Sport for BBC Television from 1963-1973, Controller of BBC One from 1973-1977, and Managing Director of Thames TV from 1977-1985.
Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, he attended Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. After leaving school he became a copy boy with the Lancashire Evening Post, where his father was a printer. In 1942 he joined the Royal Marines, and during the next five years he saw service in Southeast Asia.
On demobilisation in 1947 he rejoined the Evening Post as a reporter and feature writer, and then for five years he edited a local weekly paper in Clitheroe. He joined the BBC in 1955 as a production assistant in Outside Broadcasting.
In 1958 he devised the Saturday afternoon sports showcase Grandstand, which was an immediate success and ran on BBC One until 28 January 2007. In 1963 he was promoted to Head of Sport.
In 1964, under his control of the department, the BBC...
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