12 Facts About Joy Whitby

Joy Whitby joined the BBC as a studio manager in 1955 and, a year later, became a producer on Listen with Mother.

Joy Whitby was attached to the children's television series Blue Peter, Joy Whitby was commissioned to write an internal BBC report on Watch with Mother; the five pre-filmed series had been on air for a decade.

The first Controller of BBC 2, Michael Peacock was aware of the shortage of nursery schools in the country and appointed Joy Whitby to create and produce Play School, a new television series for pre-school children, running Monday to Friday through the year.

In developing the series, Joy Whitby consulted teachers, writers and illustrators.

Joy Whitby ran the Children's Department which enabled her to branch out into drama.

Joy Whitby produced The Growing Summer, with Wendy Hiller, Knock Three Times with Hattie Jacques, and Catweazle starring Geoffrey Bayldon.

Joy Whitby founded her own company, Grasshopper Productions, and in 1970, wrote and produced her first independent film series, Grasshopper Island, for ITV.

In 1975, Joy Whitby joined Yorkshire Television and, during her ten years as Head of Children's Programmes, she created many original programmes.

Since 1985, Joy Whitby has focused on making animated films based on quality picture books.

Joy Whitby attended the National Trust's Advisory Panel for Youth, sat on the Board of the Unicorn Theatre and was a member of the first Board of the Channel Four Television Corporation.

Joy Whitby's awards include a BAFTA for Play School, a Prix Jeunesse for The Book Tower, and an ACE Award for The Angel and the Soldier Boy.

In 1954, she married Tony Joy Whitby, who died in 1975, when he was Controller of BBC Radio 4.