Stephen Garrett named Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media
12 October 2009
Television and film producer, as well as Oxford alumnus, Stephen Garrett, the man who brought Spooks and Life on Mars to our screens, has been named as Oxford University's News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media.
Professor Garrett read jurisprudence at Merton College and is now Executive Chairman, of Kudos Film & Television Ltd., one of Britain's premier television production companies.
He is looking forward to his new role at the University, which is associated with the English Faculty and Green Templeton College. Professor Garrett succeeds Paul Gambaccini and will hold the Chair for the academic year 2009-10. His lectures will explore the relationship between creativity and commerce through the prism of late 20th and early 21st century TV fiction on both sides of the Atlantic.He said: "The appointment is a huge honour, and above all a great tribute to Kudos' work over the past few years, as well as to my colleagues on both sides of the camera who have made it all possible.
"Professor Garrett's lectures will concentrate on the primetime TV series. He says: "With its returning characters, its "precincts", its sometimes epic longevity and its ability to capture audience loyalty for weeks, months and sometimes even years, the TV series does something that reaches beyond their nearest rivals - movies, plays and novels.
"TV drama production occupies a strange landscape where commerce and creativity meet. This is one of the themes I want to explore in my lectures, the notion of art and business in service to each other, and the extent to which that relationship can be mutually satisfying as well as uncompromised and uncompromising.
"His first lecture is entitled How to Grow a Creative Business According to the Laws of Chance and will introduce the rest of the lecture series as well as describing his background and using his shows to illustrate themes and ideas.
His second lecture is called Why the Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules explaining that ingredient unites the great TV drama series: they have all broken rules and generally 'given the finger to what has gone before'.
No More Heroes will argue that the vast majority of great dramas of recent times have had at their centre protagonists who are 'at best morally ambiguous, at worst monsters' and explore why that might be and what that says about the world we live in.
And finally Tomorrow Got Here Yesterday will look at the impact technological, sociological and economic change has had on tv drama series and what the future might hold.
Since its inception in 1992, and with business partner Jane Featherstone, Kudos has produced hits such as caper series Hustle; the twice International Emmy winning and BAFTA Award-nominated cop fantasy series Life on Mars; the International Emmy Award-winning The Magician's House; the RTS winning The Fixer; kids spy drama MI High (another RTS award winner). Finally BAFTA Award-winning spy drama series Spooks has hit the headlines this week for its International Emmy nomination.
In 2004, Stephen invited former-FilmFour head Paul Webster to join him and Jane Featherstone as partners in a stand-alone film-making entity. The resulting venture was Kudos Pictures which has led to them producing films such as Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (written by Slumdog Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy) and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises. He also jointly runs Shine Pictures.
Dr Sally Mapstone, Chair of Oxford University's English Faculty Board, said: "The prospect of lectures from Stephen Garrett is a really exciting one. All of us who have been frightened and delighted by Spooks and Life on Mars will relish the opportunity to hear their inside story, and more, from Professor Garrett. It will be great to have him back in Oxford."
Professor Garrett added: "It doesn't seem so terribly long ago (though it was) that I was an undergraduate at Oxford and professors seemed a scary and unapproachable species. Being neither scary nor unapproachable myself, that was obviously an error of judgment on my part, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to correct it. I'm also grateful for the opportunity that might now arise - finally - to collect my degree. My parents, now in their early '80's have been wondering for some time when they might be able to attend my graduation ceremony.
"The lectures will be given on January 26 and February 2 at 5pm at Green Templeton College and on February 9 and 16 at St Anne's College at 5pm.
Please contact the Oxford University Press Office on press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk or 01865 270046 if you are interested in interviewing Stephen Garrett.