Editing Michael Grade (section)

===BBC===
In early summer 1984, [[Bill Cotton]] recruited Grade for [[BBC Television]],<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-bill-cotton-television-executive-who-brought-some-of-the-bbc-s-most-popular-programmes-to-the-screen-892826.html | title= Sir Bill Cotton: Television executive who brought some of the BBC's most popular programmes to the screen | work=The Independent | first=Spencer | last=Leigh | date=13 August 2008 | access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> where he became controller of <!-- BBC 1 until 1997. -->[[BBC One|BBC 1]] on 1 September 1984,<ref>Top job for Grade at BBC 1: The Times (London, England), Thursday, 31 May 1984</ref><ref>Early-evening ratings war likely if BBC replaces 'Sixty Minutes. Hewson, David The Times (London, England), Wednesday, 6 June 1984, p.3.</ref> taking, as he told Michael Freedland, "the biggest pay cut in history"; his salary went down from $500,000, excluding large bonuses, to £37,000 a year.<ref name="Freedland"/> Later he became director of programmes in 1986,<ref name="Newcomb"/> and managing director designate in 1987, before leaving the BBC at the end of 1987. His three-year tenure as a BBC controller was controversial.

Grade cancelled the rights to screen ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' while fighting [[Thames Television]] for the rights to the series (although this decision was subsequently reversed). He cut short the expensive serialisation of ''[[The Tripods]]'' trilogy, written by [[Samuel Youd|John Christopher]], because he was dissatisfied with the ratings it had achieved after two series. He also considered cancelling the sitcom ''[[Blackadder]]'', judging the first series to be unfunny.<ref name="Gibson"/> In exchange for renewing ''Blackadder'', he required that it become a wholly studio-based production on a lower budget.<ref>Mark Lewisohn {{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/blackadderii_7770765.shtml |title=Blackadder II |access-date=8 April 2005 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408060711/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/blackadderii_7770765.shtml |archive-date=8 April 2005 }}, BBC Guide to Comedy (c.2003) via the Wayback Machine</ref>

Grade agreed to commission [[Dennis Potter]]'s serial ''[[The Singing Detective]]'' (1986) after a brief meeting with [[Jonathan Powell (producer)|Jonathan Powell]], then the BBC's head of drama.<ref name="Midgley">{{cite magazine |first=Neil |last=Midgley |title=Michael Grade: 'I think the BBC has become too bureaucratic' |magazine=Radio Times |date=2 April 2012}}</ref> It was a highlight of this period, but came under criticism from [[Mary Whitehouse]] and the tabloid press for its content.<ref>Carpenetr ''Dennis Potter'', pp. 455–56</ref> Referring to the depiction of an illicit sexual encounter in episode three, Grade said: "There are very few people in television drama that you are prepared to trust with scenes like this. But Dennis Potter is one of them".<ref>Cited in Cook ''Dennis Potter: A Life on Screen'', p.242</ref>

During his time as controller, Grade was also responsible for purchasing the Australian soap opera ''[[Neighbours]]'' for BBC1's new [[Daytime television|daytime]] schedule; it debuted on British television on 27 October 1986. He was also responsible for repeating ''Neighbours'', at first exclusively an afternoon programme, in a later [[timeslot]] (on the advice of his daughter, Alison, who was annoyed that she could not watch it because she was at school). This proved to be a successful scheduling decision, with audiences in excess of 18&nbsp;million for the new 5.35&nbsp;pm broadcasts. Other successes during Grade's tenure included the debut of soap operas ''[[EastEnders]]'' and ''[[Howards' Way]]'' in 1985 and the hospital drama ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' in 1986. He was also praised by [[Bob Geldof]] for agreeing to broadcast the charity rock concert [[Live Aid]] for 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/michael-grade-right-man-sort-fundraising/fundraising/article/1376816 | title= Is Michael Grade the right man to sort out fundraising? | work=[[Third Sector (magazine)|Third Sector]] | first=John | last=Plummer | date=17 December 2015 | access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref>

In November 1984 he decided to end screening [[beauty pageants]], stating, "I believe these contests no longer merit national air time. They are an anachronism in this day and age of equality and verging on the offensive."<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/18/arts/bbc-to-stop-televising-beauty-pageants.html | title= BBC to Stop Televising Beauty Pageants | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=18 November 1984 | access-date=2 February 2021}}</ref>

