Stephen Lambert (media executive)

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Stephen Lambert (born 22 March 1959) is a British media executive responsible for creating formatted documentary programmes such as the award-winning Wife Swap, Faking It and The Secret Millionaire. Born in London, he was educated at the University of East Anglia, where he took a first in Politics & Philosophy, and Nuffield College, Oxford. He is chief executive of London-based Studio Lambert Ltd, an independent television production company backed by All3Media.

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[edit] BBC 1983-1998

As a post graduate student at Nuffield College, Oxford, Lambert wrote a book published by the British Film Institute called Channel 4: Television With A Difference? to coincide with the launch of Britain's fourth terrestrial channel in November 1982. In 1983, he joined the BBC and worked in the Documentaries Department for the next sixteen years. He was a producer/director on the BAFTA-winning BBC2 series 40 Minutes and the BBC1 series Inside Story. Between 1992 and 1994, he series produced and directed a six part documentary series for BBC2 about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1994, he became the founding editor of BBC2's main documentary strand in the 1990s, Modern Times. He was the executive producer of some of the first BBC1 docu-soaps, including The Clampers and Lakesiders, as well as the fly-on-the-wall series about Sunderland A.F.C., Premier Passions. He also executive produced a five part Royal Television Society award-winning series about the Department of Social Security. He started a long working relationship with the film-maker Adam Curtis, executive producing his BAFTA-winning series The Mayfair Set, winner of the best factual series award 1999.

[edit] RDF Media 1998-2007

In 1998, Lambert became RDF Media's first director of programmes. He devised and executive produced the highly-acclaimed Faking It series which debuted on Channel 4 in 2000. It won the BAFTA best features programme award in 2001 and 2002 and the Rose D'Or in 2003. This was followed by Wife Swap which was a ratings hit on Channel 4 attracting audiences of more than six million. It won the BAFTA best features programme award in 2003 and the Rose D'Or in 2004. Lambert continued working with Adam Curtis, executive producing his The Century of the Self (2002), The Power of Nightmares (2004) (winner of BAFTA best factual series award 2004), and The Trap (2007).

From 1998 to 2005, RDF Media's grew rapidly with Lambert spearheading its editorial development. RDF started producing in the USA and opened its RDF USA production office in Los Angeles. In 2004, Wife Swap became RDF's first US network series airing on ABC. RDF received Broadcast (magazine)'s Best Production Company of the Year Award for 2002, 2004 & 2006, the only company to win this award three times. Turnover rose from £3.5m (1998) to £48m (2005) and in May 2005, RDF Media floated on the Alternative Investment Market. The RDF Media Group started to acquire other independent production companies such as IWC Media, The Foundation, The Comedy Unit, Touchpaper Television. Lambert became the Group's chief creative officer. He continued to devise new formats such The Secret Millionaire, which won the Rose D'Or in 2007, and Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands for Channel 4, and The Verdict for BBC2.

[edit] Tiaragate Affair 2007

In July 2007, Lambert found himself at the centre of controversy when the BBC showed a trailer to journalists from a documentary series that RDF was producing called A Year with the Queen. The trailer seemed to show the monarch storming out of a photoshoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. It later emerged the Queen was walking into the shoot. Lambert took responsibility for the original misleading edit of a trailer that was shown to international co-producers, although he was not involved in the edit of the BBC trailer that was shown to journalists. Both the BBC and ITV froze all new commissions from RDF until the completion of an independent inquiry - the Wyatt Report - into the affair. Lambert resigned from RDF when the inquiry was published on 5 October 2007. The report said that no-one "consciously set out to defame or misrepresent the Queen in the tape" but also that "RDF edited the footage of the Queen in a cavalier fashion".[1] Both Peter Fincham, Controller of BBC One, and his Head of Publicity, Jane Fletcher, also resigned following the report.

[edit] Studio Lambert 2008-

In March 2008, Lambert set up a new independent production company, Studio Lambert Ltd, in partnership with the super-indie group, All3Media. It aims to make factual and entertainment programmes for the UK and USA. It is based in Soho, London.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Investigation into

[edit] External links

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