Sydney Newman

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Lore & Background

Newman arrived at ABC Weekend TV in 1958 and quickly found British television too focused on 'anyone for tennis' productions that offered a condescending view of working-class people. He declared, 'Damn the upper classes: they don't even own televisions!' His principal tool for change was Armchair Theatre, which he insisted would use only original material written for television. In 1960, he devised Police Surgeon starring Ian Hendry; although it failed quickly, Newman took Hendry and the show's ethos to create The Avengers in January 1961. Later moving to the BBC in December 1962, he initiated The Wednesday Play in 1964, a strand that produced Cathy Come Home, a production by Tony Garnett based on a Jeremy Sandford script that portrayed homelessness.

In Their Own Story

In 1958, Howard Thomas, managing director of ABC Weekend TV, offered Newman a job to produce his own Saturday night thriller series after seeing General Motors Theatre plays. Newman accepted and moved to Britain. At ABC, he brought over associates from Canada such as Charles Jarrott and Ted Kotcheff. By 1964, the BBC's Director of Television, Kenneth Adam, met with Newman to offer him the Head of Drama position. Newman accepted but had to remain with ABC until his contract expired in December 1962. Upon arrival at the BBC, he divided the department into series, serials, and plays. He faced initial resentment for being an outsider earning more than senior executives, yet he galvanized the drama department. Writer Don Taylor later criticized Newman's 'commercial' values and lack of knowledge regarding English theatrical tradition, but Shaun Sutton noted that Newman created a climate where boldness paid.

Reader's Guide

Newman co-created Doctor Who during his tenure at the BBC from 1962 to the late 1960s. He also oversaw Armchair Theatre, which was in the top ten of ratings for 32 out of 37 weeks in 1959 with audiences over 12 million. His career included significant roles in Canada: he worked on over 350 films as an editor at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) starting in 1941, directed Fighting Norway during World War II, and became executive producer of Canada Carries On in 1944. In 1970, after returning to Canada, he served as acting director of the Broadcast Programs Branch for the CRTC and later as head of the NFB, where he faced controversy in Quebec for suppressing politically sensitive films by French-Canadian directors.

Did You Know?

• Sydney Newman was born Sydney Cecil Nudelman on April 1, 1917, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants.
• He attempted to work as a stills photographer and artist drawing film posters but found it impossible to earn enough money to live.
• In 1938, he was offered a role with Walt Disney in Hollywood but could not secure a work permit.
• As an editor for the NFB during World War II, he directed the documentary Fighting Norway and worked on over 350 films.
• In Quebec as NFB commissioner, he attracted controversy for suppressing several politically sensitive films by French-Canadian directors.