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{{short description|British television executive|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{short description|British television executive|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{peacock|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Sir]]
⚫
| name = Sir Peter Bazalgette
| image = Peter Bazalgette.jpg
| name = Peter Bazalgette
⚫
| image = Sir Peter Bazalgette.png
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption = Bazalgette in 2008
| caption = Sir Peter Bazalgette in 2022
| birth_name = Peter Lytton Bazalgette
| birth_name = Peter Lytton Bazalgette
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|05|22|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|05|22|df=y}}
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* ''[[Changing Rooms]]''}}
* ''[[Changing Rooms]]''}}
| education =
| education =
| employer = Formerly [[Endemol]]
| employer = formerly [[Endemol]]
| occupation = Executive Chairman, [[ITV plc]]
| occupation = TV producer and executive
| alma_mater = [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]]
| alma_mater = [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]]
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| partner = Hilary Newiss
* Hilary ''née'' Newiss,
⚫
| children = Two
* ''now'' Lady Bazalgette
| parents =
}}
⚫
| children = 2
| parents = Paul Bazalgette<br>Diana ''née'' Coffin
| relatives = {{Plainlist|
| relatives = {{Plainlist|
* [[Joseph Bazalgette|Sir Joseph Bazalgette]] (great-great-grandfather)
* [[Joseph Bazalgette|Sir Joseph Bazalgette]] (great-great-grandfather)
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| module = {{Listen|embed=yes|filename=Sir_Peter_Bazalgette.ogg|title=Bazalgette's voice|type=speech|description=recorded in July 2013}}
| module = {{Listen|embed=yes|filename=Sir_Peter_Bazalgette.ogg|title=Bazalgette's voice|type=speech|description=recorded in July 2013}}
}}
}}
[[File:Bazalgette.svg|thumb|right|120px|[[Bazalgette]] [[Coat of arms|arms]]]]

'''Sir Peter Lytton Bazalgette''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|æ|z|əl|dʒ|ɛ|t}}; born 22 May 1953) is a British television executive and producer, also active in the fields of the [[Arts]] and broader [[creative industries]].
⚫
'''Sir Peter Lytton Bazalgette''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|æ|z|əl|dʒ|ɛ|t}}; born 22 May 1953) is a British television executive. He was elected President of the [[Royal Television Society]] and Deputy Chairman of the [[National Film School]]. He was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2012 New Year Honours|New Year Honours for 2012]] for services to broadcasting.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=60009|date=31 December 2011|page=1 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16364855|title=New Year Honours for Corbett, Bonham Carter and golf champions|work=BBC News|access-date=31 December 2011}}</ref> He has been a benefactor to the arts and Chairman of English National Opera. He was Chair of [[Arts Council England]] from 2012 until 2016.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/sep/04/peter-bazalgette-arts-council-england|title=Peter Bazalgette named chairman of Arts Council England|last=Brown|first=Mark|date=4 September 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=5 September 2012}}</ref> He is now Non-Executive Chairman of ITV.<ref name=":1" /> He is also Chair of LoveCrafts, the online Retail and a Non-Executive Board member of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). He also serves on the Advisory Boards of BBH and YouGov. In January 2017, ''The Empathy Instinct'' was published.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Peter Bazalgette is the great-great-grandson of [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[civil engineer]] [[Joseph Bazalgette|Sir Joseph Bazalgette]]. A third cousin is [[Edward Bazalgette]] who directed and produced the 2003 documentary ''The Sewer King'' which charted Sir Joseph Bazalgette's design and engineering of the London sewers. Peter Bazalgette presented a later television show for [[Five (channel)|Five]], called ''The Great Stink'', and chaired the Crossness Engines Trust raising £4.5 million to restore the magnificent Victorian pumping station built by his ancestor. An old joke is that where Joseph Bazalgette was responsible for removing [[human waste|ordure]] from London's homes, his grandson has reversed the process.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/big-bazalgette-why-new-arts-council-chairman-is-just-like-marmite-8112898.html|title=Big Bazalgette... why new Arts Council chairman is just like Marmite|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=6 September 2012|access-date=6 September 2012}}</ref>
The great-great-grandson of [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[civil engineer]] [[Joseph Bazalgette|Sir Joseph Bazalgette]], a third cousin is [[Edward Bazalgette]], who directed and produced the 2003 documentary ''The Sewer King'' which charted Sir Joseph Bazalgette's design and engineering of the [[London sewers]]. Peter Bazalgette presented a later television show for [[Five (channel)|Five]], called ''The Great Stink'', and chaired the [[Crossness Pumping Station|Crossness Engines Trust]] raising £4.5 million to restore the Victorian pumping station built by his ancestor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/big-bazalgette-why-new-arts-council-chairman-is-just-like-marmite-8112898.html|title=Big Bazalgette... why new Arts Council chairman is just like Marmite|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=6 September 2012|access-date=6 September 2012}}</ref>


