Bill Cotton

Bill Cotton had an extraordinary impact on the face of the British entertainment industry, his numerous achievements garnering him first an OBE and to follow a CBE, a Gold Medal from the Royal Television Society, and a prestigious Fellowship of BAFTA. Throughout his career, as a music publisher and producer, head of Variety and Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC, and then as Controller of BBC1, and finally Managing Director of Television at the BBC, he influenced the careers of a whole host...See more

Bill Cotton had an extraordinary impact on the face of the British entertainment industry, his numerous achievements garnering him first an OBE and to follow a CBE, a Gold Medal from the Royal Television Society, and a prestigious Fellowship of BAFTA. Throughout his career, as a music publisher and producer, head of Variety and Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC, and then as Controller of BBC1, and finally Managing Director of Television at the BBC, he influenced the careers of a whole host of legendary performers, from Vera Lynn and Cilla Black to Morecambe and Wise, the Two Ronnies, Terry Wogan and Mike Yarwood. See less