Raymond William Butt (25 June 1935 – 12 July 2013) was a British

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

. He worked on several

sitcoms A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

for

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

and became best known for ''

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 ...

''.

Early life

Butt grew up in London as an only child with his mother and father. He left school at 16 and served in the

Royal Air Force 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 ...

for his national service.

Career

He produced ''Only Fools and Horses'' until Series 5, directing most episodes himself, when he moved onto new projects. He also worked on ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes foll ...

'' and ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London, t ...

''. Butt directed the 1976 two-part episode from ''Last of the Summer Wine's'' third series consisting of the episodes, "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering up Gordon." Butt would also serve as primary producer for ''Are You Being Served?'' between 1975 and 1977. He frequently collaborated with writer John Sullivan, directing for four different series written by Sullivan. Butt retired in 1989. He received two BAFTAs, one for ''

'' and one for ''

Just Good Friends ''Just Good Friends'' is a British sitcom written by John Sullivan. It stars Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis as former lovers Vincent Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet in a pub five years after he jilted her at the altar. Three series and a 9 ...

''.

Death

Butt died on 12 July 2013 and was survived by his partner, Jo Blyth, and a daughter from an earlier marriage.

Filmography

*''

The Liver Birds ''The Liver Birds'' is a British sitcom, set in Liverpool, North West England, which aired on BBC1 from April 1969 to January 1979, and again in 1996. The show was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpudlian housewives had met ...

'' (1969–1979) *''

'' (1975–1977) *''

'' (1976) *''

Citizen Smith ''Citizen Smith'' is a British television sitcom written by John Sullivan, first broadcast from 1977 to 1980. It starred Robert Lindsay as Walter Henry "Wolfie" Smith, a young Marxist "urban guerrilla" in Tooting, south London, who is attempti ...

'' (1977–1979) *''

'' (1981–1987) *''

'' (1983–1984) *'' Dear John'' (1986-1987) *''

Young, Gifted and Broke ''Young, Gifted and Broke'' was a 1989 British sitcom series created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, airing on ITV. The show stars Elena Ferrari, Cheryl Miller, Mark Monero, Jason Rush and Kate Emma Davies as five teenagers who are work ...

'' (1989) * ''

Sob Sisters ''Sob Sisters'' is a British television sitcom which aired on ITV (TV network), ITV in 1989.Perry p.209 Following the death of a husband, two sisters move in together despite their strongly contrasting personalities. Other actors who appeared in ...

'' (1989)

References

External links

* 1935 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel BAFTA winners (people) BBC television producers British television directors {{UK-tv-bio-stub