For the first 12 years of his life Peter Bazalgette's parents did not have a television. He attended [[Dulwich College]], and gained a [[British undergraduate degree classification|third class degree]] in Law<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/my-life-in-media-peter-bazalgette-532396.html|title=My Life In Media: Peter Bazalgette|location=London, UK|work=The Independent|date=8 November 2004}}</ref> from [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge|Fitzwilliam College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]] while also becoming the president of the [[Cambridge Union Society]].
His parents, Peter Bazalgette and Diana ''née'' Coffin, did not have a television until he was 12 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-10-14 |title=Interview: Sir Peter Bazalgette: television entrepreneur |url=https://howdidtheydoit.net/creative/sir-peter-bazalgette-television-entrepreneur/ |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=How Did They Do It? |language=en}}</ref> He attended [[Dulwich College]] and then studied Law at [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]], graduating with a [[British undergraduate degree classification|third-class degree]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/my-life-in-media-peter-bazalgette-532396.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/my-life-in-media-peter-bazalgette-532396.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=My Life In Media: Peter Bazalgette|location=London, UK|work=The Independent|date=8 November 2004}}</ref> and also serving as President of the [[Cambridge Union Society]].


He is married to intellectual property rights lawyer Hilary Newiss, with whom he has two children. The family lives in [[Notting Hill]].
Married since 1985 to Hilary Newiss,<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/hilary-newiss www.gov.uk]</ref> an [[United Kingdom intellectual property law|intellectual property rights lawyer]], with two children, Sir Peter and Lady Bazalgette live in [[Notting Hill]], [[West London|London]].


==Career==
==Career==
Bazalgette joined the [[BBC News]] graduate news training scheme, and was subsequently picked by [[Esther Rantzen]] as a researcher on ''[[That's Life!]]'' from 1977. While a reporter at the BBC for ''[[Man Alive (BBC TV series)|Man Alive]]'', he joined Eric Parsloe's video production company Epic. The BBC put him in charge of producing the programme ''[[Food and Drink]],'' where he claims to have created the [[celebrity chef]]. He continued producing by forming his own production company Bazal, which created hits for British TV including ''[[Ready Steady Cook]]'', ''[[Changing Rooms]]'' and ''[[Ground Force]].'' In 1990, Bazal was acquired by Broadcast Communications, which itself was absorbed by [[Endemol]].{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}
Bazalgette joined the [[BBC News]] graduate news training scheme, and was subsequently picked by [[Esther Rantzen|Dame Esther Rantzen]] as a researcher on ''[[That's Life!]]'' from 1978. While a reporter at the BBC for ''[[Man Alive (BBC TV series)|Man Alive]]'', he joined Eric Parsloe's video production company Epic. The BBC put him in charge of producing the programme ''[[Food and Drink]],'' where he claims to have created the [[celebrity chef]]. He continued producing by forming his own production company Bazal, which created hits for British TV including ''[[Ready Steady Cook]]'', ''[[Changing Rooms]]'' and ''[[Ground Force]].'' In 1990, Bazal was acquired by Broadcast Communications, which itself was absorbed by [[Endemol]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title='Most influential man in British television' to speak at Manchester event |url=https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/manchester-news/2022/09/most-influential-man-british-television-speak-manchester-event |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Prolific North |language=en}}</ref>


