Jon Plowman
Encyclopedia
Jon Plowman has been a producer at the BBC
since 1980, when he produced Russell Harty
's chat show Harty. He moved on to executive producing at the BBC in 1986, working on sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie
, and became head of comedy entertainment in 1994, mainly responsible for sketch shows.
Plowman was educated in Welwyn Garden City
and at University College, Oxford
, where was a member of the University College Players
and made friends with others who went on to establish successful careers in comedy. One, Mel Smith
, directed Plowman in a production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. After Oxford, Plowman followed Smith to the Royal Court Theatre
, where he met the director Lindsay Anderson
. Plowman worked in theatre for a while, then joined Granada TV.
He was responsible for producing and commissioning programmes produced in-house at the BBC, of which the greatest successes include The Office
and French & Saunders
. Plowman became head of comedy in October 2005, and now oversees the BBC's in-house comedy production, but no longer commissions programmes. In June 2007, Plowman announced he was quitting his post at the BBC after 27 years. He decided to become a free-lance producer for other shows and hoped to carry on his relationship with the BBC, continuing to create programmes "for them and elsewhere."
In December 2003, The Observer
named him in its list of the '50 Funniest or Most Influential People in British Comedy'. On 14 March 2006, he was honoured with the 'Judges' Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Television' at the Royal Television Society
awards.
More recently he has moved into the world of theatre. He co-produced Lucky You, the Carl Hiassen bestseller that is premiered as a theatre production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2008.
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...
since 1980, when he produced Russell Harty
Russell Harty
Russell Harty was an English television presenter of arts programmes and chat shows.-Early life:Born Frederick Russell Harty in Blackburn, Lancashire, he was the son of a fruit and vegetable stallholder on the local market...
's chat show Harty. He moved on to executive producing at the BBC in 1986, working on sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987.As in The...
, and became head of comedy entertainment in 1994, mainly responsible for sketch shows.
Plowman was educated in Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
and at University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, where was a member of the University College Players
University College Players
The University College Players are the theatrical society of University College, Oxford.The first production was in May 1941 when Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors was performed in cooperation with Merton College. Peter Bayley was the senior member from the start till the 1960s...
and made friends with others who went on to establish successful careers in comedy. One, Mel Smith
Mel Smith
Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
, directed Plowman in a production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. After Oxford, Plowman followed Smith to the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, where he met the director Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
. Plowman worked in theatre for a while, then joined Granada TV.
He was responsible for producing and commissioning programmes produced in-house at the BBC, of which the greatest successes include The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
and French & Saunders
French & Saunders
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
. Plowman became head of comedy in October 2005, and now oversees the BBC's in-house comedy production, but no longer commissions programmes. In June 2007, Plowman announced he was quitting his post at the BBC after 27 years. He decided to become a free-lance producer for other shows and hoped to carry on his relationship with the BBC, continuing to create programmes "for them and elsewhere."
In December 2003, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
named him in its list of the '50 Funniest or Most Influential People in British Comedy'. On 14 March 2006, he was honoured with the 'Judges' Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Television' at the Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
awards.
More recently he has moved into the world of theatre. He co-produced Lucky You, the Carl Hiassen bestseller that is premiered as a theatre production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2008.
Programmes produced by Jon Plowman
- A Bit of Fry and LaurieA Bit of Fry and LaurieA Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987.As in The...
(1986) - French & SaundersFrench & SaundersFrench and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
(1987) - Smith and JonesAlas Smith and JonesAlas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
(1989) - BottomBottom (TV series)Bottom was a British sitcom television series that originally aired on BBC2 between 1991 and 1995. It was written by comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson who star as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates living on the dole in Hammersmith, London...
(1991) - Absolutely FabulousAbsolutely FabulousAbsolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
(1992) - Kit and The WidowKit and The WidowKit and The Widow are a double act, performing humorous songs in the vein of Tom Lehrer or Flanders and Swann; they also cite Anna Russell as an influence. They are Kit Hesketh-Harvey and Richard Sisson . They have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and in West End theatres, and accept private...
(1992) - The Stand Up Show (1994)
- The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
(1994) - Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-RoundAlexei Sayle's Merry-Go-RoundAlexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round was a comedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 6 episodes over one series in 1998.Alexei Sayle's final series was almost identical in format to The All New Alexei Sayle Show...
(1998) - Goodness Gracious Me (1998)
- The Ben Elton Show (1998)
- This Morning with Richard Not JudyThis Morning With Richard Not JudyThis Morning With Richard Not Judy or TMWRNJ was a BBC comedy television programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring. Two series were broadcast in 1998 and 1999 on BBC2...
(1998) - BBC New Comedy AwardsBBC New Comedy AwardsThe BBC New Comedy Awards first appeared in 1995 and were considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards until they were axed in 2006. It was announced in the summer of 2006 that they were being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed...
(1999) - Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999)
- Let Them Eat CakeLet Them Eat Cake (TV series)Let Them Eat Cake is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One in 1999. Starring Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, it is one of the few programmes in which French and Saunders have appeared which they did not create themselves.-Plot:...
(1999) - People Like UsPeople Like UsPeople Like Us is a British comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary written by John Morton, and starring Chris Langham as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer...
(1999) - Sir Bernard's Stately HomesSir Bernard's Stately HomesSir Bernard's Stately Homes was a series of British TV comedy series first shown in 1998 on BBC Two and later re-run on Play UK. Only six 10 minute programmes were produced, all written by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. It bore many similarities to the more well-known Rock Profile...
