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Press Releases
Tributes to Sir Bill Cotton
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Tributes have been paid to Sir Bill Cotton, former Managing Director of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Television, who has died aged 80.
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Other positions he held at the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ included Head of Light Entertainment Group, Controller of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ One and Chairman of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Enterprises. He retired from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ in 1988.
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Mark Thompson, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Director-General, said: "Bill Cotton was one of the giants of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ television for nearly three decades and brought countless programmes to the screen which themselves became legends.
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"He was both a great impresario and also a passionate believer in public service broadcasting."
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Alan Yentob, Creative Director, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, said: "Bill Cotton was a wonderful man and an inspirational broadcaster.
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"Under his leadership in the Seventies the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ commissioned and produced a raft of entertainment and comedy which set a benchmark for these genres which has rarely been surpassed.
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"From Monty Python to Morecambe And Wise, from The Generation Game to Dad's Army, these shows and others like them have helped to define not just a genre but a generation.
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"Bill Cotton was always there to remind us that the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ mission to entertain could be just as ambitious and aspirational as our commitment to inform and educate."
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Jana Bennett, Director, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Vision, said: "We have lost a giant of the television industry.
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"No history of British television would be complete without a large section on Bill Cotton.
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"He came from an entertainment dynasty and he brought countless programmes to the screen which became the stuff of legend. Ìý
"The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and millions of viewers through the decades owe him so much. Our thoughts are with his family.
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"Bill cared passionately about great British talent and about the power of popular television to bring the best in entertainment to the biggest audiences.
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"We all owe him a great deal."
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Press Office
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