The BBC broadcaster has died aged 78. David Herman looks back at his influential career in TV
Alan Yentob was one of the key figures in the golden age of BBC television in the late 20th century. He joined the organisation as a trainee in 1968. By 1973 he was working on BBC1’s flagship arts documentary series Omnibus. He produced his breakthrough film Cracked Actor in 1975, about the musician David Bowie. The same year, he helped initiate the hugely influential BBC2 arts documentary series Arena, of which he was editor from 1978 until 1985. During these years, the programme received six BAFTA nominations, winning three of those awards.
There were several distinctive features about Arena. First, there was the stylish opening credits – voted in the Top 5 Most Influential Opening Titles in the History of Television by Broadcast magazine – and distinctive music, composed by prolific musician and producer Brian Eno. Second, Yentob brought together a hugely impressive group of documentary makers, including Leslie Megahey, Anthony Wall and Nigel Finch. They made My Way (1979), about the appeal of the famous song; The Chelsea Hotel (1981), about the legendary building in New York frequented by the likes of Andy Warhol and William Burroughs; Desert Island Discs (1982), about the long-running programme in which celebrities pick their favourite records; and Yentob's own film, I Thought I Was Taller: A Short History of Mel Brooks (1981), about the American comedian. Together with arts programme Monitor and Melvyn Bragg’s The South Bank Show, Arena broke down the traditional boundary between high and low culture in TV documentaries and revolutionised the format.
During the 1980s, the new Channel 4 started to dominate arts TV. Yentob, promoted to controller of BBC2 (1987-93) – one of the youngest channel controllers in the BBC's history – responded to the challenge with a new nightly programme called The Late Show (1989-95), which re-established BBC2 as one of the most exciting places to watch discussions and arts documentaries. These years were an exciting time for BBC2, with programmes such as Have I Got News for You, Absolutely Fabulous and classy US imports like Twin Peaks and Seinfeld. This was the heyday of Yentob’s illustrious career and he and Jeremy Isaacs at Channel 4 were among the best-known Jewish TV execs in the 1980s and 90s.
The mid-90s, however, also saw a low point in Yentob’s career. He watched the dismantling the greatest TV music and arts department in the world while his own career continued its meteoric rise. His reputation among former colleagues never recovered. From 2003 he presented a new arts interview programme, Imagine, which never quite matched programmes like The South Bank Show. Yentob was a born TV executive and producer, not a great interviewer. His legacy, however, in establishing the BBC as a leader in arts documentaries will be rememebred for many years to come. We may never see its like again.
By David Herman
Watch our 2022 interview with Alan Yentob below; when he joined us for our 100 Years of the BBC event series.