Jeffrey Watson (1942 – 22 February 2023) was a British-born Australian journalist, author and documentary filmmaker. Watson is perhaps best known for his work on science programs '' Towards 2000'' and '' Beyond 2000'' as well as travel shows ''Holiday'' and '' Getaway''. He also had an interest in aviation, producing numerous documentaries on the subject.

Early life

Watson was born in late 1942 at

Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. It borders the rest of the borough to the south east, Sutton Coldfield to the east and north east, Shard E ...

, near Birmingham in England. His father owned a small factory which made small parts for the

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

. Watson's ambitions of becoming a pilot were quashed when he suffered a

detached retina Retinal detachment is a condition where the retina pulls away from the tissue underneath it. It may start in a small area, but without quick treatment, it can spread across the entire retina, leading to serious vision loss and possibly blindness. R ...

after he was injured when a snowball containing a rock was thrown at him during his childhood. Turning to a career in journalism, Watson commenced working at '' Berrow's Worcester Journal''.

Career in Australia

Watson's television career in Australia commenced in the 1970s as a reporter for ABC TV current affairs programs ''

This Day Tonight ''This Day Tonight'' (TDT) was an Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and ...

'' and ''

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

''. In 1977 and 1978, Watson was a reporter for the ABC's travel show ''Holiday'' hosted by Bill Peach. In 1978, Watson worked as a producer on the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

's new public affairs program ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

''. He returned to the ABC in early 1979 as the host of ''Statewide''. Later that year, Watson filmed a television pilot for a new science and technology show which was given the working title of ''Today Tomorrow'' which Watson later described as "awfully dull". It was later renamed '' Towards 2000'' and became a success for the ABC with the original four seasons airing between 1981 and 1984. After the ABC decided not to continue with the show, preferring to establish another science program called ''

Quantum In physics, a quantum (: quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity (physical property) involved in an interaction. The fundamental notion that a property can be "quantized" is referred to as "the hypothesis of quantization". This me ...

'', ''Towards 2000'' was reworked for the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

. The show was renamed to ''Beyond 2000'' with Watson continuing on as a reporter. Watson was praised for his entertaining and passionate style of reporting, which drew comparisons to " The Nutty Professor" in the media. In 1990, Watson rejoined the Nine Network to work as the executive producer of Clive Robertson's late night news program, ''The World Tonight''. Watson became one of the foundation reporters for Nine's new travel show '' Getaway'', introducing the program's first episode in 1992. He continued with ''Getaway'' until he left at the end of 1998 and was succeeded by

Ben Dark Benjamin Cranstoun Dark (born 14 January 1972) is an Australian radio and television presenter. Career In 1994, Dark started at Brisbane radio station B105 and worked for two-and-a-half years conducting on-air stunts under the pseudonym The Bu ...

Aviation documentaries

Throughout his career, Watson produced and presented many documentaries relating to the aviation field as well as writing a number of books on the subject. In 1989, Watson established a production company called Jeff Watson Productions, although he admitted the company consisted of "just me and the cat". The first documentary he produced under Jeff Watson Productions was ''Spitfire Over Australia'' in 1989. Watson subsequently produced further documentaries including a 1999 biographical film about

Sidney Cotton Frederick Sidney Cotton (17 June 1894 – 13 February 1969) was an Australian inventor, photographer and aviation and photography pioneer, responsible for developing and promoting an early colour film process, and largely responsible for the ...

. In 2007, Watson produced a documentary called ''Southend to Sydney – The Return of the 707'' which featured him flying from England to Australia with

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

following the restoration of a 50-year-old

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...

. Watson's aviation documentaries include: *''Spitfire Over Australia'' (1989) *''Confederate Airforce'' (1991) *''Kittyhawk'' (1991) *''Classic Aeroplanes'' (1996) *''The Last Plane Out Of Berlin'' (1999) *''Southend to Sydney – The Return of the 707'' (2007) *''The Boneyard'' (2007) *''The Shape of Things To Come'' (2007)

Awards

In 1992, Watson was awarded the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

for his services to science journalism.

Death and legacy

In 2018, Watson was diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

and was given just three months to live. He died at the age of 80 on 22 February 2023 at a palliative care facility in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

. His funeral was held at the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in Mona Vale on 2 March 2023. His death prompted various tributes from those in the media and former colleagues. ABC broadcaster Phillip Adams described Watson as a "major figure in the history of the ABC" while ''Getaway'' reporter

Catriona Rowntree Catriona Rowntree (born 19 July 1971) is an Australian television and radio presenter. Rowntree is a long-standing presenter on the Nine Network's '' Getaway'' program. Career Rowntree studied journalism at Macleay College in Sydney, after w ...

remembered him as someone who was a "joy to be with" and as someone who had had an encyclopedic knowledge of all things related to aviation. In a report about his death, the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

credited Watson with being a man who "helped pioneer popular science television in Australia."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Jeff 1942 births 2023 deaths People from Castle Bromwich Australian science journalists Australian television journalists Australian male journalists Aviation journalists Deaths from brain cancer in Australia