Desmond Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Desmond Hawkins born in East Sheen
, Surrey
, was an author, editor and radio personality.
and the New Statesman
. He became literary editor of The New English Weekly, and T. S. Eliot
made him fiction chronicler of his critical journal The Criterion. Before the Second World War Desmond had edited two books and had published two novels, the first of which was The Times
's novel of the week.
Desmond also had programme ideas accepted by the BBC
and 1936 saw his first appearance in Radio Times
with a programme called A Nest of Singing Birds – an anthology he compiled of English poets on English birds. Working extensively for the BBC as a freelance, particularly on the Sunday programme Country Magazine and on the daily War Report, he was asked to join the Corporation's staff in Bristol
in 1945 and soon became a features (i.e. documentary) producer. Desmond took the West Country
to his heart and saw that among the assets of the region was the countryside and the wildlife. Having had a lifelong love of birds and nature, it was decided he should try and develop programmes of this type.
What followed eventually became the BBC Natural History Unit
(known as Desmond's baby), having its origins in radio early in 1946 when Desmond designed a programme called The Naturalist, with the curlew
's song as a signature tune. This was followed by Birds in Britain, Birdsong of the Month and many more. Early in the 1950s, when television became able to attract a national audience, Desmond went to Lime Grove to learn the new trade, and with Peter Scott
planned the long-running series of wildlife programmes, which Desmond named Look, because he felt television was about the opportunity to "look".
In 1955 Desmond became Head of Programmes in Bristol, and Frank Gillard
was promoted to be the West Region Controller. The two of them had enough clout in the BBC to establish in a formal sense in 1957 a specialist unit in the West Region to provide wildlife programmes for the national network – the Natural History Unit.
As well as developing wildlife programmes for radio and TV, Desmond dramatised five of Thomas Hardy
's major novels as serials
and enlarged Hardy's global impact. His version of The Return of the Native
won the Society of Authors
' Radio Award for the best dramatisation of 1976. In 1978 he dramatised The Woodlanders
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hardy's death, and this again won the award for the year's best dramatisation.
East Sheen
East Sheen, also known as 'Sheen', is an affluent suburb of London, England in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It forms part of the London post town in the SW postcode area....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, was an author, editor and radio personality.
Career
The political and artistic upheavals of the 1930s meant a proliferation of serious magazines. Desmond wrote for Purpose, The Listener, Time & TideTime and Tide (magazine)
Time and Tide was a British weekly political and literary review magazine founded by Margaret, Lady Rhondda in 1920. It started out as a supporter of left wing and feminist causes and the mouthpiece of the feminist Six Point Group. It later moved to the right along with the views of its owner...
and the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
. He became literary editor of The New English Weekly, and T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
made him fiction chronicler of his critical journal The Criterion. Before the Second World War Desmond had edited two books and had published two novels, the first of which was 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...
's novel of the week.
Desmond also had programme ideas accepted by 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 1936 saw his first appearance in Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
with a programme called A Nest of Singing Birds – an anthology he compiled of English poets on English birds. Working extensively for the BBC as a freelance, particularly on the Sunday programme Country Magazine and on the daily War Report, he was asked to join the Corporation's staff in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1945 and soon became a features (i.e. documentary) producer. Desmond took the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
to his heart and saw that among the assets of the region was the countryside and the wildlife. Having had a lifelong love of birds and nature, it was decided he should try and develop programmes of this type.
What followed eventually became the BBC Natural History Unit
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
(known as Desmond's baby), having its origins in radio early in 1946 when Desmond designed a programme called The Naturalist, with the curlew
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
's song as a signature tune. This was followed by Birds in Britain, Birdsong of the Month and many more. Early in the 1950s, when television became able to attract a national audience, Desmond went to Lime Grove to learn the new trade, and with Peter Scott
Peter Scott
Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC and Bar, MID, FRS, FZS, was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer and sportsman....
planned the long-running series of wildlife programmes, which Desmond named Look, because he felt television was about the opportunity to "look".
In 1955 Desmond became Head of Programmes in Bristol, and Frank Gillard
Frank Gillard
Frank Gillard CBE was a BBC reporter and radio innovator.-Early years:Gillard was born in Tiverton, Devon and attended Wellington School, Somerset. He gained a Batchelor's degree from St Luke's College, Exeter. He then taught in a private school.-Broadcaster:In 1936 he became a part time...
was promoted to be the West Region Controller. The two of them had enough clout in the BBC to establish in a formal sense in 1957 a specialist unit in the West Region to provide wildlife programmes for the national network – the Natural History Unit.
As well as developing wildlife programmes for radio and TV, Desmond dramatised five of Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's major novels as serials
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
and enlarged Hardy's global impact. His version of The Return of the Native
The Return of the Native
The Return of the Native is Thomas Hardy's sixth published novel. It first appeared in the magazine Belgravia, a publication known for its sensationalism, and was presented in twelve monthly installments from January to December 1878...
won the Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
' Radio Award for the best dramatisation of 1976. In 1978 he dramatised The Woodlanders
The Woodlanders
The Woodlanders is a novel by Thomas Hardy. It was published in 1887.-Plot summary:The story takes place in a small woodland village called Little Hintock, and concerns the efforts of an honest woodsman, Giles Winterborne, to marry his childhood sweetheart, Grace Melbury...
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hardy's death, and this again won the award for the year's best dramatisation.
Honours
- Silver Medal of the Royal Society for the Protection of BirdsRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsBird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
1959 and Fellow in 1987; - OBE 1963;
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
1974; - Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature 1977;
- In 1998 he was given a Wildscreen Panda award in Bristol in recognition of his achievement in creating a media industry.