Verity Lambert

Verity Lambert (born November 27 1935 in London, England, UK) is a British television and film producer, best known for producing the science-fiction series Doctor Who for the BBC for its first two years, from 1963 to 1965. She was a ground-breaker for women in British television, being the first female producer of an important drama series and later becoming one of the most powerful women in the industry.

Cinema Verity

In late 1985 she had left Thorn EMI, frustrated at the lack of success and at restructuring measures being undertaken by the company, and established her own independent production company, Cinema Verity. Cinema Verity's first production was the 1988 feature film A Cry in the Dark, starring Sam Neill and Meryl Streep and based on the real life infamous 'dingo baby' case in Australia. Lambert herself produced the picture, and the following year Cinema Verity made its first significant mark in television when the sitcom May to December began its run on BBC ONE, eventually running for five years until 1994.

Related Topics:
1985 - Cinema Verity - 1988 - A Cry in the Dark - Sam Neill - Meryl Streep - Australia - Sitcom - BBC ONE - 1994

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During the 1990s, notable Cinema Verity productions included soap opera Eldorado, a co-production with the BBC set in a British expatriat community in Spain, which was critically mauled and lasted only a year from 1992 to 1993. Rather more successfully, Cinema Verity produced Alan Bleasdale's hard-hitting drama serial G.B.H. for Channel 4 in 1991, winning much acclaim and several awards. Lambert also attempted during the early 1990s to win the rights to independently produce Doctor Who for the BBC, although she was unsuccesful in this as the Corporation was tied up in negotiations with producer Philip Segal in the United States. More recent productions from the company have included The Cazalets (BBC ONE, 2001), co-produced by actress Joanna Lumley, whose idea it was to adapt the novels by Elizabeth Jane Howard.

Related Topics:
1990s - Soap opera - Eldorado - Spain - 1992 - 1993 - Alan Bleasdale - G.B.H. - Channel 4 - 1991 - Philip Segal - United States - 2001 - Joanna Lumley - Elizabeth Jane Howard

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Lambert has also continued to work as a freelance producer outside of her own company, having produced the popular BBC One comedy / drama series Jonathan Creek by writer David Renwick ever since taking over the role for its second season in 1998. She has since produced eighteen episodes of the programme across four short seasons, plus two Christmas Specials. The most recent batch of episodes aired in early 2004, and at least one further season is expected at some point in the future. She and Renwick have most recently collaborated on the comedy-drama Love Soup, starring Tamsin Greig and due for transmission on BBC One in late 2005.

Related Topics:
BBC One - Jonathan Creek - David Renwick - 1998 - 2004 - Love Soup - Tamsin Greig - 2005

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In 2002, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her services to television.

Related Topics:
2002 - Order of the British Empire - Television

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