Former BBC Executive, Producer Alan Yentob Dies at 78: ‘We Have Lost One of the Great Creative Spirits of Our Time’

The family of broadcaster, producer and long-time BBC executive Alan Yentob has announced he died on Saturday. He was 78.

Yentob joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968 and went on to have a distinguished career, holding a number of senior and influential positions, including controller of BBC One and BBC Two; director of television; head of music and arts; director of BBC Drama, Entertainment and Children’s; and creative director. His commissions include “Absolutely Fabulous,” “Have I Got News for You” and the classic adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.” He also launched kids’ channels CBBC and CBeebies.

He made his name on the arts series “Arena” and also edited and presented the arts documentary series “Imagine” from 2003.

Yentob was presented in 2024 with a U.K. honor, a CBE, for services to the arts and media.

His wife Philippa Walker said: “For Jacob, Bella and I every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.

“He was curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”

BBC director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond, with a passion for storytelling and public service that leave a lasting legacy.

“For nearly 60 years Alan championed originality, risk-taking and artistic ambition. From ‘Arena’ to ‘Imagine,’ from commissioning groundbreaking drama to giving emerging voices a platform, his influence is woven into the fabric of British cultural life.

“He believed profoundly in the BBC’s role as a home for creativity, curiosity and the arts – accessible to all.

“But Alan was more than a pioneering creative – he was an unforgettable presence. Engaging, witty and endlessly curious, he brought energy and warmth to every conversation. He was generous with his time, fierce in his convictions, and full of joy in the work of others.

“To work with Alan was to be inspired and encouraged to think bigger. He had a rare gift for identifying talent and lifting others up – a mentor and champion to so many across the worlds of television, film and theatre.

“Above all, Alan was a true original. His passion wasn’t performative – it was personal. He believed in the power of culture to enrich, challenge and connect us.

“We have lost one of the great creative spirits of our time. But his programs, his voice, and the generations he inspired, will live on.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. Alan will be hugely missed as a friend, a colleague, and one of the defining figures in the story of British culture.”