Tom Ross (producer)

Last updated

Tom Ross (born 1947) is a Scottish journalist and television producer who worked for the BBC from 1971 until 1996. [1]

Contents

BBC BBC logo (1997-2021).svg
BBC

Early life

Born in Glasgow and educated at Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School he gained a master's degree in history from the University of Glasgow.

University of Glasgow University of Glasgow.jpg
University of Glasgow

Career

He began his BBC career as a News Trainee in London - part of an intake of six trainee journalists that included David Davies, later Executive Director of the Football Association, and Brian Hanrahan the BBC Correspondent famous for the "I Counted Them Out, I Counted Them Back" report during the Falklands War.[ citation needed ]

1973

After spells with the BBC2 political programme Westminster with David Holmes and the Radio 4 Today Programme with John Timpson and Robert Robinson he joined BBC Scotland's Television Current Affairs department in Glasgow in 1973.

1983

Under Matthew Spicer [2] he directed and produced Current Account and Public Account with Donald MacCormick, James Cox and Andrew Neil and in 1983 ran BBC Scotland's highly successful General Election Coverage. [3]

1984

In 1984 he moved to Birmingham to become Assistant Editor of the BBC's popular lunchtime magazine Pebble Mill at One. [4] producing one of its highest rated shows live from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in the English Channel.

1986

In 1986 he became first Executive Producer, then Editor in 1989, of the BBC2 motoring magazine Top Gear. During his five-year spell as Editor Motoring Programmes for the BBC Top Gear became the top rated show on BBC2 for the first time and the audience reached nearly 6 million. This was despite several determined efforts by various Controllers of BBC2 to cancel the programme. [5]

The main presenter of the programme was William Woollard with contributions from Chris Goffey, Frank Page and Sue Baker. A number of new faces were introduced over these years including Tiff Needell, Tom Boswell and, most famously, Jeremy Clarkson. [6]

The Top Gear team also produced coverage of the bi-annual British International Motor Show which alternated with London Motorfair. Noel Edmonds and Janet Ellis of Blue Peter fame were among its most famous presenters.

Rallying was the one sport that BBC Sport in London did not control. Each November Top Gear Rally Report provided nightly coverage and background programmes on the Lombard RAC Rally, then the last round of the World Rally Championship. Presented by William Woollard with reports from Barrie Gill and Tony Mason the programmes developed a loyal audience despite frequent attempts by BBC bosses to kill it. Tony Mason went on to join Top Gear, initially as its rally specialist.

1991

After Tom Ross left the programme in 1991 he went on to work in various managerial posts till he left the BBC five years later. He then worked for a spell in the independent sector.

Family

He is married with two children and lives in Warwickshire.

Notes

  1. The Independent newspaper (Media Weekly) p.11. Monday 28 February 2005
  2. Inside BBC Scotland by Alastair Hetherington p.13 (Whitewater Press)
  3. The Closing Headlines by Kenneth Roy p.165. (Carrick Media)
  4. Ariel 25 October 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/15444971 ,
  5. "America needs active suport [sic] from Britain and Nato in Iraq".
  6. Article title

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Clarkson</span> English television presenter, journalist and writer (born 1960)

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English television presenter, journalist, and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes Top Gear and The Grand Tour alongside Richard Hammond and James May. He also currently writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun. Clarkson hosts the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and co-hosts the reality show Clarkson's Farm.

<i>Newsnight</i> BBC Television current affairs programme

Newsnight is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 22:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also available on BBC iPlayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James May</span> English television presenter and journalist

James Daniel May is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme Top Gear from 2003 until 2015 and the television series The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video from 2016 to 2024. He also serves as a director of the production company W. Chump & Sons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirsty Wark</span> Scottish journalist and television presenter (born 1955)

Kirsteen Anne "Kirsty" Wark FRSE is a Scottish television presenter and journalist with a long career at the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Rippon</span> English television presenter (born 1944)

Angela May Rippon is an English broadcaster, former newsreader, writer and journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Woollard</span> English television presenter

William Woollard is a British historian and retired television producer and presenter.

