- Mark Shivas
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Mark Shivas (24 April 1938 – 11 October 2008) was a British television producer, film producer and executive. He began his career at BBC Television in the 1960s, and quickly became one of the department's noted producers. He achieved particular success with the costume drama The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and Dennis Potter's Casanova (1971), the former of which earned three Emmy Award nominations in 1972.
Other notable productions he oversaw included the anthology series Black and Blue (1973), which included the play Secrets by Michael Palin and Terry Jones. The play was wiped from the archives, as was common practice at the time, but a recording made by Shivas on an early domestic video format from the mastertape at the BBC and transferred onto VHS in the 1980s preserved a copy, later allowing it to be released as an extra feature on the Ripping Yarns DVD set. In 1981 Shivas produced The Borgias, which was poorly received by critics.
In 1988 Shivas became Head of Drama at the BBC, a position he occupied until 1993 when he moved across to head up the Corporation's fledgling film arm. In later years, he returned to producing as a freelancer. Some of his most noted later productions included the second series of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues in 1998 and the 2003 espionage drama Cambridge Spies.
External links
- Mark Shivas at the Internet Movie Database
- CV at pfd.co.uk
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
- Obituary in The Guardian
- Obituary in The Times
- Obituary in The Independent
- A BAFTA Tribute to Mark Shivas, filmed BAFTA event, March 2009
Media offices Preceded by
Jonathan PowellBBC Television Head of Drama
1988-1993Succeeded by
Charles Denton
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