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| Ned Sherrin | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ned Sherrin |
| Birth date | 18 April 1931 |
| Birth place | Walton-on-Thames |
| Death date | 1 November 2007 |
| Death place | London |
| Occupation | Broadcaster; Theatre producer; author |
| Years active | 1950s–2007 |
Ned Sherrin was an English broadcaster, producer, author and satirist prominent in British media from the 1950s to the early 2000s. He is best known for creating and presenting the comedy programme That Was the Week That Was, producing West End revues and films, and for his extensive work across BBC Radio 4, BBC Television, ITV and the West End. His career intersected with many leading figures and institutions in British cultural life, shaping postwar satire, revue theatre and broadcasting.
Edward George "Ned" Sherrin was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, into a family with connections to Camberwell and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. He attended Richmond County School before studying at the University of Oxford, where he read English and became involved with the Oxford Union and college dramatic societies. At Oxford he worked alongside contemporaries who later became influential in British theatre, television and literature, and he developed an early interest in revue, satire and media production.
Sherrin's broadcasting career began in the 1950s with work for the BBC and regional radio outlets, leading to a central role in the 1960s satirical boom. He devised and produced That Was the Week That Was for BBC Television in 1962–1963, collaborating with contributors such as David Frost, John Bird, William Rees-Mogg and writers from the New Statesman circle. Following TW3 he presented and produced programmes for BBC Radio 4 including topical and cultural shows that featured guests from West End theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he worked across networks, appearing on ITV chat shows, contributing to Channel 4 documentaries and presenting series about music, cabaret and celebrity interviews that included figures from Woolfian literary circles to pop performers associated with EMI and Island Records.
His radio work encompassed a range of formats from satire to music documentaries; he hosted programmes featuring the work of composers like Noël Coward and performers from the BBC Proms lineage, and he curated archival broadcasts about the history of the West End and postwar British comedy. Sherrin's broadcasting style combined rapid wit with an editor's sense for topicality and talent-spotting, placing him in the lineage of presenters such as Alistair Cooke and David Attenborough in terms of cultural curatorship.
A prolific producer and director for the stage, Sherrin created and mounted numerous revues and productions in the West End and regional theatres, often drawing on writers and performers from television satire. He produced shows that featured stars like Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Alan Bennett, and worked with playwrights associated with the Royal Court Theatre and fringe venues. His revues mixed musical numbers, sketches and literary parody, reflecting influences from Noël Coward and the mid-century cabaret tradition.
In film he adapted and produced screen projects that brought revue sensibilities to cinema, collaborating with producers and directors who had worked within the British New Wave and independent sectors, sharing creative circles with figures linked to Ealing Studios, Hammer Film Productions and the emergent television-film crossover producers of the 1960s and 1970s.
Sherrin was an author and columnist whose books and articles covered theatre history, biography and satire. He wrote for national newspapers including the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Times and magazines such as the New Statesman and Punch, contributing essays on actors, directors and the cultural life of London. His published books examined the evolution of revue, chronicled profiles of stage and screen performers, and collected anecdotes about postwar British entertainment. He worked with illustrators and photographers from the arts pages of the Guardian and collaborated with chroniclers of British popular music and theatre history.
Sherrin's personal associations placed him within networks that included broadcasters, dramatists and journalists from Fleet Street, the BBC and the theatre community. Politically he engaged with the cultural debates of his era, interacting with figures from Labour Party-aligned cultural groups as well as critics from conservative outlets; his satire often lampooned public figures across the political spectrum, referencing personalities associated with the Conservative Party, Labour Party and peers in the House of Lords. He maintained friendships with leading actors, writers and producers, and his social circle included contributors to the Royal Society of Arts and patrons of the British Film Institute.
Over his career Sherrin received recognition from broadcasting and theatrical institutions. He was honoured by bodies such as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the Royal Television Society and organisations connected to the West End for his contributions to revue and broadcasting. His programmes and productions earned nominations and awards that reflected his role in establishing television satire, and he received commendations from critics associated with the Times Literary Supplement and national press pages.
Sherrin's influence endures in the genres of television satire, revue theatre and radio presentation. That Was the Week That Was is widely cited as a formative programme in the history of British comedy alongside later satirical series from the BBC and Channel 4, and his production model influenced later producers at institutions like the Royal Court Theatre and broadcaster-led comedy units. His role as a connector—bringing together talent from Oxford, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, regional repertory theatres and national broadcasting—helped shape generations of comedians, actors and presenters who went on to work with companies such as BBC Radio 4 Extra, Channel 4 Comedy and contemporary West End producers.
Category:English broadcasters Category:British theatre producers