Alasdair Milne
Encyclopedia
Alasdair David Gordon Milne (born 8 October 1930) is a former BBC
producer who became Controller of BBC Scotland
, the BBC's Director of Programmes and then Director-General of the BBC
in July 1982. His resignation was forced by the BBC Governors
in January 1987, following pressure from the Thatcher government
. Milne has said that he regards himself as, in a sense, the corporation's last Director-General.
to Scottish
parents, Milne was educated at Winchester College
in the county town
of Winchester
in Hampshire
, followed by New College
at the University of Oxford
.
who recruited, trained, guided and encouraged many well-known BBC broadcasters and current affairs executives. Milne was one of the so-called "Goldie Boys", a group of producers and presenters, which included Huw Wheldon
, Robin Day
, David Frost
, Cliff Michelmore
, Ian Trethowan
and Richard Dimbleby
.
Milne was the first television producer to become Director-General. His background was in current affairs and he was a founder producer of Tonight
, and became the programme's Editor in 1961. He also worked on programmes such as That Was The Week That Was
one of the most controversial programmes of the 1960s and The Great War
. He was instrumental in bringing the entire Shakespeare
canon to television, as well as one of the BBC's most acute and best-loved comedies, Yes, Minister.
Landmark broadcasting events during his time as Director-General included Live Aid
, the massive music event precipitated by a BBC news report on famine in Africa
. The BBC's new Breakfast Time
programme went on air on 17 January 1983, presented by Frank Bough
and former ITN news reader Selina Scott
. Milne was full of praise for the show, saying: "It was a terrific start. The first Tonight programme was not as good as this."
As Director-General, Milne was involved with a series of controversies with the British government. Contentious programme making included the impartial reporting of the Falklands War
on Newsnight
, the Nationwide
general election special with Margaret Thatcher
in 1983, the coverage of the UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
, the Real Lives fracas, the Panorama
libel action and its reporting of the US
bombing of Libya
and the controversy surrounding the programme Secret Society which took place in light of MI5
's vetting of BBC employees.
On top of this, Milne had to defend the existence of the BBC to the Peacock Committee
, which was considering the future of the BBC. Milne defended the television licence
thus:
The licence fee survived the negotiations and future satellite broadcasting opportunities were considered.
In 1986, Marmaduke Hussey
was appointed Chairman of the BBC Governors
to steer the Corporation through a period of perceived left-wing bias in the BBC. In an unprecedented step, Hussey convinced the Board of Governors that a change of direction was needed. Hussey carried the governors with him and they forced Milne's resignation.
Milne wrote:
Alasdair Milne stood down in 1987.
In October 2004, stories were published implying that he had suggested that alleged dumbing down
of the BBC was partly the consequence of the corporation's growing number of female executives: "Too many dumb, dumb, dumb cookery and gardening shows . . . I have nothing against women. I've worked with them all my life. It just seems to me that the television service has largely been run by women for the last four to five years and they don't seem to have done a great job of work." Milne later clarified his position: “What I actually said was that the three people who had run the television service for the past four or five years had not, it seemed to me, done a marvellous job. I would have said the same if they had been mice or men. They happened to be women and then I was stitched up by The Times
.”
and Kirsty Milne, are journalists: his other son, Ruairidh, is a doctor.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
producer who became Controller of BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
, the BBC's Director of Programmes and then Director-General of the BBC
Director-General of the BBC
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC.The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust....
in July 1982. His resignation was forced by the BBC Governors
Board of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
in January 1987, following pressure from the Thatcher government
Thatcher ministry
Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 4 May 1979 and 28 November 1990, during which time she led a Conservative government. She was the first woman to hold that office...
. Milne has said that he regards himself as, in a sense, the corporation's last Director-General.
Education
Born in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
parents, Milne was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
in the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, followed by New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Career
Alasdair Milne joined the BBC in September 1954 as a general trainee. He was taken under the wing of Grace Wyndham GoldieGrace Wyndham Goldie
Grace Wyndham Goldie was an important innovatory producer in British television for twenty years, particularly in the fields of politics and current affairs. During her career at the BBC, she held her own as one of the few senior women in an establishment dominated by men...
who recruited, trained, guided and encouraged many well-known BBC broadcasters and current affairs executives. Milne was one of the so-called "Goldie Boys", a group of producers and presenters, which included Huw Wheldon
Huw Wheldon
Sir Huw Pyrs Wheldon OBE MC was a BBC broadcaster and executive.Wheldon was born in Prestatyn, Wales and educated at Friars School, Bangor. His father, Sir Wynn Wheldon, was a prominent educationalist, who had been awarded the DSO for gallantry in the First World War...
, Robin Day
Robin Day
Sir Robin Day, OBE was a British political broadcaster and commentator. His obituary in the Guardian stated that "he was the most outstanding television journalist of his generation...
, David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
, Cliff Michelmore
Cliff Michelmore
Arthur Clifford "Cliff" Michelmore CBE is a British television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme Tonight, which he presented from 1957 to 1965....
, Ian Trethowan
Ian Trethowan
Sir Ian Trethowan was a British journalist, radio and television broadcaster and administrator who eventually became Director-General of the BBC...
and Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby CBE was an English journalist and broadcaster widely acknowledged as one of the greatest figures in British broadcasting history.-Early life:...
.
