Josephine Douglas (6 October 1926 – 12 July 1988) was a British actress and TV and film producer. Her original name was Jo Doll (née Reckitt). She played a pioneering role as a woman in television production at a time when it was dominated by men. She was the co-producer and co-host of Britain's first pop chart television show, ''

Six-Five Special ''Six-Five Special'' is a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain. Description ''Six-Five Special'' was the BBC's first attempt at a rock-and-roll programme. ...

'', during 1957–58. The show broke the mould of British TV and ushered in an era in which popular culture seemed to be dominated by the young.

Life

She was born at 146 The Green,

Earlsheaton Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England, the daughter of Jessie Elizabeth (born Hampson) and Bernard Rickett, a manager for

Fyffes Fyffes plc () is an Irish fruit and fresh produce company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The Fyffes brand is most closely associated with the banana industry, although it is applied to a wide range of fruits and fresh produce, including the ...

banana company. She showed an early interest in drama. As a teenager she produced a fundraising performance of

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hansel ...

to raise funds for the air force in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It led to parts in the amateur dramatic group the Huddersfield Thespians, with whom she made her stage début in December 1943, in

J. B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's play ''

Time and the Conways ''Time and the Conways'' is a British play written by J. B. Priestley in 1937 illustrating J. W. Dunne's Theory of Time through the experience of a moneyed Yorkshire family, the Conways, over a period of nineteen years from 1919 to 1937. Wide ...

''. She joined the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2 ...

(WAAF) as a wireless mechanic in 1944, During her service she appeared in and staged camp shows which led to a wartime grant to attend the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

(RADA) in 1947, She was spotted there by Alfred Hitchcock who gave he a minor role in his next film, ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (1950). She began her acting career by appearing in minor roles in the West End and in several British films during the 1950s including the 1953 film ''

Will Any Gentleman Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

'' in which she joined the actors George Cole and Sidney James. She was also a panelist on TV panel game shows such as '' Find the Link'', and ''

The Name's the Same ''The Name's the Same'' is an American game show produced by Goodson- Todman for the ABC television network from December 5, 1951 to August 31, 1954, followed by a run from October 25, 1954 to October 7, 1955. The premise was for contestants ...

''. Her first TV role as a presenter was on the BBC's ''

In Town Tonight ''In Town Tonight'' is a BBC radio programme that was broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 (except for a period of 26 weeks in 1937 when ''The BBC presents the ABC'' was broadcast instead). It was an early example of a chat show, ...

'' in 1953, In October 1955 she was awarded a two-year contract by the BBC. At the time she was the only woman producer of light entertainment in Europe. She went on to become the co-producer and co host of the '''

' ,'' the BBC's first attempt to attract a teenage audience which began its run on 16 February 1957. She appeared in the BBC television play '' Left, Right and Centre'', but then crossed over to ITV to work on news programmes. The ITV was seen as the opposition by BBC managers at that time and her move annoyed to the BBC hierarchy.Corner, John;,
Popular Television in Britain: Studies in Cultural History
', BFI Publishing, 1991, , Page 96 She returned to drama to produce the long-running ITV soap ''

Emergency Ward 10 ''Emergency Ward 10'' is a British medical soap opera series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like ''The Grove Family'', a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, ''Emergency Ward 10'' is considered to be one of British television's ...

'' and successfully increased its viewership by bringing in better known actors. Her other works as producer include ''

Our Miss Fred ''Our Miss Fred'' is a 1972 British comedy film starring Danny La Rue, set during World War II. The film was also known by its video release titles ''Beyond the Call of Duty'' (Canada) and ''Operation: Fred'' (US). In the 1960s, La Rue was one ...

'' (1972), ''

Dracula AD 1972 ''Dracula A.D. 1972'' is a 1972 British horror film, directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It was written by Don Houghton and stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Stephanie Beacham. Unlike earlier films in Hamme ...

'' (1972) and '' Virgin of the Secret Service'' (1968). Jo Douglas continued to produce TV and film into the 1980s but died from cancer on 12 July 1988 at her home in White Briars,

Slinfold Slinfold is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. Geography The village is almost west of Horsham, just off the A29 road. The parish covers . The 2001 Census recorded a population of 1,647 people living ...

, Sussex at the age of 61.

References

External links

* *Josephine Douglas introduces the singer Ottilie Patterson on the 'Six Five Special' c 1956
(Start to 7 sec into clip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LThOGnemOc&list=RD7LThOGnemOc&start_radio=1Magazine article from 1950s on the 6-5 Special and Jo Douglas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Dkdgxfy6s
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Josephine 1926 births 1988 deaths 20th-century English actresses English television actresses British film producers People from Slinfold People from Dewsbury