====''Doctor Who'' controversy====
Grade announced on 27 February 1985 that [[Doctor Who season 23|season 23]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was scheduled to be transmitted from January to March 1986, would be postponed as he had decided that the programme's budget would be better spent on other drama productions.<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Cook |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/feb/28/doctor-who-television |title=From the archive, 28 February 1985: Doctor Who fans upset as BBC postpones new series |work=The Guardian |date=28 February 2012}}</ref> What became an 18-month hiatus for ''Doctor Who'' (the series did not resume transmission until September 1986) prompted a strong reaction from viewers. Grade was also noted for his strong dislike of the series, such as in an interview in 2004, where he said: "I thought it was horrible, awful. I thought it was so outdated. It was just a little show for a few pointy head ''Doctor Who'' fans. It was also very violent and it had lost its magic".<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/04/25/feature_michael_grade_feature.shtml | title= Michael Grade interview | work=BBC News | access-date=22 April 2014}}</ref> In an appearance on the BBC's ''[[Room 101 (British TV series)|Room 101]]'' in 2002, Grade chose the series as one of his hates, criticised its production values and said that he had little interest in, or sympathy for, science fiction.

[[Eric Saward]], the [[script editor]] of ''Doctor Who'' at the time of its suspension, responded to Grade's criticism a few years later. In his view, Grade's comments were unfair because he was in the position to allocate more resources to the programme and thus improve its quality.<ref>During the [[audio commentary]] of the 2008 DVD of the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''[[Warriors of the Deep]]''.</ref> Actress [[Katy Manning]], who had portrayed [[Jo Grant|a companion]] of [[Jon Pertwee]]'s Doctor, praised Grade's treatment of the series on the DVD commentary for ''[[The Mind of Evil]]'' (1971). In her view, Grade "was actually doing the right thing", and she credited the long break prior to 2005 with rejuvenating the series.<ref>Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "[[The Mind of Evil]]" (1971, 2013)</ref>

The decision in the autumn of 1986 that [[Doctor Who season 24|season 24]] of ''Doctor Who'' could only happen on the condition that [[Colin Baker]] was removed from the [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|title role]] has been attributed to Grade, with him reportedly describing Baker's portrayal as "absolutely God-awful". It has also been suggested that Grade was influenced by a romantic relationship with Baker's ex-wife, [[Liza Goddard]].<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |title=He eats, sleeps and breathes television – and at last he's got round to watching some |work=The Telegraph |date=3 January 2009 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3638380/He-eats-sleeps-and-breathes-television-and-at-last-hes-got-round-to-watching-some.html |access-date=12 January 2009  |first=William |last=Langley}}</ref> In 2022, Grade denied both that the decision to fire Baker was his and any personal relationship with Goddard.<ref name=Conversation>{{cite AV media |date=2022 |title=''Doctor Who'': The Collection Season 22 |chapter=Michael Grade in Conversation |type=special feature |publisher=[[BBC Studios]]}}</ref> Baker's immediate predecessor in the role, [[Peter Davison]], argued in 2018 that the decision to dismiss the actor was more to do with the executives wanting to get rid of the series' producer, [[John Nathan-Turner]], saying: "I was upset about what happened, really – because, first of all, it wasn't to do with Colin, I know that. It was to do with other issues. The power structure in the BBC had changed and they didn't want John Nathan-Turner around is the truth of it."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a871595/peter-davison-doctor-who-exit-dodged-bullet/ |title=Doctor Who star Peter Davison thinks he 'dodged a bullet' by quitting when he did |work=[[Digital Spy]] |first=Cameron K. |last=McEwan |date=3 December 2018 |access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref>

Following the end of the [[Doctor Who series 1|first series]] of the revived ''Doctor Who'' in 2005, Grade wrote a letter to [[Mark Thompson (media executive)|Mark Thompson]], the [[Director-General of the BBC]], congratulating all involved in the production on its success, signing-off with "PS <!--sic-->never dreamed I would ever write this. Must be going soft!"<ref>{{cite news |first=Jason |last=Dean |title=Doctor Who's greatest enemy finally surrenders |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,3604,1511605,00.html |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=22 June 2005 |access-date=30 November 2006}}</ref> In an interview for ''[[Radio Times]]'' in 2012, Grade commented: "From clunky [[Dalek]]s that couldn't go up and down stairs to the filmic qualities today of ''Doctor Who'', it's a transformation... The show still leaves me cold, but I admire it, which I never did before."<ref name="Midgley"/>