In January 2005 Bazalgette became Chairman of [[Endemol UK]] and Creative Director of Endemol Group worldwide. He was responsible for shows including ''[[Big Brother (TV series)|Big Brother]]'' and ''[[Deal or No Deal]]'' which were hits around the world, and led Endemol's digital entertainment strategy. Although ''Big Brother'' was an adaption of an existing series in the [[Netherlands]], Bazalgette is credited with popularising the format around the world thanks to the adaptations he built into the UK version. During Bazalgette's time on the global board, Endemol grew strongly and in 2005 it was launched on the Dutch stock exchange. Over the next eighteen months it trebled in value and was sold in 2007 for €3.2 billion. In September 2007 it was announced that Bazalgette was standing down as Chairman and would assume the role of advisor.<ref>Chris Tryhorn [http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2178144,00.html "Bazalgette to leave Endemol"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 27 September 2007. Retrieved on 27 September 2007.</ref>
In January 2005 Bazalgette became Chairman of [[Endemol UK]] and Creative Director of Endemol Group worldwide. He was responsible for shows including ''[[Big Brother (TV series)|Big Brother]]'' and ''[[Deal or No Deal]]'' which were hits around the world, and led Endemol's digital entertainment strategy. Although ''Big Brother'' was conceived from an existing series in the [[Netherlands]], Bazalgette is credited with popularising the format around the world thanks to the adaptations he built into the UK version. During Bazalgette's time on the global board, Endemol grew strongly and in 2005 it was launched on the [[Euronext Amsterdam|Dutch stock exchange]]. Over the next eighteen months it trebled in value and was sold in 2007 for €3.2 billion. In September 2007 it was announced that Bazalgette was standing down as Chairman and would assume the role of advisor.<ref>Chris Tryhorn [http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2178144,00.html "Bazalgette to leave Endemol"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 27 September 2007. Retrieved on 27 September 2007.</ref>


Bazalgette has long championed the value of the BBC for its trusted news and critical investment in original programming and creative talent. Along with others he has speculated how long the current funding model of the BBC will last, and whether in the future the licence fee might be reduced to pay specifically for core news and information content with voluntary subscription introduced to pay for drama and entertainment.<ref>"[[Newsnight]]" (26 November 2009)</ref>
Bazalgette has long championed the value of the BBC for its trusted news and critical investment in original programming and creative talent. Along with others he has speculated how long the current funding model of the BBC will last, and whether in the future the licence fee might be reduced to pay specifically for core news and information content.<ref>"[[Newsnight]]" (26 November 2009)</ref>


Bazalgette has been awarded fellowships by [[BAFTA]] and the [[Royal Television Society]], and is{{when|date=September 2012}} President of the [[Royal Television Society]]. He was as a non-executive director of the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]]. In September 2012 he was appointed chairman of [[Arts Council England]], and began his 4-year term on 31 January 2013.<ref name="arts">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19479788|title=Sir Peter Bazalgette appointed Arts Council chairman|date=4 September 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref>
Bazalgette has been elected a [[Fellow]] of [[BAFTA]] and the [[Royal Television Society]], and was [[President (corporate title)|President]] of the Royal Television Society 2010–17. He was as a non-executive director of the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]]. In September 2012 he was appointed Chairman of [[Arts Council England]], and began his 4-year term on 31 January 2013.<ref name="arts">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19479788|title=Sir Peter Bazalgette appointed Arts Council chairman|date=4 September 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref>


''[[The Independent]]'' argued that he may be "the most influential man in British television" as a result of his impact on the development of reality television and lifestyle TV programmes. The ''[[Daily Mail]]'' once named him as one of the "Ten Worst Britons" for Endemol's Channel 4 show ''[[Big Brother (UK)|Big Brother]]'' and the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' television critic [[Victor Lewis-Smith]] said that Bazalgette had "done more to debase television over the past decade than anyone else."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/peter-bazalgette-attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence-445797.html|title=Peter Bazalgette: Attack is the best form of defence|date=23 April 2007|work=The Independent|location=London, UK}}</ref>
''[[The Independent]]'' argued that he may be "the most influential man in British television" as a result of his impact on the development of reality television and lifestyle TV programmes. The ''[[Daily Mail]]'' once named him as one of the "Ten Worst Britons" for Endemol's Channel 4 show ''[[Big Brother (UK)|Big Brother]]'' and the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' television critic [[Victor Lewis-Smith]] claimed that Bazalgette had "done more to debase television over the past decade than anyone else."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/peter-bazalgette-attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence-445797.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813031253/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/peter-bazalgette-attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence-445797.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 August 2009|title=Peter Bazalgette: Attack is the best form of defence|date=23 April 2007|work=The Independent|location=London, UK}}</ref>


