Kate Harwood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kate Harwood (born 1960) is a British television producer. She is currently the Head of Series and Serials at the BBC.
Kate graduated from Birmingham University with a degree in Drama before becoming an Arts Council Trainee director with Century Theatre and then Literary Manager of the Royal Court Theatre.
She has spent over 15 years with a career at the BBC, and became an executive producer in the BBC Drama Serials department. As a Producer Kate has worked on dramas including The Beggar Bride, Close Relations, The Echo, David Copperfield, Man and Boy and BAFTA winner Charles II: The Power and The Passion (released in the US, under the title The Last King: the Power and the Passion of Charles II, in a heavily edited version on the A&E cable network).
In her role as Executive Producer in BBC Drama Serials, she has been responsible for programmes including Crime And Punishment, Daniel Deronda, The Lost World, and Final Demand.
On 24 February 2005, the BBC announced Kate Harwood had been appointed as the new Executive Producer for EastEnders by John Yorke, Controller, Continuing Drama Series. This was only a month after the then Executive Producer Kathleen Hutchison was sacked after only four months in the job because cast and crew members complained about their workload and bruising personality clashes on set.
On joining EastEnders, BBC controller of continuing drama series John Yorke said: “I am delighted that Kate will be joining the team. She has an excellent reputation across the industry, she understands how to tell stories and how to engage the viewer, it is a real coup for us to have her on board.”
Under her leadership the soap has gone on to win both a BAFTA and the coveted National Television Award for most popular series.
She left the day-to-day running of EastEnders in October 2006 when she was promoted to become become Head of Series and Serials at the BBC.
Her grandfather, Commodore Henry Harwood, was commander of the British warship HMS Ajax during the pursuit which resulted in the scuttling of the German battleship Graf Spee after the Battle of the Plate River, off Uruguay, in World War II (these events were later the basis of a 1956 film called The Battle of the River Plate). Her brother, Anthony Harwood, is News Editor of the British newspaper, The Daily Mirror.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Trivia section Internet Movie Database Accessed 19 September 2006
[edit] External links
- BBC appoints new Executive Producer for EastEnders
- BBC reshuffles top drama execs
- Kate Harwood at the Internet Movie Database
