Cecil James Gilbert (15 May 1923 – 7 July 2016) was a Scottish television producer, director and executive for the BBC, who was its head of comedy from 1973 to 1977 and head of light entertainment from 1977 to 1982.

Early life

Cecil James Gilbert was born in Edinburgh on 15 May 1923. His father had moved to Scotland from Ireland. Gilbert was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, though his studies at the latter ended after a year, when he joined the

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, flying

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...

and

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

aircraft from

RAF Wick Wick John O' Groats Airport () is located north of the town of Wick, at the north-eastern extremity of the mainland of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport provides commercial air travel ...

, Scotland.''The Times'' Obituary 12 July 2016 p. 55

Career

After the war, Gilbert enrolled at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

, and he initially aspired to direct films. However, he also acted and wrote for theatre, and it was through this that he began a collaboration with Julian More; their 1956 show ''

Grab Me a Gondola Grab may refer to: Places Bosnia and Herzegovina * Grab, Ljubuški * Grab, Trebinje * Grab, Trnovo Croatia * Grab, Split-Dalmatia County, a village near Trilj * Grab (river), a river near Grab, Split-Dalmatia County * Grab, Zadar Co ...

'' was a success, and led to Gilbert being offered a trainee position at the BBC. He began his career there in music before transitioning his focus to comedy. As the co-devisor of ''

The Frost Report ''The Frost Report'' is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March 19 ...

'', with

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

, it was Gilbert who brought together

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...

and

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...

, as well as most of the members of

Monty Python Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...

. With the first director of ''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo se ...

'', Terry Hughes, Gilbert created the format of the series which began in 1971. According to 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 foun ...

'' obituary of Gilbert, the two men "were largely responsible for establishing the pattern of the show with its quick-fire verbal gags, double entendres and cavalcade of naive caricatures of British life: bumbling colonels, half-witted yokels and bosomy barmaids". The series ran until 1986. In addition to ''The Two Ronnies'', Gilbert was an early producer of ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...

'' (1973), plus the first series of ''

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' is a British sitcom which was broadcast on BBC1 between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit ''The Likely Lads''. It was created and written, as was its predec ...

'' (also 1973). For the last series, Gilbert won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

in 1974 for Best Comedy, and was also nominated that year for ''

'' in the category. He succeeded Michael Mills as 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 ...

's Head of Comedy from 1973–1977. Gilbert was appointed as the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment in 1977, in succession to

Bill Cotton Sir William Frederick Cotton (23 April 1928 – 11 August 2008) was a British television producer and executive, and the son of dance band leader Billy Cotton. The television and radio presenter Fearne Cotton is related to him, as he was her ...

, remaining in the post and with the BBC until 1982. Subsequently, he worked freelance with

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

, until retiring at age 75. In 2003, Gilbert appeared on the documentary special ''30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine'' to discuss his role in helping to create the series.

Personal life and death

In 1951, Gilbert married Fiona Clyne, and they had three children. In retirement, Gilbert lived in

Rodborough Rodborough is a large village and civil parish in the district of Stroud, Gloucestershire, in South West England. It is directly south of the town of Stroud, north of the town of Nailsworth and north-west of the town of Minchinhampton. The pari ...

, Gloucestershire, and died from

bronchopneumonia Bronchopneumonia is a subtype of pneumonia. It is the acute inflammation of the Bronchus, bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs. citing: Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Copyright 2014 ...

and " frailty of old age" at his home on 7 July 2016, at the age of 93.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, James 1923 births 2016 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Alumni of the University of Edinburgh BBC executives BBC television producers British World War II bomber pilots Deaths from bronchopneumonia Deaths from pneumonia in England People educated at Edinburgh Academy People from Rodborough Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Scottish people of Irish descent Scottish television directors Scottish television producers