Corinne Hollingworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Corinne Hollingworth (born c.1952) is a British television producer and executive, best known for her contributions to British soap operas, including BBC's EastEnders and five's Family Affairs. Hollingworth has gained a reputation for winning huge drama audiences by concentrating on human interest storylines.[1]
[edit] Career
In 1980 Hollingworth worked as an assistant floor manager on the BBC's televised adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.[2] She began producing for the BBC in the latter part of 1989,[3] contributing to the BBC soap opera EastEnders initially as a production associate and later as a associate producer, under then producer Mike Gibbon. She later became co-producer, with Ricahrd Bramall, under new executive producer, Michael Ferguson in 1990. Following Ferguson's departure, she became co-producer with Pat Sandys, formerly of ITV's The Bill.
After leaving EastEnders at the end of 1991 she began working on the BBC's ill-fated soap Eldorado (1992-1993) — for which she was the series producer following Julia Smith. Hollingworth was brought in to turn the soap around following declining ratings and heavy media criticism, but despite adding a million viewers[1] the soap was eventually axed by the BBC controller, Alan Yentob, in 1993.[4]
She went on to produce for the popular medical drama Casualty (1994-1996), pushing up viewing figures to almost 18 million by switching the focus to the love lives of the characters.[1] The changes she implemented were popular with viewers, however they were less popular with some of the cast members, in particular Derek Thompson, who plays the long-running character Charlie Fairhead. Thompson believed the show had become "like a mindless soap opera" and was in danger of losing the edge that had made it one of the most controversial programmes on television. He revealed that he nearly quit the role in protest, but decided to remain when he discovered that Hollingworth was leaving the show in 1996.[4]
In addition to producing for Casualty, Hollingworth returned to EastEnders from 1995 to 1996 as the programme's executive producer, taking over from Barbara Emile and eventually replaced by Jane Harris. At EastEnders she was responsible for storylines such as Michelle Fowler falling pregnant to her arch-nemesis Grant Mitchell; Ricky Butcher's love triangle with his wife Sam and girlfriend Bianca Jackson and introducing the "Sharongate" tape heard by Grant in his car, gaining audiences of 21.5m in February 1996 — more than a million higher than its biggest rival Coronation Street.[1] Hollingworth's contributions to the soap were awarded in 1997 when EastEnders won the BAFTA for "Best Drama Series." Hollingworth shared the award with producer, Jane Harris.[5]
She left the BBC in 1996 to become the controller of drama for Britain's fifth terrestrial channel, five. Her defection was one of several high-level "poachings" from the BBC by Dawn Airey, Channel 5's director of programmes.[1] Hollingworth, along with Mal Young, were the co-creators of the channel's flagship soap opera, Family Affairs, for which she was also the executive producer.[4]
She left five in 2003 and in 2004 she moved to ITV to become the Head of Continuing Series, taking over from Antony Wood.[6] Her remit covers a wide-range of shows including soaps and returning series such as Bad Girls, Footballers Wives, Taggart, Where the Heart Is, Fat Friends, The Bill, Heartbeat and The Royal.[7]. She left this position in March 2008. [8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "BBC's queen of soaps poached by Channel 5", The Independent. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ "HOLLINGWORTH, Corinne filmography", BFI. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ "EASTENDERS [11/1/90]", BFI. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ a b c "A soap opera in a different class", The Independent. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ "IMDB awards", IMDB. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ "Corinne Hollingworth", BFI. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ "Bankers need good drama returns", rts.org. URL last accessed on 2007-05-06.
- ^ "Corinne Hollingworth quits ITV", Media Guardian. URL last accessed on 2008-03-14.
