Graeme MacDonald
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Graeme MacDonald (sometimes credited as Graeme McDonald or Graham McDonald, died September 1997) was a British television producer and executive. Working for BBC Television from the early 1960s, he became a producer in the drama department, working particularly on anthology play series such as The Wednesday Play (for which he produced some of Dennis Potter's early work) and Theatre 625. In the 1970s he became the producer of the famous play strand Play for Today, the successor to The Wednesday Play, during which he worked on many acclaimed pieces, such as Jack Rosenthal's Bar Mitzvah Boy (1976).
By this time one of the senior producers working in the BBC's drama department, in 1977 he was promoted to become the Head of Serials. This department was merged with the Series department in 1980, and MacDonald became head of the new larger Series & Serials department which ensued. In 1981, he was promoted again to succeed Shaun Sutton as the overall Head of Drama at BBC Television.
MacDonald was promoted again in 1983, becoming the Controller of BBC Two, the first ever BBC channel controller to come from a background in the drama department. He was controller of the channel until 1987 (combining it with his Head of Drama role until he left this post in 1985), during which the Zircon affair erupted surrounding an edition of the Secret Society documentary series due to be shown on the channel.
MacDonald retired in the summer of 1987, and died ten years later.
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| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Shaun Sutton |
BBC Television Head of Drama 1981-1985 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Powell |
| Preceded by Brian Wenham |
Controller of BBC Two 1982-1987 |
Succeeded by Alan Yentob |
