Richard Woolfe
Encyclopedia
Richard Woolfe is a senior British broadcast figure. Woolfe is currently Creative Director of Prime Focus Productions, the UK arm of Prime Focus Group
, a role recently created for him to help spearhead the post-production house's push into TV production, with a focus on high-end drama and entertainment formats. Woolfe was formerly channel controller of Sky1 and Channel 5
.
According to The Guardian
, "there is no one more noisy in UK TV management than Woolfe".
, Editor of Entertainment Programmes at Granada Television
and Entertainment and Features Producer at the BBC
and at Real Television. He also served as Controller of LivingTV
, Ftn
and Bravo (UK TV channel).
Woolfe took up the role of Head of Sky1, Sky2
and Sky3 at BSkyB in January 2006, before moving to Channel 5
to become Channel Controller in April 2009. He is currently Creative Director of Prime Focus Productions.
, Woolfe was named Industry player of the year at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV festival.
As Director of Programmes at Sky1, 2 & 3, Woolfe overhauled the entire channel brand, and oversaw the acquisition and development of award-winning US dramas, including Lost (TV series)
and Prison Break
, and home-grown entertainment and drama formats including Ross Kemp on Gangs
. The production of Terry Pratchett's 'Hogfather' "marked a new era of domestically produced drama for Sky, entertaining audiences of over 2.8 million and securing Sky1 its first ever BAFTA. In 2008, Sky1 was named Broadcast's Best Digital Entertainment Channel under Woolfe's leadership. Woolfe acquired a further BAFTA for Ross Kemp on Gangs
. Also at Sky, Woolfe resurrected Gladiators (UK TV series), which secured a total audience of over 1.6m for its launch show.
Woolfe's producer credits include: That's Life!
, The National Lottery Live, the first £1m Survivor (UK TV series)
final, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy UK, Extreme Makeover
UK, Gladiators (UK TV series) (executive producer), Don't Forget The Lyrics!
(co-executive producer) and Don't Stop Believing
(executive producer).
Prime Focus Group
Prime Focus Group is one of the largest film, advertising and television post-production and visual effects companies in the world. It is the result of a number of acquisitions and mergers by Prime Focus Ltd.-Prime Focus Group:...
, a role recently created for him to help spearhead the post-production house's push into TV production, with a focus on high-end drama and entertainment formats. Woolfe was formerly channel controller of Sky1 and Channel 5
Channel 5
-In the Americas:*Channel 5 – Rosario, Argentine television station, founded in 1964, which broadcasts from the city of Rosario*Great Belize Television, Belize television station, known as "Channel 5", founded in 1991 and broadcasting from Belize City...
.
According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "there is no one more noisy in UK TV management than Woolfe".
Career
Woolfe's first major roles in the television industry were as Head of Entertainment at Planet 24Planet 24
Planet 24 was a television production company. It produced The Big Breakfast and The Word had an animation division Impossible TV. Bob Geldof and Tony Boland founded Planet Pictures which merged with 24 Hour Productions headed by Charlie Parsons and Waheed, later Lord Alli...
, Editor of Entertainment Programmes at Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and Entertainment and Features Producer at the BBC
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...
and at Real Television. He also served as Controller of LivingTV
LIVINGtv
Sky Living is a UK television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, who purchased the Living TV Group group in 2010. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living TV in 1997 and then to Living in 2007. On 1 February 2011 Living changed its name to Sky Living...
, Ftn
Ftn
Ftn was a television channel from Virgin Media Television transmitting free-to-air on Freeview and Virgin Media, and as a subscription channel on Sky Digital. The channel was broadcast between 18:00 and 06:00 daily...
and Bravo (UK TV channel).
Woolfe took up the role of Head of Sky1, Sky2
Sky2
Sky2 is a British television channel originally launched on 2 December 2002 as Sky One Mix. Sky2 is now available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable and TalkTalk TV platforms in the UK. It is also available in the Republic of Ireland on the UPC Ireland platform.-Rebrand:Sky One Mix was...
and Sky3 at BSkyB in January 2006, before moving to Channel 5
Channel 5
-In the Americas:*Channel 5 – Rosario, Argentine television station, founded in 1964, which broadcasts from the city of Rosario*Great Belize Television, Belize television station, known as "Channel 5", founded in 1991 and broadcasting from Belize City...
to become Channel Controller in April 2009. He is currently Creative Director of Prime Focus Productions.
Credits and awards
Whilst at LivingTVLIVINGtv
Sky Living is a UK television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, who purchased the Living TV Group group in 2010. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living TV in 1997 and then to Living in 2007. On 1 February 2011 Living changed its name to Sky Living...
, Woolfe was named Industry player of the year at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV festival.
As Director of Programmes at Sky1, 2 & 3, Woolfe overhauled the entire channel brand, and oversaw the acquisition and development of award-winning US dramas, including Lost (TV series)
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
and Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
, and home-grown entertainment and drama formats including Ross Kemp on Gangs
Ross Kemp on Gangs
Ross Kemp on Gangs is a BAFTA award-winning documentary series shown on Sky1 and later repeated on Sky3. On 20 May 2007 the series won a BAFTA award for best factual series...
. The production of Terry Pratchett's 'Hogfather' "marked a new era of domestically produced drama for Sky, entertaining audiences of over 2.8 million and securing Sky1 its first ever BAFTA. In 2008, Sky1 was named Broadcast's Best Digital Entertainment Channel under Woolfe's leadership. Woolfe acquired a further BAFTA for Ross Kemp on Gangs
Ross Kemp on Gangs
Ross Kemp on Gangs is a BAFTA award-winning documentary series shown on Sky1 and later repeated on Sky3. On 20 May 2007 the series won a BAFTA award for best factual series...
. Also at Sky, Woolfe resurrected Gladiators (UK TV series), which secured a total audience of over 1.6m for its launch show.
Woolfe's producer credits include: That's Life!
That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
, The National Lottery Live, the first £1m Survivor (UK TV series)
Survivor (UK TV series)
Survivor in the UK was broadcast by the ITV network. It hit screens in the United Kingdom in 2001, with huge promotion and hype from tabloid newspapers. The Grand Prize was £1,000,000....
final, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy UK, Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover is a television program from ABC in which individuals volunteered to receive an extensive makeover in Hollywood. The show was created by television producer Howard Schultz. It first aired as a television special. It began airing in 2002 on Thursday nights at 8pm. A total of 55...
UK, Gladiators (UK TV series) (executive producer), Don't Forget The Lyrics!
Don't Forget the Lyrics!
Don't Forget the Lyrics! is a game show that originally aired on Fox from July 11, 2007 to June 19, 2009, hosted by Wayne Brady and produced by RDF USA, part of RDF Media. The launch of this show prompted NBC to move up the launch of their similar game show The Singing Bee...
(co-executive producer) and Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing is a British television talent show that aired on Channel 5 in summer 2010. It was inspired by the musical comedy-drama Glee, which airs in the United States on the Fox network. The series featured live shows in which musical performance groups competed against each other, with...
(executive producer).