In September 2012 it was announced that he would succeed [[Liz Forgan|Dame Elizabeth Forgan]] as Chair of the [[Arts Council England]].<ref name=":0" /> Shortly before his tenure the Coalition Government implemented tough cuts to public arts spending. In his time at [[Arts Council England]] this was partly remedied with a new system of tax credits. By the end of his time, in the CSR of 2016, the Coalition actually put arts budgets up. In February 2016 Bazalgette was named as the Chairman of ITV, effective from 12 May 2016,<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35586925|title=Sir Peter Bazalgette named as chairman of ITV – BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> and In September 2016, it was announced that [[Nicholas Serota|Sir Nicholas Serota]] would replace him at the Arts Council.<ref name=":0"/>
In September 2012 it was announced that he would succeed [[Liz Forgan|Dame Elizabeth Forgan]] to chair the [[Arts Council England]].<ref name=":0" /> This was during a time of cuts to public arts spending, partly remedied with a new system of tax credits. In September 2016 it was announced that [[Nicholas Serota|Sir Nicholas Serota]] would replace him as Chairman of the Arts Council England.<ref name=":0" />

In January 2015, prime minister David Cameron announced the creation of the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, and said Bazalgette would serve as its chairman.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-27 |title=National Holocaust Commemoration event 2015: Prime Minister's speech |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/national-holocaust-commemoration-event-2015-prime-ministers-speech |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> He was replaced in April 2018.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=null |date=2017 |title=null |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.15530/urtec-2017-2670073 |journal=Proceedings of the 5th Unconventional Resources Technology Conference |location=Tulsa, OK, USA |publisher=American Association of Petroleum Geologists |doi=10.15530/urtec-2017-2670073}}</ref> In 2024, 10 years after Cameron promised that Britain would create a fitting memorial to remember all those who died in the Holocaust,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-01-27 |title=David Cameron's Holocaust Commission speech |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/david-camerons-holocaust-commission-speech |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> the project to create a UK memorial and learning centre was mired in controversy, with planning permission for the memorial to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens having been quashed in the high court in April 2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=Planning Permission for Holocaust Memorial quashed |url=https://www.landmarkchambers.co.uk/news-and-cases/planning-permission-for-holocaust-memorial-quashed |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Landmark Chambers |language=en-US}}</ref> and objections to the Holocaust Memorial Bill, legislation intended to repeal the 1900 Act that set aside the Gardens for public use, being heard from parliamentarians including MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Nickie Aiken,<ref>{{Cite web |title=MINUTES OF ORAL EVIDENCE taken before the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL BILL COMMITTEE |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14088/pdf/ |access-date=2024-02-06}}
</ref> Lord Blencathra and Lord Carlile of Berriew <ref>{{Cite web |title=MINUTES OF ORAL EVIDENCE taken before the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL BILL COMMITTEE |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14089/pdf/ |access-date=2024-02-06}}</ref> experts and Holocaust survivors at a select committee meeting in the Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sayers |first=Beatrice |title=Holocaust Memorial Bill: Objector compares strategy to Post Office stance on Horizon |url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/holocaust-memorial-bill-objector-compares-strategy-with-post-office-stance-on-horizon/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=www.jewishnews.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref>

In February 2016 Bazalgette was named as the Chairman of [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], effective from 12 May 2016.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35586925|title=Sir Peter Bazalgette named as chairman of ITV – BBC News|work=BBC News |date=16 February 2016 |language=en-GB|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> In March 2022 ITV announced that Peter Bazalgette would step down as Chairman of ITV, effective from 29 September 2022.<ref name="Reuters"/>


==Other interests==
==Other interests==
Bazalgette has co-written four books including ''The Food Revolution'', ''You Don't Have to Diet'', and a biography of [[Egon Ronay]]. He is author of a study of the international TV formats business, ''Billion Dollar Game'' and, most recently, ''The Empathy Instinct''. He is a regular speaker at global media events and lectures on media convergence and creativity. He has written widely on privacy and the internet, young people and voting, arts and philanthropy, public service broadcasting and student volunteering.
Bazalgette has co-written four books including ''The Food Revolution'', ''You Don't Have to Diet'', and a biography of [[Egon Ronay]]. He is [[author]] of a study of the international TV formats business, ''Billion Dollar Game'' and, more recently, ''The Empathy Instinct''. He is a speaker at global media events and lectures on media convergence and creativity. He has written widely on privacy and the internet, young people and voting, arts and philanthropy, public service broadcasting and student volunteering. He is very active of the field of [[public policy]] as it relates to media and the creative industries.

