April 9 – The BBC has been informed by family, that acclaimed TV executive, Sir Paul Fox, has died aged 98.

BBC Director General, Tim Davie, says: “Sir Paul had a towering career in television – not just with the BBC – but across the industry.

“Few people have had such a broad and lasting impact on the TV landscape, commissioning shows that audiences have loved for decades and still love. From Sports Personality of the Year and Panorama to the Two Ronnies, Dad’s Army and Parkinson, his legacy is unmatched.

“He was one of the best TV executives from a golden era in television. He will be hugely missed.”

Sir Paul Fox

Born 1925, Paul Fox joined the BBC in the 1950s as a newsreel scriptwriter and went on to edit Sportsview and Panorama, inventing BBC Sports Personality of the Year along the way.

He then became Controller of BBC One where he oversaw a roll call of hugely successful programmes, including Dad’s Army, Parkinson and The Two Ronnies.

From 1973 to 1988, he was at Yorkshire TV where he ended up as Managing Director, before returning to the BBC as Managing Director of Network Television.

He retired in 1991, the year in which he was knighted for services to the TV industry.