- Bernard Sendall
Bernard Charles Sendall (
30 April 1913 -25 May 1996 ) was aCivil Servant and an executive member of the BritishIndependent Television Authority (ITA). However, he is probably best known as the author of the first two books in the six-volume "Independent Television in Britain" series, widely regarded as the definitive history of the first 37 years of theITV service.Early life
Sendall grew up in the town of
Worcester where he attended the Royal Grammar School. He studied Modern History atMagdalen College, Oxford , graduating with a first class degree at the age of 20. After leaving Oxford, he studied as a postgraduate atHarvard University .Civil Service
Sendall joined the British Civil Service in 1935 and from 1941 to 1945 was Private Secretary to Brendan Bracken, the
Minister of Information during theSecond World War . After the war, the defunctMinistry of Information was re-established as theCentral Office of Information . Sendall helped with the transition and became the Central Office's first Controller between 1946 and 1949. He then went on to act as Controller of theFestival of Britain until 1951 a job for which he was honoured with the CBE in 1952.Television
In 1955, Sendall joined the
Independent Television Authority , initially as Secretary but later the deputy to theDirector-General , Sir Robert Fraser. (Fraser, like Sendall, was one of several senior figures inIndependent Television who had previously worked in the information services.) He remained in the post throughout the Authority's metamorphosis into theIndependent Broadcasting Authority in 1972 and eventually retired in 1977. On retirement, he was awarded theRoyal Television Society gold medal for his durable contribution to television.Sendall wrote and published the first two volumes of "Independent Television in Britain", the official history of ITV in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The series was subsequently continued by other writers.
References
* Sendall, Bernard "Independent Television in Britain: Volume 1 - Origin and Foundation 1946-62" London: The Macmillan Press Ltd 1982 ISBN 0-333-30941-3
* Sendall, Bernard "Independent Television in Britain: Volume 2 - Expansion and Change 1958-68" London: The Macmillan Press Ltd 1983 ISBN 0-333-30942-1
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