Lavinia Warner
Encyclopedia
Lavinia Warner created several successful TV series in the 80s and 90s, all of which featured women in the leading roles. These included the female internee drama Tenko
(1981-5) for the BBC, secret agent drama Wish Me Luck
(1988–90) for LWT and the less well-known taxi-firm series Rides
(1992-3), again for the BBC. For the latter two series she also acted as producer. Warner is now the CEO of Warner Sisters, an independent production company.
in the drama department at LWT
, before moving on to Thames Television
as a researcher, mainly on This is Your Life
. After this she worked in the BBC
Features, Current Affairs and Drama departments as a freelance producer and director. After the launch of Channel 4
in 1982, she started her own independent production company, Warner Sisters, which initially focussed on making television programmes.
Tenko (TV series)
Tenko is a television drama, co-produced by the BBC and the ABC. A total of thirty episodes were produced between 1981 and 1984 for women, followed by a one-off special , Tenko Reunion, in 1985 - also for women in mind.The series dealt with the experiences of British, Australian and Dutch women...
(1981-5) for the BBC, secret agent drama Wish Me Luck
Wish Me Luck
Wish Me Luck is a British television drama about the exploits of British women undercover agents during the Second World War. The series was made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network between 1987 and 1989 and created by Lavinia Warner and Jill Hyem, who had previously produced and...
(1988–90) for LWT and the less well-known taxi-firm series Rides
Rides (TV series)
Rides is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1992 and 1993. It lasted two series of six episodes each and was made by Warner Sisters, a UK based television production company based in Ealing....
(1992-3), again for the BBC. For the latter two series she also acted as producer. Warner is now the CEO of Warner Sisters, an independent production company.
Career
After studying history and psychology at university, Warner became a PAPersonal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
in the drama department at LWT
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
, before moving on to Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
as a researcher, mainly on This is Your Life
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
. After this she worked in 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...
Features, Current Affairs and Drama departments as a freelance producer and director. After the launch of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in 1982, she started her own independent production company, Warner Sisters, which initially focussed on making television programmes.
Television progammes
- Lord Mountbatten - Man of Our Times
- 1979 Women in Captivity
- A Life with Crime
- Private Lives
- 1981-4 TenkoTenkoTenko may refer to:*Tenko , a BBC television drama*Princess Tenko, a Japanese magician, upon whom the cartoon Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic was based...
- 1984 GI Brides (won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award and was BAFTA nominated for Best Documentary)
- 1985 Tenko Reunion
- Jailed by the British
- 1985 Lizzie - An Amazon Adventure (about adventuress Lizzie Hessel)
- 1987 Wish Me LuckWish Me LuckWish Me Luck is a British television drama about the exploits of British women undercover agents during the Second World War. The series was made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network between 1987 and 1989 and created by Lavinia Warner and Jill Hyem, who had previously produced and...
- 1991 Selling Hitler (based on the book by Robert HarrisRobert Harris (novelist)Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
) - 1992 Rides
- 1995 Dangerous Lady
- 1996 The Bite
- 1998 The Jump
- 2001 Do or Die
- 2011 The Runaway
Other activities
- One-time Vice-Chair of PACT
- One-time Edinburgh Television Festival committee member
- An original member of the 25% Campaign for increased Independent access to the BBC and ITV
- Consultant to Hollywood director Bruce BeresfordBruce BeresfordBruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
on his feature film Paradise Road. Warner's book Women Beyond the Wire: A Story of Prisoners of the Japanese 1942-45 (co-written with John Sandilands) was the prime source material for the film.