Claudia Emma Rosencrantz FRTS (born 23 June 1959) is a British television executive and journalist. She was formerly the Controller of Entertainment for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

, for over ten years. She was also Director of Television for

Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...

for five years and worked with

Jamie Oliver Jamie Trevor Oliver Order of the Star of Italy, OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and o ...

, including as CEO of the Jamie Oliver Media Group. Series she commissioned for ITV included ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (WWTBAM) is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Televis ...

'', ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

'', ''

I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' is a reality television format in which a number of celebrities live together in a jungle environment for a number of weeks, competing to be crowned "King-" or "Queen of the Jungle". The show was or ...

'', ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

'', ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'', ''

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'', ''Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec) ...

'', ''

Love Island Love Island may refer to: Film * ''Love Island'' (1952 film), an American film directed by Adam Lloyd starring Todd Wathen and Eva Gabor * ''Love Island'' (2014 film), directed by Jasmila Žbanić Music * ''Love Island'' (album), a 1978 album ...

'' and ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

''. In the official UK top ten most watched TV shows of the 2000s decade, four of the entries are Rosencrantz's commissions. In April 2020, Rosencrantz was portrayed by

Aisling Bea Aisling Clíodhnadh O'Sullivan (born 16 March 1984), known professionally as Aisling Bea ( ), is an Irish comedian, actress and screenwriter. She created, wrote and starred in the comedy series '' This Way Up'' on Channel 4. As a stand-up comedi ...

in the

television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...

of the West End play ''

Quiz A quiz is a form of mind sport in which people attempt to answer questions correctly on one or several topics. Quizzes can be used as a brief Educational assessment, assessment in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abil ...

'', commissioned by ITV.

Early career

Rosencrantz began her career in

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

in 1979, where she worked first as a picture editor and then as a journalist on various publications, including ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' Sunday magazine and ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'', before opting to become a television producer in 1986. Her production credits include executive producer of ''

Don't Forget Your Toothbrush ''Don't Forget Your Toothbrush'' is a British light entertainment TV programme that aired on Channel 4 from 12 February 1994 to 25 February 1995 and was hosted by Chris Evans. Background ''Don't Forget Your Toothbrush'' was written ...

'', working with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

to produce '' Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras'' and the drama ''Prisoners in Time'' (starring

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

, based on

Eric Lomax Eric Sutherland Lomax (30 May 1919 – 8 October 2012) was a British Army officer who was sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in 1942. He is most notable for his book, '' The Railway Man'', about his experiences before, during, and after Wor ...

's book '' The Railway Man'') for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Rosencrantz also produced

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023) was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He appeare ...

Dame Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and portrayed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, ...

's shows for ten years, including winning the Golden Rose of Montreux in 1991. She was one of the first UK producers to produce the Dame Edna Everage specials for the networks in the United States. In 2019 she produced Barry’s final Dame Edna tv show Dame Edna Rules The

Waves United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), better known as the WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, ...

for the

ITV

Rosencrantz joined

in 1995 with responsibility for commissioning around 500 hours of prime-time entertainment programming a year, encompassing variety and talk shows, music specials and game shows. Her first major breakthroughs were ''

'', ''

Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...

'' and ''

'', which "changed the fortunes" not only of ITV but of two of the biggest US networks,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

and

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

. Her next generation of entertainment events, ''

'', ''

'' and ''

'' remain some of ITV's highest rated shows. She is credited with shifting presenters

Ant & Dec Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo consisting of Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly from Newcastle upon Tyne. After meeting as child actors on CBBC's drama ''Byker Grove'', they performed together as pop musicians PJ & Duncan, ...

from children's television to an entertainment double act for a general audience, and for putting

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

on television. She was also responsible for running ITV's entertainment talent roster – a list that included Cowell, Ant & Dec,

Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant (born 10 October 1946) is a retired English broadcaster, television personality, radio DJ and stand up comedian. He is best known for presenting the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and th ...

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (28 March 1935 – 16 August 2023) was an English television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other ta ...

Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (; born 9 October 1952) is an English-American television personality, music manager, and author. She is married to heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing on '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2 ...

