Robin Scott was a BBC controller, the launch controller of BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

 in 1967, and of BBC2 television from 1969 to 1974.

Early career

Born Robin Hugh Scutt, he was schooled at Bryanston

Bryanston School

Bryanston School is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in Blandford, north Dorset, England, near the village of Bryanston. It was founded in 1928...

 and read modern languages at Cambridge University before joining the intelligence corps. He was discharged through illness in 1942, and joined 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...

. While in the French Service, he commented on major events including VE day and VJ day. During this time, he changed his name to Scott, as his French contacts found his original name difficult to say. Moving into television in the late 1950s, he produced programmes including Miss World

Miss World

The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...

, Come Dancing

Come Dancing

Come Dancing was a BBC TV ballroom dancing competition show that ran on and off from 1949 to 1998, becoming one of television's longest-running shows....

, and It's a Knockout

It's a Knockout

It's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...

. During this time, he wrote the song Softly Softly

Softly, Softly (song)

"Softly, Softly" is a popular song written in 1955 by Mark Paul and Pierre Dudan, with English lyrics by Paddy Roberts.The most popular version of the song was recorded by Ruby Murray in 1955. Produced by Norrie Paramor, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart....

, a British number one hit for Ruby Murray

Ruby Murray

Ruby Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1950s. In 1955 alone, she secured seven Top 10 UK hit singles.-Child star:...

. In 1958, he moved to the BBC Paris bureau, and was seconded to Trans-Europe Television between 1964 and 1966.

Controller of Radio

He was appointed the Controller of the Light Programme in March 1967, and devised a format for the corporation's new popular music programme. His vision deliberately echoed the pirate radio

Pirate radio

Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...

 broadcasters that would be outlawed by the Marine Broadcast Offences Act in August 1967. This pop station, BBC Radio 1, launched on 30 September 1967, with a signature tune commissioned by Scott, Theme One, recorded by George Martin

George Martin

Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...

. He was also Controller of BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

, the successor to the Light Programme.

He was succeeded as Controller of Radio 2 and Radio 1 by Douglas Muggeridge

Douglas Muggeridge

Douglas Muggeridge was the controller of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 from February 1969 until 1976.-Biography:Muggeridge first worked as a reporter for the Liverpool Post, joining the BBC in 1956 as a radio producer. He was appointed as controller of Radio 1 & 2 in February 1969...

.

Controller of BBC2

Robin Scott was appointed Controller of BBC2 television in 1968, succeeding David Attenborough

David Attenborough

Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...

. During his five years in the post, his aim was to secure 15% of the overall viewing audience by balancing highbrow and populist programming. To achieve this aim, he commissioned such memorable programmes as Elizabeth R

Elizabeth R

Elizabeth R is a BBC television drama serial of six 85-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson in the title role. It was first broadcast on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia and broadcast in America on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre.- Episodes...

, The Pallisers

The Pallisers

The Pallisers is a 1974 BBC television adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels.-Cast :*Anthony Ainley: Rev. Emilius*Terence Alexander: Lord George*Anthony Andrews: Lord Silverbridge*Sarah Badel: Lizzie Eustace...

, an adaptation of War and Peace

War and Peace

War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...

, and documentary series including Alistair Cooke

Alistair Cooke

Alfred Alistair Cooke KBE was a British/American journalist, television personality and broadcaster. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and Alistair Cooke's America, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theater from 1971 to 1992...

's America and Dr. Jacob Bronowski

Jacob Bronowski

Jacob Bronowski was a Polish-Jewish British mathematician, biologist, historian of science, theatre author, poet and inventor...

's The Ascent of Man

The Ascent of Man

The Ascent of Man is a thirteen-part documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first transmitted in 1973, written and presented by Jacob Bronowski...

.

Later career

In 1974, Scott was made the head of the forward-planning department Development in Television, a remit that included the prospect of satellite broadcasting. He later became the Deputy Managing Director of Television, the second most-senior post in television.

After retiring from the BBC in October 1980, he was part of one an unsuccessful submission to broadcast breakfast television on ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

. He subsequently joined the board of London Weekend Television

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...

, and produced television versions of opera and ballet productions for the National Video Corporation.

He was appointed CBE

CBE

CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...

 in 1976.

Sources

• The Guardian newspaper, 9 February 2000, p22
• Radio Rewind
• The Times newspaper, 9 February 2000, p23