⚫
He was a consultant to two of Sony’s television divisions in the UK, and was non-executive director of [[Base79]]. In early 2017, he was tasked with leading the new independent review of the creative industries for [[Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy|BEIS]] and [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport|DCMS]]. He is a former board member of [[Channel 4]] and former Deputy Chairman of the National Film & Television School where he helped raise £8 million for a new teaching building.<ref>[https://nfts.co.uk/history www.nfts.co.uk]</ref> He was Chairman of [[English National Opera]] and was a [[Trustee]] of ''Debate Mate''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.debatemate.com/pages/8928 |title=Board of Trustees &#124; Debate Mate |access-date=2012-07-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917040429/http://www.debatemate.com/pages/8928 |archive-date=17 September 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref>

A member of the [[List of Beefsteak Club (London) members|Beefsteak Club]], Sir Peter sits as an independent member of [[Honours Committee#Arts and Media|HMG Arts and Media Honours Committee]].

==Appointments==
[[File:Knights Bachelor Insignia.png|thumb|right|100px| [[Insignia]] of a [[Knight Bachelor]]]]
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Since 2021 Bazalgette serves as co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council, [[pro-Chancellor]] and Chairman of Council at the Royal College of Art, a non-executive board member at the [[Department for Education]], [[Business Council]] Chairman of the Care Leavers Covenant, Chairman of the [[Baillie Gifford Prize|Baillie Gifford non-fiction book prize]] and senior independent director on the board of [[Saga plc]]. He was elected President of the [[Royal Television Society]] and Deputy Chairman of the [[National Film and Television School|National Film School]]. He was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2012 New Year Honours|New Year Honours for 2012]] for services to broadcasting.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=60009|date=31 December 2011|page=1 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16364855|title=New Year Honours for Corbett, Bonham Carter and golf champions|work=BBC News|access-date=31 December 2011}}</ref> He has been a benefactor to the Arts and Chairman of English National Opera. He was Chairman of [[Arts Council England]] from 2012 until 2016<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/sep/04/peter-bazalgette-arts-council-england|title=Peter Bazalgette named chairman of Arts Council England|last=Brown|first=Mark|date=4 September 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=5 September 2012}}</ref> and Chairman of [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] from 2016<ref name=":1" /> to 2022.<ref name="Reuters">{{Cite news |date=2022-03-10 |title=ITV appoints Andrew Cosslett as new chair |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/itv-appoints-andrew-cosslett-new-chair-2022-03-10/ |access-date=2022-11-13}}</ref> He is also Chairman of LoveCrafts, the online retailer.<ref>[https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb www.lovecrafts.com]</ref> He was a non-executive board member of [[UK Research and Innovation]] (UKRI) and also served on the advisory board of [[Bartle Bogle Hegarty|BBH]]. He sat on the board of the market researcher, [[YouGov]], from 2003 to 2013. In January 2017, his latest book ''The Empathy Instinct'' was published.<ref>{{Cite news |title=As a society, are we losing our empathy? |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/as-a-society-are-we-losing-our-empathy-1.2947921 |access-date=2022-11-13 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>


==See also==
⚫
He was a consultant to two of Sony’s television divisions in the UK, and was non-executive director of [[Base79]]. In early 2017 he was tasked with leading the new independent review of the creative industries for BEIS and DCMS. He is a former board member of [[Channel 4]] and former Deputy Chairman of the National Film & Television School where he helped put up an £8million new teaching building. He was Chairman of [[English National Opera]] and was a Trustee of [[Debate Mate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.debatemate.com/pages/8928 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-07-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917040429/http://www.debatemate.com/pages/8928 |archive-date=17 September 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref>
* [[Bazalgette Mausoleum]]


==References==
==References==
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Revision as of 08:38, 23 February 2024

Sir
Peter Bazalgette
Sir Peter Bazalgette in 2022
Born
Peter Lytton Bazalgette

(1953-05-22) 22 May 1953 (age 71)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Alma materFitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)TV producer and executive
Employerformerly Endemol
Known for
Spouses
  • Hilary née Newiss,
  • now Lady Bazalgette
Children2
Parent(s)Paul Bazalgette
Diana née Coffin
Relatives
Bazalgette's voice
recorded in July 2013
Bazalgette arms

Sir Peter Lytton Bazalgette (/ˈbæzəldʒɛt/; born 22 May 1953) is a British television executive and producer, also active in the fields of the Arts and broader creative industries.

