Colin Tough (born October 1959 in

Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...

, Dunbartonshire) is a British journalist, former Editor in Chief of

What's On TV ''What's on TV'' is a weekly television listings magazine published by Future PLC. Overview ''What's on TV'' is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and compe ...

TVTimes ''TV Times'' is a British television listings magazine published by Future plc. It was originally published by Independent Television Publications, owned by the participating ITV companies. The magazine was acquired by IPC Media in 1989, which ...

and

TV & Satellite Week ''TV & Satellite Week'' is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing. Its focus is on quality dramas, comedy and documentaries, films and sport. ''TV & Satellite Week'' belongs to Future Publishing's ...

, and former Managing Director of

Future PLC Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that span magazines, newsletters, websites, and events in fields such as video games, technology, films, music, photogr ...

's TV & Entertainment group.

Early life

Tough attended

Clydebank High School Clydebank High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Clydebank, Scotland. It is one of three non-denominational secondary schools in West Dunbartonshire. History The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 created for the first time mandatory ...

, where he was head boy in his final year.

Career

Tough started his career in Scottish newspapers and at 19 edited his first title, The Govan Press, where he commissioned Captain Clyde, one of the first comic strips by now-renowned comic book writer

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

. He moved to London and the magazine industry in 1983. In the early 1990s, he edited the short-lived UK edition of

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

, joined

as deputy editor and was launch editor of

. Tough launched IPC Media's digital initiative in 1994 and, as new media editor-in-chief and publishing director, was involved in all of IPC’s early digital projects, including the Milia d’Or award-winning CD-Rom magazine, UnZip, and the UK's first digital EPG. In 2002 he edited IPC’s market-leading Web User, before taking over as editor of Britain’s best-selling magazine,

. Three years later he launched the UK’s first compact TV magazine,

TV easy ''TV easy'' was a television mass market, listings magazine notable for its compact size. It was published in the United Kingdom by TI Media. Its focus is on popular TV, with emphasis on soaps. It was aimed at busy young families. ''TV easy'' ...

. In 2016 he was appointed editor-in-chief of all

Time Inc Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Ill ...

TV titles. Colin became managing director of

's TV & Entertainment group in July 2020. He retired in 2021. Shortlisted 15 times for the

British Society of Magazine Editors The British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) is a professional association of print and online magazine editors in the United Kingdom. Established in 1981, the BSME has 148 members. Its annual awards—the BSME Awards and the BSME Rising Stars A ...

(BSME) awards, Tough won the BSME Entertainment & Celebrity Editor of the Year award in 2018.“2018 BSME Awards Dinner"
''British Society of Magazine Editors Web site'', November 20 2018 He also won the IPC Media Editor of the Year award in 2001, 2007 and 2012. In addition to his journalistic work, Tough also devised

Sounds Like Music ''Sounds Like Music'' is a British game show that aired on ITV from 6 June 1989 to 11 May 1990 and hosted by Bobby Crush Robert Nicholas Crush (born 23 March 1954) is an English pianist, songwriter, actor and television presenter, original ...

, an afternoon game show which ran for two 26-show series on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

Personal life

Tough is married with a son. His brother is Ian Tough of the comedy act

The Krankies The Krankies are a Scottish comedy duo who enjoyed success as a cabaret act in the 1970s and on television in the 1980s, featuring in their own television shows and making pop records. Since this period, they have also regularly appeared in pant ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tough, Colin 1959 births Living people People from Clydebank British magazine editors