Tributes have been flooding in following the death of TV presenter and former BBC executive Alan Yentob, who has died at the age of 78.
The news of his death was shared by Yentob’s family, who said he passed away on Saturday (24th May).
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."
Yentob joined the BBC in 1968 as a trainee at the World Service and went on to work his way through the ranks, taking on positions including controller of BBC One and BBC Two, director of television and head of music and art.
He launched children’s channels CBBC and CBeebies, and commissioned shows such as Absolutely Fabulous, Have I Got News For You and Wallace and Gromit.
He also commissioned dramas including Middlemarch, Pride And Prejudice and Ballykissangel.
He also presented shows for the BBC during his tenure, including a regular arts series, Imagine, from 2003 and a series on the life of artist Leonardo da Vinci.
He was presented with a CBE by the King in 2024 for services to the arts and media.
In a tribute following the news of his passing, the BBC's 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."
He continued: "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."
Tributes have also been flooding in on social media, with Doctor Who's Russell T Davies sharing a photo of him and Yentob standing in the Tardis on Instagram.
Davies wrote alongside in the caption: "So sad to hear about Alan. Here he is on the Tardis in 2023, and he was one of the show’s greatest defenders, for decades. When Doctor Who went off the air in 1989, he pushed for the deal that led to the Paul McGann movie."
He continued: "I’d see him over the years at the BBC - he helped get my production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on to BBC One. I once opened the door to a room and Alan and Salman Rushdie looked up at me, like two owls. 'Sorry!' I only really got to know him when he made his Imagine documentary about me. And I’d always been in awe of him, but I discovered then what a funny, clever, mischievous man he was. Full of stories! He’d met everyone! All lovely, joyous gossip, not a moment of malice. And no high culture and low culture for him, whether it was Doctor Who or Tolstoy or French & Saunders or Bowie, he had a passion for it all."
He added: "He was tremendous fun. In one Imagine sequence that didn’t make it on air, we went to my local @mumblescoffee and he chatted to everyone, delightful company, being so lovely to our No.1 barista @kingsriley - he was interested in everyone. We hooted!
"And when I sat on the Tardis with him for this interview, I realised he REALLY loved Doctor Who. I told him tales of the Toymaker and the Star Beast and he was all glittery and wide-eyed. The joy of the man! And his career was far more than this - go online and discover the length and breadth and depth of what he’s done. He said that his David Bowie documentary, Cracked Actor, was one of his most favourite things, made when few people would take rock stars seriously. He was, as always, ahead of the game. A great man, who did great work, and loved great art. Night then, Alan. Well done ."
Meanwhile, Channel 4 anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy also paid tribute, writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Such awful news about Alan Yentob. He was a brilliant, creative man who championed the things and people he believed in and made wonderful programmes that will live on for years."
He continued: "It’s no surprise he had such a long career at the top and was trusted by so many. I owed a lot to him – he put me on BBC1, supported me when I came under fire for asking awkward questions and wrote to me to say so.
"He’d often text me about C4 News and used to say Unreported World was the programme he wished he could have poached."
Comedian Dawn French also paid tribute, writing on X: "We’ve lost a tip top chap. Our advocate from the start… Alan Yentob."
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