Personal life

The great-great-grandson of Victorian civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, a third cousin is Edward Bazalgette, who directed and produced the 2003 documentary The Sewer King which charted Sir Joseph Bazalgette's design and engineering of the London sewers. Peter Bazalgette presented a later television show for Five, called The Great Stink, and chaired the Crossness Engines Trust raising £4.5 million to restore the Victorian pumping station built by his ancestor.[1]

His parents, Peter Bazalgette and Diana née Coffin, did not have a television until he was 12 years old.[2] He attended Dulwich College and then studied Law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduating with a third-class degree[3] and also serving as President of the Cambridge Union Society.

Married since 1985 to Hilary Newiss,[4] an intellectual property rights lawyer, with two children, Sir Peter and Lady Bazalgette live in Notting Hill, London.

Career

Bazalgette joined the BBC News graduate news training scheme, and was subsequently picked by Dame Esther Rantzen as a researcher on That's Life! from 1978. While a reporter at the BBC for Man Alive, he joined Eric Parsloe's video production company Epic. The BBC put him in charge of producing the programme Food and Drink, where he claims to have created the celebrity chef. He continued producing by forming his own production company Bazal, which created hits for British TV including Ready Steady Cook, Changing Rooms and Ground Force. In 1990, Bazal was acquired by Broadcast Communications, which itself was absorbed by Endemol.[5]

In January 2005 Bazalgette became Chairman of Endemol UK and Creative Director of Endemol Group worldwide. He was responsible for shows including Big Brother and Deal or No Deal which were hits around the world, and led Endemol's digital entertainment strategy. Although Big Brother was conceived from an existing series in the Netherlands, Bazalgette is credited with popularising the format around the world thanks to the adaptations he built into the UK version. During Bazalgette's time on the global board, Endemol grew strongly and in 2005 it was launched on the Dutch stock exchange. Over the next eighteen months it trebled in value and was sold in 2007 for €3.2 billion. In September 2007 it was announced that Bazalgette was standing down as Chairman and would assume the role of advisor.[6]

Bazalgette has long championed the value of the BBC for its trusted news and critical investment in original programming and creative talent. Along with others he has speculated how long the current funding model of the BBC will last, and whether in the future the licence fee might be reduced to pay specifically for core news and information content.[7]

Bazalgette has been elected a Fellow of BAFTA and the Royal Television Society, and was President of the Royal Television Society 2010–17. He was as a non-executive director of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In September 2012 he was appointed Chairman of Arts Council England, and began his 4-year term on 31 January 2013.[8]

The Independent argued that he may be "the most influential man in British television" as a result of his impact on the development of reality television and lifestyle TV programmes. The Daily Mail once named him as one of the "Ten Worst Britons" for Endemol's Channel 4 show Big Brother and the London Evening Standard television critic Victor Lewis-Smith claimed that Bazalgette had "done more to debase television over the past decade than anyone else."[9]

In September 2012 it was announced that he would succeed Dame Elizabeth Forgan to chair the Arts Council England.[10] This was during a time of cuts to public arts spending, partly remedied with a new system of tax credits. In September 2016 it was announced that Sir Nicholas Serota would replace him as Chairman of the Arts Council England.[10]

In January 2015, prime minister David Cameron announced the creation of the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, and said Bazalgette would serve as its chairman.[11] He was replaced in April 2018.[12] In 2024, 10 years after Cameron promised that Britain would create a fitting memorial to remember all those who died in the Holocaust,[13] the project to create a UK memorial and learning centre was mired in controversy, with planning permission for the memorial to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens having been quashed in the high court in April 2022[14] and objections to the Holocaust Memorial Bill, legislation intended to repeal the 1900 Act that set aside the Gardens for public use, being heard from parliamentarians including MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Nickie Aiken,[15] Lord Blencathra and Lord Carlile of Berriew [16] experts and Holocaust survivors at a select committee meeting in the Commons.[17]

