Editing Masterpiece (TV series) (section)

== History ==
The success of the broadcast of the 1967 version of ''[[The Forsyte Saga (1967 TV series)|The Forsyte Saga]]'' on [[National Educational Television|NET]] (the precursor of PBS) led Stanford Calderwood, then serving as president of WGBH, to investigate whether the BBC would sell programs to the station. Suggestions for the series format came from, among others, [[Frank Gillard]] in the UK<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/person/153/Frank+Gillard.html |access-date=2009-08-26 |title=Wild Film History – Frank Gillard |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201102215/http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/person/153/Frank+Gillard.html |archive-date=2008-12-01}}</ref> and [[Christopher Sarson]] in the US.<ref name=kamp>{{citation |last=Kamp |first=David |title=Come On and Zoom-Zoom |newspaper=[[The New Yorker]] |date=May 11, 2020 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/come-on-and-zoom-zoom |access-date=July 14, 2024 |archive-date=July 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714202920/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/come-on-and-zoom-zoom |url-status=live }}</ref> In looking for an underwriter for the series, Calderwood eventually met with [[Herb Schmertz]] of [[Mobil Corporation]]. Schmertz was able to gain funding for the show, and with Joan Wilson of WGBH-TV bought the US distribution rights for fifty hours of British dramas for about $1 million per year.<ref>{{cite book |title=Air Wars: The fight to reclaim public broadcasting |first=Jerold |last=Starr |page=48 |date=2001 |publisher=Temple University Press |isbn=1-56639-913-0}}</ref> He and several other men, including Frank Marshall, met in London and made a selection of programs to be broadcast.<ref name=current>{{cite web |url=http://www.current.org/drama/drama9707mastth.html |access-date=2011-03-11 |title=How should public TV follow up the Forsyte Saga success? |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518163525/http://www.current.org/drama/drama9707mastth.html |archive-date=2011-05-18}}</ref>

Decisions on the format of the show were finalized and the series premiered on January 10, 1971, with the first episode of ''The First Churchills''. The working title for the series had been ''The Best of the BBC'', which was changed to ''Masterpiece Theatre'' before the first broadcast, with Sarson insisting upon the British spelling for ''Theatre''.<ref name=current /> The series was hosted by British-American broadcaster and author / journalist [[Alistair Cooke]] (1908–2004), who initially had been reluctant to take the role. Cooke appeared for two decades until 1992; native [[Baltimore]]an, [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning author and longtime columnist for ''[[The New York Times]],'' [[Russell Baker]] (1925–2019), was next and hosted for over a decade from 1992 to 2004. From 2004 to 2008, it was broadcast without a host.

The original series producer was Sarson. He was succeeded in 1973 by Joan Wilson. The current series producer, [[Rebecca Eaton]], took over in 1985 after Wilson's death from cancer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/series/theplayers.html#joan |title=Masterpiece Theatre – Series – Hosts + Producers<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[[PBS]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609175642/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/series/theplayers.html#joan |archive-date=2016-06-09}}</ref> Mobil pulled out in 2004.<ref name=guardian>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/01/dowton-abbey-sherlock-rebecca-eaton-masterpiece |date=March 1, 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Rebecca Eaton: Masterpiece is the 'little black dress of British drama' |first=Maggie |last=Brown |access-date=June 6, 2018 |archive-date=February 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216100017/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/01/dowton-abbey-sherlock-rebecca-eaton-masterpiece |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011 Eaton launched the Masterpiece Trust as a fundraising initiative, in collaboration with WGBH Boston. The Trust gives donors the opportunity to support their local PBS station and also "secure the future of superb British drama...invest upfront in the development of new scripts and programs, and grow the ''[Masterpiece]'' series both on-air and online".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/about-masterpiece/masterpiece-trust/ |title=The Masterpiece Trust |publisher=PBS |website=www.pbs.org |access-date=June 4, 2018 |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523065040/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/about-masterpiece/masterpiece-trust/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In the same year the series attracted new sponsors [[Viking Cruises|Viking River Cruises]] and [[Ralph Lauren Corporation|Ralph Lauren]] (Ralph Lauren was subsequently replaced by [[Farmers Insurance Group|Farmers Insurance]]).<ref name=wgbh /> In the first three years the Trust raised $12 million from 45 donors.<ref name=guardian />

The Masterpiece approach has been reported as being to put up about 10% of the production budget, in return for distribution rights and a degree of consultation on casting and content, but not editorial control.<ref name=guardian /> Masterpiece licences programs for several years, after which the broadcast rights revert to the original owners, generally the British producer or distributor.<ref name=wgbh>{{cite web |url=http://mpt-legacy.wgbhdigital.org/wgbh/masterpiece/about/faq.html |title=Masterpiece: Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=WGBH digital |access-date=June 6, 2018 |archive-date=April 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408140303/http://mpt-legacy.wgbhdigital.org/wgbh/masterpiece/about/faq.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Interviewed in 2017, Eaton described her role at ''Masterpiece'' as "the person who chooses which British programs will be included in Masterpiece...looking at a lot of shows that are already made, reading scripts, and choosing the ones that would suit this audience."

{{blockquote|They're made by British companies and British broadcasters – for the BBC and ITV – and once they're done, we bring them back here. It's also my job is to make sure the whole country knows about ''Masterpiece'' and knows about whatever show is being produced. There's a great deal of publicity and marketing to be done. I also have to raise money.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-editorial/before-you-say-goodbye-to_b_9385928.html |title=Before You Say Goodbye to 'Downton Abbey'... |date=March 4, 2017 |access-date=June 4, 2018 |work=The Huffington Post |first=Heidi |last=Legg |archive-date=January 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114032601/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-editorial/before-you-say-goodbye-to_b_9385928.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}}