Paul O'Grady Paul James O'Grady (14 June 1955 – 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, broadcaster, drag queen, actor, and writer. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag persona Lily Savage, through which he gained ...

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, List of restaurants owned or operated by Gordon Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has ...

Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She has presented various television shows for Channel 4, including ''Streetmate'' (1998–2001, 2016), ''Big Brother (British TV series), Big Brother'' (2 ...

, and

Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an offbeat, energetic performanc ...

. Before her departure at the end of 2005, she had also commissioned ''

Soapstar Superstar ''Soapstar Superstar'' is a British talent show that aired on ITV from 6 January 2006 to 13 January 2007. The show's format works in a similar format to that of ''Pop Idol'' and ''The X Factor'', in that the competition features a group of soa ...

'', ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series broadcast from 2006 to 2014 and then from 2018 to 2025. It was presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. Other previous hosts include Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The series ...

'', ''

Harry Hill's TV Burp ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (also referred to as ''TV Burp'') is a British television comedy clip series, written and hosted by comedian Harry Hill, and produced by Avalon Television for ITV. The show's format sees Hill take a comedic look tow ...

'' and ''

'' which have all proved successful for ITV. In 2002 Rosencrantz was awarded Woman of The Year at the Women in Film & Televisio
Awards

VMTV

In April 2006 Rosencrantz was appointed director of programming for

Living TV Sky Witness is a British pay television tv channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts procedural dramas from the United States aimed at the 18–45 age demographic. Sky Ital ...

, which she re-branded as LIVING, LIVING 2 and FTN. In 2007 she became Director of Television for Virgin Media Television (VMTV), taking over responsibility for the creative strategy for all the channels across the portfolio, including Living TV,

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

, Challenge and

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

. She launched

Virgin 1 Virgin1 was a British free-to-air entertainment television channel owned and operated by Virgin Media Television, later known as Living TV Group. The channel was launched on 1October 2007 at 21:00, intended to rival BSkyB's Sky One. Virgin Med ...

in October 2007 and re-positioned Bravo in 2009. She became part of the management team that ran the company. When Rosencrantz joined Living TV, the channel had already broadcast ''Jade's Salon'', featuring

Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English media personality. She was a contestant on the Big Brother (British TV series) series 3, third series of the Channel 4 reality show ''Big Brother (British TV series) ...

, a contestant in the

third series Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

of ''

Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * a brother senior in birth order Literature * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' * ''Big Brother'' (magazine), a skateboarding culture magazine * ' ...

'', and was in production with a second series, '' Just Jade'', following Goody as she launched a perfume range. Then in the autumn of 2006 came ''Jade's PA'' and then ''

Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through JioStar Network. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made internationally availabl ...

'', the Indian version of ''Big Brother'', in August 2008. Goody heard the diagnosis of her terminal condition, cervical cancer, on screen. The series of documentaries broadcast leading up to Jade's Wedding, transmitted on 12 March, brought the highest ratings in the history of the Livings channel. In 2009 VMTV enjoyed a successful year, in which Living TV commissioned the series ''

Four Weddings ''Four Weddings'' is a British reality television series that premiered on Sky Living, on 6 July 2009. It has become popular enough to have inspired the creations of versions in other countries. One episode included the real-life wedding of S ...

'', ''

Dating in the Dark ''Dating in the Dark'' () is a reality show created in the Netherlands where 3 single men and 3 single women move into a light-tight house getting to know each other and form bonds in total darkness. Format Dating Three men and three women are ...

'' and ''Living with My Idol'' featuring

Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress, model and media personality. She rose to prominence after being selected as the February 1990 ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month. She went on to make regular appearan ...

and

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on the soap ...

, among others. In 2010 Living received up the

RTS Award The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

for the series ''Dating in the Dark''. It also won the Broadcast Award for ''Four Weddings''. Living also made the supermodel

Elle Macpherson Eleanor Nancy Macpherson ( ; ; born ) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress. She is known for her record five cover appearances for the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' beginning in the 1980s, leading to her ...

the host on the series ''

Britain's Next Top Model ''Britain's Next Top Model'' (or ''Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model'' 2011–13), often abbreviated as ''BNTM'', ''BINTM'', or ''Top Model'', is a British-Irish reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of ''Bri ...

