David Ernest Plowright (11 December 1930 – 24 August 2006) was a British television executive and producer.

Life

Plowright was educated at

Scunthorpe Grammar School The St Lawrence Academy (formerly High Ridge School) is a coeducational Church of England secondary school with academy status, in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The Academy teaches GCSEs and BTECs, and has specialisms in sports and ...

. He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the ''Scunthorpe Star'', and was, briefly, the equestrian correspondent of the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

''. He joined

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

as news editor in 1957. Plowright rose to become Controller of Programmes from 1969 to 1979, and he succeeded

Denis Forman Sir John Denis Forman (13 October 1917 – 24 February 2013) was a Scottish executive in the British television industry long associated with the ITV contractor Granada, and with various charitable and governmental bodies in the arts. Career Fo ...

first as managing director, and then Chairman of Granada Television in 1987. The outlook of Granada TV, under the leadership of Foreman and Plowright was described as "non-conformist, alternative, non-London". He easily steered Granada through 1991 ITV franchise auctions by threatening to sell ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'', Granada's signature show and one of the channel's biggest assets, to satellite television if their bid was rejected. Plowright was forced out in 1992 by

Gerry Robinson Sir Gerrard Jude Robinson (23 October 1948 – 14 October 2021) was an Irish-born British business executive and television presenter. He was non-executive chairman of Allied Domecq and chairman/chief executive of Granada. Early life Robinso ...

, the new chief executive, which led to

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

describing Robinson as an "upstart caterer". Plowright's exit was regarded as a turning point in the process whereby ITV gave profits a bigger priority than programme quality. At Granada, Plowright was a defender of the often controversial current affairs programme, ''

World in Action ''World in Action'' was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television for ITV from 7 January 1963 until 7 December 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its producti ...

''. Under his leadership, dramas such as ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

'' and '' The Jewel In The Crown'' became successes for the company. In 1993, Plowright, with the support and backing of the

University of Salford , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

established the Nations and Regions Media Conference (now Salford International Media Festival) to champion the cause of regional broadcasters and producers. He believed the nations and regions of the United Kingdom should have a bigger share in the production and decision-making processes of the major broadcasters.

Family

Plowright was the younger brother of actress

Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Ton ...

, who was married to

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

. The connection led to Olivier appearing in several Granada drama productions, including ''

''. Plowright married Brenda Key in 1953; they had a son and two daughters.

References

External links

*
David Plowright obituary
from ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' 1930 births 2006 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople BAFTA fellows Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English television executives ITV people People from Scunthorpe {{UK-tv-bio-stub