In February 2016 Bazalgette was named as the Chairman of ITV, effective from 12 May 2016.[18] In March 2022 ITV announced that Peter Bazalgette would step down as Chairman of ITV, effective from 29 September 2022.[19]

Other interests

Bazalgette has co-written four books including The Food Revolution, You Don't Have to Diet, and a biography of Egon Ronay. He is author of a study of the international TV formats business, Billion Dollar Game and, more recently, The Empathy Instinct. He is a speaker at global media events and lectures on media convergence and creativity. He has written widely on privacy and the internet, young people and voting, arts and philanthropy, public service broadcasting and student volunteering. He is very active of the field of public policy as it relates to media and the creative industries.

He was a consultant to two of Sony’s television divisions in the UK, and was non-executive director of Base79. In early 2017, he was tasked with leading the new independent review of the creative industries for BEIS and DCMS. He is a former board member of Channel 4 and former Deputy Chairman of the National Film & Television School where he helped raise £8 million for a new teaching building.[20] He was Chairman of English National Opera and was a Trustee of Debate Mate.[21]

A member of the Beefsteak Club, Sir Peter sits as an independent member of HMG Arts and Media Honours Committee.

Appointments

Insignia of a Knight Bachelor

Since 2021 Bazalgette serves as co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council, pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at the Royal College of Art, a non-executive board member at the Department for Education, Business Council Chairman of the Care Leavers Covenant, Chairman of the Baillie Gifford non-fiction book prize and senior independent director on the board of Saga plc. He was elected President of the Royal Television Society and Deputy Chairman of the National Film School. He was knighted in the New Year Honours for 2012 for services to broadcasting.[22][23] He has been a benefactor to the Arts and Chairman of English National Opera. He was Chairman of Arts Council England from 2012 until 2016[10] and Chairman of ITV from 2016[18] to 2022.[19] He is also Chairman of LoveCrafts, the online retailer.[24] He was a non-executive board member of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and also served on the advisory board of BBH. He sat on the board of the market researcher, YouGov, from 2003 to 2013. In January 2017, his latest book The Empathy Instinct was published.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Big Bazalgette... why new Arts Council chairman is just like Marmite". Evening Standard. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Interview: Sir Peter Bazalgette: television entrepreneur". How Did They Do It?. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  3. ^ "My Life In Media: Peter Bazalgette". The Independent. London, UK. 8 November 2004. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  4. ^ www.gov.uk
  5. ^ "'Most influential man in British television' to speak at Manchester event". Prolific North. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  6. ^ Chris Tryhorn "Bazalgette to leave Endemol", The Guardian, 27 September 2007. Retrieved on 27 September 2007.
  7. ^ "Newsnight" (26 November 2009)
  8. ^ "Sir Peter Bazalgette appointed Arts Council chairman". BBC News. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Peter Bazalgette: Attack is the best form of defence". The Independent. London, UK. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009.
  10. ^ a b c Brown, Mark (4 September 2012). "Peter Bazalgette named chairman of Arts Council England". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  11. ^ "National Holocaust Commemoration event 2015: Prime Minister's speech". GOV.UK. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  12. ^ null (2017). "null". Proceedings of the 5th Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. Tulsa, OK, USA: American Association of Petroleum Geologists. doi:10.15530/urtec-2017-2670073.
  13. ^ "David Cameron's Holocaust Commission speech". GOV.UK. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Planning Permission for Holocaust Memorial quashed". Landmark Chambers. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  15. ^ "MINUTES OF ORAL EVIDENCE taken before the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL BILL COMMITTEE". Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  16. ^ "MINUTES OF ORAL EVIDENCE taken before the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL BILL COMMITTEE". Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  17. ^ Sayers, Beatrice. "Holocaust Memorial Bill: Objector compares strategy to Post Office stance on Horizon". www.jewishnews.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Sir Peter Bazalgette named as chairman of ITV – BBC News". BBC News. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  19. ^ a b "ITV appoints Andrew Cosslett as new chair". Reuters. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  20. ^ www.nfts.co.uk
  21. ^ "Board of Trustees | Debate Mate". Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  22. ^ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 1.
  23. ^ "New Year Honours for Corbett, Bonham Carter and golf champions". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  24. ^ www.lovecrafts.com
  25. ^ "As a society, are we losing our empathy?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
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