(1999) - The League of GentlemenThe League of Gentlemen (comedy)The League of Gentlemen are a quartet of British dark comedy writers/performers, formed in 1995 by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith...
(1999) - BruiserBruiserBruiser normally refers to:*A big husky man.Bruiser may also refer to:*Bruiser , an indie rock trio that features ex-Local H drummer Joe Daniels.*Bruiser , a motion picture from veteran director George A...
(2000) - Life's A Pitch (2000)
- MirrorballMirrorball (TV pilot)Mirrorball was a sitcom pilot in the United Kingdom directed by Adrian Edmondson and written by Jennifer Saunders. It originally aired on 22 December 2000....
(2000) - Rhona (2000)
- The Nearly Complete And Utter History Of EverythingThe Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (film)The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything is a collection of sketches broadcast in two parts on 2 and 4 January 2000 on BBC 1.-External links:...
(2000) - The OfficeThe Office (UK TV series)The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
(2000) - The Way It IsThe Way It Is (programme)The Way It Is is a topical news spoof show which ran for five series, each of eight shows, on BBC Radio 4 between 1998 and 2001. A one-off TV version was broadcast on BBC One in 2000...
(2000) - Tv to GoTV to Go-Notes and references:* at BBC Online...
(2000) - Victoria Wood With All The TrimmingsVictoria Wood with All The TrimmingsVictoria Wood with All The Trimmings was a one-off Christmas comedy sketch show special written by and starring comedienne Victoria Wood. It was broadcast on BBC1 on Christmas Day 2000....
(2000) - We are HistoryWe are HistoryWe are History is a British comedy series broadcast on the BBC. It ran for two series of six ten-minute episodes.The series was a parody on historical and archaeological documentaries, especially those of the Time Team and Simon Schama. Marcus Brigstocke played dubious historian David Oxley, who...
(2000) - Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell ShowAaagh! It's the Mr. Hell ShowAaagh! It's the Mr Hell Show is an animated comedy show created by David Max Freedman & Alan Gilbey after the greeting card line about a painfully honest demon created by cartoonist Hugh MacLeod. The series only ran for one season of thirteen episodes in 2001/2002, produced by a British-Canadian...
(2001) - 15 Storeys High15 Storeys High15 Storeys High is a critically acclaimed British sitcom, set in a tower block. The main characters are Vince Clark, a misanthropic, cynical recluse played by Sean Lock, and Errol Spears, Vince's exact opposite and whipping boy, played by Benedict Wong....
(2002) - Celeb (2002)
- CyderdelicCyderdelicCyderdelic was a BBC Three spoof documentary following the activities of a 'West Country direct action group within the growing anti-capitalist movement'...
(2002) - Dead RingersDead Ringers (comedy)Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry...
(2002) - GrassGrass (TV series)Grass is a sitcom starring Simon Day which originally aired in 2003 on BBC Three. Day plays Billy Bleach, a Londoner who is relocated to rural England under a witness protection program after he witnesses a gangland killing...
(2003) - Little BritainLittle BritainLittle Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
(2003) - The Harringham Harker (2003)
- Doctors and Nurses (2004)
- Comic Aid (2005)
- ExtrasExtras (TV series)Extras is a British sitcom about extras working on TV and film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
(2005) - The Late EditionThe Late EditionThe Late Edition was a British television programme broadcast on BBC Four. It took the form of a topical chat show in the vein of The Daily Show, presented by comedian Marcus Brigstocke...
(2005) - The RobinsonsThe RobinsonsThe Robinsons is a British comedy television series that debuted on BBC Two on May 5, 2005. The show's central character is a divorced reinsurance actuary, Ed Robinson , who realises that reinsurance is not his passion and decides to rethink his life. The series is written and directed by Mark...
(2005) - The Thick of ItThe Thick of ItThe Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
(2005) - The Brown Couch (2006)
- Jam and JerusalemJam and JerusalemJam & Jerusalem is a British comedy-drama that aired on BBC One from 2006 to 2009. Written by Jennifer Saunders and Abigail Wilson, it starred Sue Johnston, Jennifer Saunders, Pauline McLynn, Dawn French, Maggie Steed, David Mitchell, and Sally Phillips. Earlier episodes also starred Joanna Lumley...
(2006) executive producer - The Life and Times of Vivienne VyleThe Life and Times of Vivienne VyleThe Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle is a British sitcom that was originally aired on BBC 2 in 2007. The programme was written and created by Jennifer Saunders and Tanya Byron...
(2007) - Beautiful PeopleBeautiful People (UK TV series)Beautiful People is a British comedy drama television series based on the memoirs of Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. The series takes place in Reading, Berkshire in 1997, where thirteen-year-old Simon Doonan and his best friend Kylie dream of escaping their dreary suburban surroundings and...
(2008) - PsychovillePsychovillePsychoville is an award-winning British dark comedy television serial written by and starring The League of Gentlemen members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. It debuted on BBC Two on 18 June 2009. Pemberton and Shearsmith each play numerous characters, with Dawn French and Jason Tompkins in...
(2009) - Twenty TwelveTwenty Twelve (TV series)Twenty Twelve is a BBC comedy series written and directed by John Morton. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes and Amelia Bullmore, the programme is a spoof on-location documentary following the organisation of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London...
(2011)