Brian Tesler‚ who passed away last week aged 95 shaped British television for over four decades - from BBC trainee to ITV executive (his career spanning the most important years of UK broadcasting history)
The well-dressed‚ sun-tanned exec started at BBC in fall of 52; however a denied £100 raise made him switch to ITV. The move shocked his colleagues who didnt believe commercial TV would succeed. They were wrong: within a decade he became known as “TVʼs new whizz-kid“ and earned the nickname “Brian Hustler“
At Thames Television he developed a unique approach to scheduling that changed how British TV worked. He taught these skills to Michael Grade who became one of the industrys best programmers. His programming choices were smart - he dropped shows like Peyton Place and backed new ideas: his proudest achievement was green-lighting “The World At War“ documentary
His time at London Weekend Television brought major changes. The station had problems:
- Technical union strikes
- Poor commercial performance
- Reputation for being too highbrow
- Limited industry support
Nevertheless under his leadership LWT won seven BAFTAs in 75 - more than rest of ITV combined
The Oxford graduate (who got dons to doff their caps when he earned highest marks) brought both intellect and business sense to TV. He worked with future BBC boss John Birt and hired Greg Dyke showing his talent for spotting future industry leaders
When he stepped down in 90‚ he left behind a transformed television landscape. His approach to scheduling became industry standard; his programming choices influenced generations of TV makers