One of Britain's most respected producers, Beryl has an enviable track
record of international success.
Originally an agent for renowned comedy writers Spike Milligan, Eric
Sykes, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson and Johnny Speight, and comedy stars
Tony Hancock and Frankie Howerd, in the early Sixties she formed Associated
London Films.
There she was associate producer on The Spy With a Cold Nose, executive
producer on the silent comedy The Plank starring Eric Sykes and Tommy
Cooper, followed by the feature film versions Till Death Do Us Part,
Steptoe and Son, Up Pompeii and a score of comparable films.
In 1967 Robert Stigwood invited Beryl to join his company where she
became deputy chairman and pioneered the original concept of selling
basic television formats to Europe and America.
Two such formats became big hits in the USA - Till Death Do Us Part
became Norman Lear's long-running series All in the Family, whilst Steptoe
and Son became Sanford and Son.
Beryl then produced several star-studded Movies of the Week for all
three American networks. She produced the Beacon Hill series, based
on Upstairs Downstairs for CBS, and Almost Anything Goes based on It's
a Knockout for ABC.
Beryl's early producing credits include the series The Prime of Miss
Jean Brodie and, one of her favourite achievements, executive producer
on the film Tommy starring Jack Nicholson, The Who, Elton John, Eric
Clapton and Tina Turner.
In the Eighties, Beryl left the Stigwood Organisation to form Hartswood
Films, which has since become one of the UK's leading independent producers.
Her television credits include (for comedy): six series and several
specials of the multi-award-winning Men Behaving Badly; My Good Friend;
Is it Legal?; four series of Coupling for BBC TWO and Carrie and Barry
for BBC ONE.
The format of Coupling was sold to NBC for an American series.
For Drama: Code Name Kyril; A Woman's Guide to Adultery; The English
Wife; Wonderful You and Border Cafe.
Documentaries include: Going to Chelsea; Officers and Gentlemen; The
Red Baron; In Love with Elizabeth and War Behind the Wire.
Later this year Beryl will be producing a theatrical film, Me Again,
a comedy thriller written by Steven Moffat to be directed by Stephen
Hopkins (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, 24).
Beryl received an OBE in the 2000 New Year's Honours List for Services
to Independent Television Production.
She is in the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame and this year
received a Bafta, the Alan Clarke Award for Outstanding Creative Contribution
to Television.
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