Bill Ward

BILL WARD is a name that’s direct, easy and straight-forward — a name that personifies ATV’s Production Chief.

And although he’ll answer any question about his favourite subject, television production, he doesn’t like to talk about himself.

“Television production is essentially the result of team work”, he tells you. “A man on his own is pretty unimportant”.

From his first job as a youth, working in the engineering department of the BBC in Plymouth, Bill Ward is now acknowledged one of the finest TV producers in the country. An energetic person, he’s known to most of ATV’s staff. A big, balding man this, with a commanding presence, he moves with surprising speed along office corridors and studio floors.

Pam Matthews who’s been his PA at Roxburghe House for two and a half years sums him up this way: “Mr Ward is a very easy-going boss”, she says. “He’s also very stimulating to work for. Perhaps the most distracting thing about him is his fantastic memory. He can recall memos he sent out before ATV really began. Then it’s my headache trying to track them down for him”.

Valerie Buries, now Harold Jameson’s secretary, has also worked for Bill Ward. Indeed, there’s a saying round ATV “If you can get past Bill Ward’s bodyguard, seeing Bill himself is no trouble”.

“It’s always easier working for someone with a sense of humour”, says Valerie. “When I handed over my job as Mr Ward’s secretary to Diedre Berry I wrote out a list of instructions. This list included some remarks about Mr Ward’s method of working. “Against one of these I added ‘This is how he dealt with this matter when I was working with him. I don’t know how he’ll be with you, but you’ll soon find out!’

“Soon after I heard a huge guffaw from Mr Ward’s office and he called me in.

“He told me he’d discovered my list. ‘So this is what you think of me, eh,’ he roared. ‘You’ll certainly have to go now!’

“But of course he was only joking. He thought the whole thing very funny.”

And now here’s Bill Ward’s own summing up of the stages which make a perfect producer.

“In charge of production for the first time, the new producer is terrified. He relies on the people who are with him to pull him through.

“The confident stage, when in fact he grows over confident. He thinks it’s all too easy and wonders why there’s all this nonsense about it being a difficult job. He starts to get technical. He suddenly discovers television is a visual medium and one night has his show full of cuts, montages and dissolves. He goes down to the pub afterwards expecting his colleagues to tell him how excellent the show was. They tell him, of course, that it was dreadful.

“Now he’s at the oversimplification period, the direct opposite of Stage Three.

“Finally, the detached outlook — when at last he’s able to stand away from the programme and consider it impersonally.”

A facsimile reprint of issue 1 of the ATV Newsheet is available as part of Transdiffusion’s “ITV70” print pack. On sale until 31 January 2025, for delivery in March. £20 inc p&p worldwide.