32 Facts About Verity Lambert

Verity Ann Lambert was an English television and film producer.

Verity Lambert began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who from 1963 until 1965.

Verity Lambert left the BBC in 1969 and worked for other television companies, notably having a long association with Thames Television and its Euston Films offshoot in the 1970s and 1980s.

Verity Lambert worked in the film industry for Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment.

Verity Lambert was an associate of the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein.

Verity Lambert continued to work as a producer until the year she died.

Verity Lambert was born in London, the daughter of a Jewish accountant, and was educated at Roedean School.

Verity Lambert left Roedean at sixteen with six O-Levels and pursued a six months language course at the University of Paris enrolling at a secretarial college upon returning to London for eighteen months.

Verity Lambert later credited her interest in the structural and characterisational aspects of scriptwriting to an inspirational English teacher.

Verity Lambert was sacked from this job after six months.

Verity Lambert soon became the secretary to the company's Head of Drama and then a production secretary working on a programme called State Your Case.

Verity Lambert then moved from administration to production, working on drama programming on ABC's popular anthology series Armchair Theatre and early episodes of The Avengers, both of which were then overseen by the new Head of Drama, Canadian producer Sydney Newman.

On 28 November 1958, while Verity Lambert was working as a Production Assistant on Armchair Theatre, an actor died during a live broadcast of Underground and she had to take responsibility for directing the cameras from the studio gallery while director Ted Kotcheff worked with the actors on the studio floor to accommodate the loss.

In 1961, Verity Lambert left ABC, spending a year working as the personal assistant to American television producer David Susskind at the independent production company Talent Associates in New York.

Verity Lambert decided that, if she could not find advancement within a year, she would abandon television as a career.

In December 1962, Sydney Newman left ABC to take up the position of Head of Drama at BBC Television, and the following year Verity Lambert joined him at the corporation.

When Verity Lambert arrived at the BBC in June 1963, she was initially given a more experienced associate producer, Mervyn Pinfield, to assist her.

Verity Lambert oversaw the first two seasons of the programme and the first part of the third, eventually leaving in 1965.

In 1969 Verity Lambert left the staff of the BBC to join London Weekend Television, where she produced Budgie and Between the Wars.

Verity Lambert returned to the BBC on a freelance basis to produce Shoulder to Shoulder, a series of six 75-minute plays about the suffragette movement of the early 20th century.

Later in 1974, Verity Lambert became Head of Drama at Thames Television.

In recognition of her contribution to the film industry, Verity Lambert was appointed as a Governor of the British Film Institute in 1981, serving on the organisation's Board until 1986.

At Thames and Euston, Verity Lambert enjoyed the most sustained period of critical and popular success of her career.

Verity Lambert wanted Thames to produce drama series 'which were attempting in one way or another to tackle modern problems and life,' an ambition which echoed the philosophy of her mentor Sydney Newman.

Verity Lambert later expressed some regret on her time in the film industry in a feature for The Independent newspaper.

In late 1985, Verity Lambert left Thorn EMI, frustrated at the lack of success and at restructuring measures being undertaken by the company.

Verity Lambert established her own independent production company, Cinema Verity.

Verity Lambert produced another successful BBC1 sitcom, So Haunt Me, which ran from 1992 to 1994.

Verity Lambert continued to work as a freelance producer outside of her own company.

Verity Lambert produced the popular BBC One comedy-drama series Jonathan Creek, by writer David Renwick, ever since taking over the role for its second series in 1998.

Verity Lambert died of cancer on 22 November 2007, in London, one day before the 44th anniversary of Doctor Who.

Verity Lambert was due to have been presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Women in Film and Television Awards the following month.