Stuart Young (23 April 1934 – 29 August 1986) was an English business executive and accountant. The younger brother of Lord Young of Graffham, Stuart Young succeeded George Howard as the chairman of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

board of governors in 1983, and remained in this role until his early death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in 1986. When he first became a BBC governor in 1981 he argued that the BBC should be funded by

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

. However, he later changed his mind and argued for the continuation of the

television licence A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts or the possession of a television set. In some countries, a licence is also required to own a radio or rece ...

during the Peacock Committee. This disappointed Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

, who disliked the

and had originally appointed Young believing that, as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, he would challenge the more left-leaning

Director-General of the BBC The director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief of the BBC. The post-holder was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC (for the period 1927 to 2007) and then the ...

, Alasdair Milne. She believed that Young had “ gone native” and was now supporting the BBC instead of the government. At the time of his death in 1986, aged 52, Young had with his wife Shirley, two daughters – Lesley and Lynda.

References

External links

History of BBC Chairmen
1934 births 1986 deaths BBC governors Chairmen of the BBC Deaths from cancer in England English accountants English Jews 20th-century English businesspeople {{England-business-bio-stub