Tributes from across the UK’s arts and cultural landscape have been paid to long-serving BBC producer Alan Yentob, following his death aged 78.
Yentob’s wife Philippa Walker paid tribute to her husband, Alan Yentob, calling him “curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body” and added that he was “the kindest of men.”
And the BBC has reported director-general Tim Davie’s tribute. Davie remembered Alan Yentob as “a cultural force” and “creative visionary.”
Davie said: “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.”
Jeremy Clarkson, who Yentob had to sack from Top Gear following the presenter’s altercation with a producer on the set of the hit motoring show, remembered his colleague, saying on X:
“Alan Yentob is the guy who called to end my career at Top Gear. He knew what had really gone on though and two days later, we had dinner. Great man. Loved and understood television. My love to Philippa.”
Veteran news correspondent John Simpson wrote on the same platform:
“Very sad to hear that my good friend Alan Yentob has died. He was such good company, and a wonderful interviewer and documentary-maker. I shall miss him greatly.”
Piers Morgan remembered him, writing: “RIP Alan Yentob, a giant of British television, a superb interviewer, and a great character – always brimming with charm, intelligence and mischief.”
Yentob was a significant figure in British culture, both on screen – where he presented dozens of programmes profiling subjects from David Bowie to Beyonce, Orson Welles to Mel Brooks – and off, where his roles included channel commissioner for BBC One and BBC Two, as well as the BBC’s creative director and head of music and arts.
His memorable 1975 Omnibus feature saw him accompanying David Bowie on a tour to the US, The programme called ‘Cracked Actor’, saw Bowie, then under the influence of drugs, give a revealing interview in the back of a limousine where he talked about his creativity but also the mental cost of his high profile. It was heralded as a new frontier in profile-making.
Yentob’s prodigious career saw him become controller of BBC Two in 1988, making him one of the youngest channel controllers in the corporation’s history. He presided over a golden era for arts coverage across the organisation.
He went on to become controller of the flagship TV channel BBC One from 1993 to 1997, before he worked as television’s director of programmes. He subsequently worked as the corporation’s creative director for more than a decade. He was awarded a CBE in 2024 for services to the arts and media.