Gareth Gwenlan (26 April 1937 – 8 May 2016) was a Welsh television producer, director and executive, best known for his work on shows such as ''

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. It is based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs and produced from 1976 to 1979. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the first series ...

'', ''

Butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

'', ''

To the Manor Born ''To the Manor Born'' is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by ...

'', ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until t ...

'' and '' High Hopes''. Gwenlan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.

Early life

Gwenlan was born at Tydfil Lodge,

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

on 26 April 1937 though his birth was registered at

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

. His father, Charles Aneuryn Gwenlan and his mother, Mary, née Francis were both teachers. Gwenlan attended Vaynor and Penderyn High School, Cefn Coed, and for his National Service he joined the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in Cyprus. In 1960 he began his acting training at

Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...

in Sidcup and continued at the

York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offer ...

Career

Gwenlan began his BBC television career as an assistant floor manager and production assistant in the drama department, working on series such as ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. He subsequently moved into comedy, producing series such as ''

'', ''

'' and ''

''. In 1983 he was appointed Head of BBC Comedy, a position he held until 1990. He directed the sitcom ''

Double First The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

'' (1988). In 1988 he succeeded

Ray Butt Raymond William Butt (25 June 1935 – 12 July 2013) was a British television producer and Television director, director. He worked on several British sitcom, sitcoms for BBC television and became best known for ''Only Fools and Horses''. Early l ...

as the producer of ''

'', remaining with the series until it finished in 2003. Gwenlan famously rejected the sitcom ''

Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...

'' (in his capacity as Head of Comedy), stating that the sitcom would only work if there was 'a sofa in the spacecraft'. This is the reason that the name 'Gwenlan' was appropriated in the first series as a future

swearword Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rud ...

Personal life

Gwenlan married three times: to Valerie Bonner, an artist, on 21 April 1962 in York and they had a child together. On 14 February 1986 he married Sarah Elizabeth Fanghanel, a personal assistant in Gwenlan. He had another child from a separate relationship. His final marriage was to Gail Susan Evans on 9 September 2000 in Putley where they lived until his death due to metatastic

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...

on 8 May 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gwenlan, Gareth 1937 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Alumni of Rose Bruford College BBC executives BBC television producers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Brecon Welsh television directors Welsh television producers