<i>Daily Politics</i> Former BBC political television programme

Daily Politics is a BBC Television programme which aired between 6 January 2003 and 24 July 2018, presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. Daily Politics took an in-depth review of the daily events in both Westminster and other areas across Britain and abroad, and included interviews with leading politicians and political commentators.

Radio Clyde is a group of two Independent Local Radio stations serving Glasgow and West Central Scotland. Radio Clyde is owned and operated by Bauer, based at studios in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire and forms part of Bauer's Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio Network of local stations.

<i>Scotland Today</i> Scottish TV series or programme

Scotland Today was a Scottish regional news programme covering Central Scotland, produced by STV Central. Despite its name suggesting a national remit, the programme was actually limited to stories around STV's Central Belt franchise. North Tonight covered STV's North Scotland region, until both programmes were renamed STV News at Six in March 2009.

<i>Rally Report</i> British TV series or programme

Rally Report was a series of programmes broadcast by the BBC covering the Lombard RAC Rally of Great Britain – then the last round of the World Rally Championship.

<i>Top Gear</i> (1977 TV series) British motoring TV show (1977–2001)

Top Gear is a British motoring magazine programme created by the BBC that aired on BBC Two between 22 April 1977 and 17 December 2001. The programme focused on a range of motoring topics, the most common being car reviews, road safety and consumer advice. Originally presented by Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne, the show saw a range of different presenters and reporters front the programme's half-hourly slots, including Noel Edmonds, Jeremy Clarkson, Tiff Needell, William Woollard and Quentin Willson. The programme proved popular during the late 80s and early 90s, and launched a number of spin-offs, including its own magazine entitled Top Gear Magazine.

<i>Top Gear Motorsport</i> British TV series or programme

Top Gear Motorsport is a British television programme, covering various forms of motor racing, broadcast on BBC Two from 1994 to 1998. It was a spin-off programme from the popular motoring series Top Gear. The programme was presented by former Formula One driver and Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell. Other presenters were Penny Mallory, Tony Mason, Steve Berry, Mark James and Bob Constanduros.

Tony Mason is a British former rally co-driver and television presenter. In 1972, he navigated Roger Clark to victory in the RAC Rally and the team also finished second in the event twice in 1974 and 1975, the only British crew to do so in a period spanning 35 years. He has also competed as a driver himself, and was recently co-driver for Finnish driver Hannu Mikkola with whom he competed for Ford in a recent Classic Rally in New Zealand.

<i>Public Account</i>

Public Account was a weekly political programme first transmitted on 6 January 1975 by BBC Television in Scotland. It was the sister programme to BBC Scotland's Current Account which covered general current affairs issues rather than politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Berry (presenter)</span>

Steve Berry is a British media presenter, best known as a member of the presenting team for the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear from 1993 to 1999, where he reviewed motorcycles and made features relating to them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Barlow</span> Motoring journalist from Northern Ireland

Jason Barlow is a motoring journalist and broadcaster from Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Butler-Henderson</span> British racing driver

Victoria Jemma Butler-Henderson is a British racing driver, former presenter of Top Gear and current presenter of Fifth Gear.

Top Gear is a British motoring magazine and entertainment television programme. It is a revival by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman of the 1977–2001 show of the same name for the BBC, and premiered on 20 October 2002. The programme focuses on the examination and reviewing of motor vehicles, primarily cars, though this was expanded upon after the broadcast of its earlier series to incorporate films featuring motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a course specially-designed for the relaunched programme. The programme drew acclaim for its visual and presentation style since its launch, which focused on being generally entertaining to viewers, as well as criticism over the controversial nature of its content. The show was also praised for its occasionally controversial humour and lore existing in not just the automotive community but in the form of internet memes and jokes. The programme was aired on BBC Two until it was moved to BBC One for its twenty-ninth series in 2020.

Derek Smith was a British producer whose body of work extended to more than 100 programmes or series. He was the creator and producer of the original BBC Television series of Top Gear and the adventure survival series Now Get Out Of That.

References