Milne was the first television producer to become Director-General. His background was in current affairs and he was a founder producer of Tonight
Tonight (1957 TV series)
Tonight was a BBC television current affairs programme presented by Cliff Michelmore and broadcast in Britain live on weekday evenings from February 1957 to 1965. The producers were the future Controller of BBC1 Donald Baverstock and the future Director-General of the BBC Alasdair Milne...
, and became the programme's Editor in 1961. He also worked on programmes such as That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme that was shown on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost...
one of the most controversial programmes of the 1960s and The Great War
The Great War (documentary)
The Great War is a 26-episode documentary series from 1964 on the First World War. It was a co-production involving the resources of the Imperial War Museum, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. He was instrumental in bringing the entire Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
canon to television, as well as one of the BBC's most acute and best-loved comedies, Yes, Minister.
Landmark broadcasting events during his time as Director-General included Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
, the massive music event precipitated by a BBC news report on famine in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The BBC's new Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time was British television's first national breakfast show, beating TV-am's flagship programme Good Morning Britain to the air by two weeks.The show was revolutionary for the time...
programme went on air on 17 January 1983, presented by Frank Bough
Frank Bough
Frank Bough is a retired British television presenter who is best known as the former host of BBC sports and current affairs shows including Grandstand, Nationwide and Breakfast Time, which he fronted alongside Selina Scott.-Early life:...
and former ITN news reader Selina Scott
Selina Scott
Selina Scott is a British newsreader, journalist, television producer and presenter.- Background and early life :Scott was born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire in 1951, the eldest of five children...
. Milne was full of praise for the show, saying: "It was a terrific start. The first Tonight programme was not as good as this."
As Director-General, Milne was involved with a series of controversies with the British government. Contentious programme making included the impartial reporting of the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
on Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
, the Nationwide
Nationwide (TV series)
Nationwide was a BBC News and Current affairs television programme broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting...
general election special with Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
in 1983, the coverage of the UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
, the Real Lives fracas, the Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
libel action and its reporting of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bombing of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and the controversy surrounding the programme Secret Society which took place in light of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
's vetting of BBC employees.
On top of this, Milne had to defend the existence of the BBC to the Peacock Committee
Peacock Committee
The Peacock Committee, was a review into financing of the BBC. It was initiated by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher on March 27, 1985 and reporting on May 29, 1986. The committee was led by Professor Alan Peacock. The other 6 members were Samuel Brittan, Judith Chalmers, Jeremy...
, which was considering the future of the BBC. Milne defended the television licence
Television licence
A television licence is an official licence required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts...
thus:
"The licence fee itself has some flaws of which we have been aware for many years, but whose virtues greatly outstrip its flaws. The licence fee is a form of hypothecated tax and, yes, it is regressive and burdens old age pensioners (who amount to one-third of all licence fee holders and who are the heaviest users of the available service), it is compulsory and, paid as a single annual payment, amounts to a good deal of money. On the other hand, it does amount to the best bargain in Britain, a slogan which is truer than any single advertising claim I can think of: it is by far the cheapest form of paying for a high standard of broadcasting."
The licence fee survived the negotiations and future satellite broadcasting opportunities were considered.
In 1986, Marmaduke Hussey
Marmaduke Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley
Marmaduke James Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1986 to 1996, fulfilling two terms in that role....
was appointed Chairman of the BBC Governors
Board of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
to steer the Corporation through a period of perceived left-wing bias in the BBC. In an unprecedented step, Hussey convinced the Board of Governors that a change of direction was needed. Hussey carried the governors with him and they forced Milne's resignation.
Milne wrote:
"Patricia Hodgson, the Secretary, asked me if I would go and see the Chairman. I thought it odd that she addressed me by my Christian name; everybody else did, but for some reason she had never done so before. When I walked into Hussey's office, Barnett and he were both there. I remember the blinds were drawn against the sun which was brilliant that morning. Hussey's lip trembled as he said: 'I am afraid this is going to be a very unpleasant interview. We want you to leave immediately. It's a unanimous decision of the Board."
Alasdair Milne stood down in 1987.
In October 2004, stories were published implying that he had suggested that alleged dumbing down
Dumbing down
Dumbing down is a pejorative term for a perceived trend to lower the intellectual content of literature, education, news, and other aspects of culture...
of the BBC was partly the consequence of the corporation's growing number of female executives: "Too many dumb, dumb, dumb cookery and gardening shows . . . I have nothing against women. I've worked with them all my life. It just seems to me that the television service has largely been run by women for the last four to five years and they don't seem to have done a great job of work." Milne later clarified his position: “What I actually said was that the three people who had run the television service for the past four or five years had not, it seemed to me, done a marvellous job. I would have said the same if they had been mice or men. They happened to be women and then I was stitched up by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.”
Criticism of successor
Milne is strongly critical of former BBC Director-General John Birt whom he calls "blue skies Birt". Birt's thesis on television's so-called 'Bias Against Understanding' Milne described as "balls, actually", and said "[Birt is] the most graceless man I have ever known. Ghastly man".Family
Milne's son and daughter, Seumas MilneSeumas Milne
Seumas Milne is a British journalist and writer known for his left-wing views. A columnist and associate editor at The Guardian newspaper, he is author of a best-selling book about the 1984-5 British miners' strike, The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners, which focuses on the role of...
and Kirsty Milne, are journalists: his other son, Ruairidh, is a doctor.
See also
- British Broadcasting Corporation
- Board of Governors of the BBCBoard of Governors of the BBCThe Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
- Politics of the United KingdomPolitics of the United KingdomThe politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...