''. Rosencrantz was responsible for commissioning Living's first original drama, '' Bedlam'' starring

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...

and

Theo James Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis (born 16 December 1984) is an English actor. He gained recognition for playing Tobias Eaton in '' The Divergent Series'' film trilogy (2014–2016). He has starred in the horror films '' Underworld: Awak ...

, which was taken into a second series. In 2010, Virgin Media sold their portfolio of Virgin channels to

BSkyB Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers ...

for £160 million. Living was renamed Sky Living, alongside the new channel

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group, Sky Group Limited that launched in 2011 and broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel airs original British-produced dramas like ''Fortitude (TV series), F ...

. Journalist Maggie Brown of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' broke the story that Rosencrantz had decided to leave post-integration of the channels as she felt there was no suitable role for her in the new structure at Sky. On Rosencrantz's departure, the Virgin chief executive was quoted as saying:

Claudia is the real deal. She's made Living a glossy, premium destination for A-list talent and true break-out hits. She has the courage and critical eye to back an original idea, combined with the clarity and drive to create real commercial success. Claudia has transformed the channels, and has done so with her trademark package of unerring grace and wicked wit.

With Jamie Oliver

In October 2012, Rosencrantz joined the celebrity chef

as Director of Programmes of

Fresh One Productions Fresh One Productions is a television production company set up by chef Jamie Oliver in 2001. Now trading as Jamie Oliver Productions. Notable series include: * Jamie's Kitchen First production, in 2001 * Jamie's School Dinners (won award for ...

and CCO of the Jamie Oliver Media Group. In February 2015, she became the CEO of the Jamie Oliver Media Group. Inheriting write-downs, she re-structured the group, introducing a centralised operational structure in Oliver's output – across TV, book, digital, commercial and global endorsement. Over two years she stabilised the group's financial performance and prepared the business for growth with long-term production and distribution deals. During her two years as CEO she oversaw the ''Everyday Superfood'' book and TV series, Oliver's first Christmas-themed book, and the Sugar Rush campaign which resulted in a government initiative supporting sugar tax on

sugary drinks Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are beverages sweetened with added sugar. Because a substantial amount is usually added, they have been described as "liquid candy". Added sugars include brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose (also k ...

. Rosencrantz left the group at the end of 2016.

Recent career

At the end of 2018 Rosencrantz set up Studio 1. The first commission was a one-off entertainment show on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

called ‘Dame Edna Rules The Waves’. It was fronted by

. in her last ever tv show. In July 2020, Studio 1 launched a new streaming entertainment news channel on Peacock called LIT. Rosencrantz exited Studio 1 in December 202

Rosencrantz is a Fellow of the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

and a trustee of

JW3 JW3, also known as Jewish Community Centre London, is an arts, culture and entertainment venue, an educational facility and a social and community hub in north London. It is located at 341–351 Finchley Road, London, and opened on 29 Septembe ...

(Jewish Community Centre London).

Personal life

Rosencrantz is married to the writer/director

Daniel Abineri Daniel Abineri (born 8 August 1958) is an English songwriter, actor, director, narrator and playwright known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the controversial rock musical '' Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom''. The 1994 London ...

, and has one daughter, singer/songwriter Lola Aviva. She is known to watch entertainment shows as a pleasurable activity. Rosencrantz was profoundly deaf for nearly 30 years after contracting

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

on holiday. By the end of her time working at the Jamie Oliver Media Group, she only had 3% of her hearing left. She underwent a

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...

in 2018 which took her back to 100% hearing.

Awards and recognition

Rosencrantz is a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

, having previously been chairman of its programme awards committee. In December 2005, ITV's Director of Television Simon Shaps testified to Rosencrantz's influence in saying that she "has been responsible for some of the biggest entertainment hits in ITV's history. It's no exaggeration to say that the US networks have watched and waited to see what Claudia has commissioned".

References

External links

Digital SpyRoyal Television SocietyBBC – Dame Edna's Hollywood
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosencrantz, Claudia Living people Writers from London English Jews British journalists British television executives Women television executives ITV people Fellows of the Royal Television Society 1959 births