Team

Jonathan Powell

Johnathan Powell

Jonathan Powell has been a leader in highly successful British television drama for decades. He started his career at Granada Television (ITV group) where he was Story Editor on the 52 part serial, Family at War and produced the long running serial Crown Court.

When Jonathan joined the BBC he produced a number of BBC Classic Serials. Among them were: The Mayor of Casterbridge, starring Alan Bates; Fay Weldon’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice; Crime and Punishment, starring John Hurt; The Barchester Chronicles, which introduced Alan Rickman as Mr Slope and Testament of Youth from the biography of Vera Brittain. He produced Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s People, which starred Sir Alec Guinness.

Jonathan Powell went on to become the BBC’s Head of Series and Serials and then Head of Drama. During this period, he oversaw the introduction of both the long running series Casualty and East Enders. Edge of Darkness and The Singing Detective and Life and Loves of a She-Devil were also broadcast under his supervision.

He then spent six years as Controller of BBC 1, responsible for commissioning the entire output of the BBC’s main channel.

After leaving the BBC, he joined commercial television, Carlton TV. He inherited programs such as Peak Practice, Soldier Soldier and Inspector Morse. Jonathan oversaw a number of successful one-offs including Goodnight Mr Tom, The Railway Children, Pollyanna and an adaptation of the Michael Dibdin novel Dirty Tricks, which received an International Emmy Award.

Jonathan Powell has received a number of BAFTA awards as well as the Royal Television Society Silver Medal for Creative Achievement and a Peabody Award.