Stephen Peet
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Stephen Peet (1920-2005) was a British filmmaker, best known as a pioneer of illustrated oral history and his BBC television series Yesterday's Witness (1969-1981).
Peet began his career in the late 1930s as a camera assistant in the documentary unit run by Marian Grierson, sister of John Grierson. Born into a Quaker family, Peet was a conscientious objector during World War II. He worked in the Central Africa Film Unit for many years before work at ITV and the BBC.
MI5 blocked Peet's career progression at the BBC, suspicious of Stephen for retaining links with his brother, a staunch communist who had defected to the Communist bloc.[1][2] This was only revealed in the 1980s.
With Yesterday's Witness, Peet pioneered having ordinary members of the public telling their stories straight to the camera. He worked with others on the series, including James Cameron.
He married Olive Peet and they had two sons, Graham and John and twins, a boy and a girl, Michael and Suzie.
