Kate Harwood

Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She is currently the Head of Series and Serials at the BBC.

Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama before becoming an Arts Council Trainee director with Century Theatre and then Literary Manager of the Royal Court Theatre.

She has spent over 15 years with a career at the BBC, and became an executive producer in the BBC Drama Serials department. As a Producer Kate has worked on dramas including "The Beggar Bride", "Close Relations", "The Echo", "David Copperfield", "Man and Boy" and BAFTA winner "" (released in the US, under the title "The Last King: the Power and the Passion of Charles II", in a heavily edited version on the A&E cable network).

In her role as Executive Producer in BBC Drama Serials, she has been responsible for programmes including "Crime And Punishment, Daniel Deronda"," The Lost World", and "Final Demand".

Eastenders

On 24 February 2005, the BBC announced Kate Harwood had been appointed as the new Executive Producer for "EastEnders" by John Yorke, Controller, Continuing Drama Series. This was only a month after the then Executive Producer Kathleen Hutchison was sacked after only four months in the job because cast and crew members complained about their workload and bruising personality clashes on set.

On joining "EastEnders", BBC controller of continuing drama series John Yorke said: “I am delighted that Kate will be joining the team. She has an excellent reputation across the industry, she understands how to tell stories and how to engage the viewer, it is a real coup for us to have her on board.”

Under her leadership the soap has gone on to win both a BAFTA and the coveted National Television Award for most popular series.

Kate brought in Dawn Swann, Honey Mitchell, May Wright, Rob Minter, Kevin Wicks, Carly Wicks, Deano Wicks, Preeti Choraria, Shirley Carter, Denise Wicks, Chelsea Fox, Libby Fox, Bradley Branning, Max Branning, Tanya Branning, Abi Branning, Lauren Branning, Sean Slater, Linda Clarke and Jay Brown to make the show more popular.

She left the day-to-day running of "EastEnders" in October 2006 when she was promoted to become become Head of Series and Serials at the BBC.

Family

Her grandfather, Commodore Henry Harwood, was commander of the British warship HMS "Ajax" during the pursuit which resulted in the scuttling of the German battleship "Graf Spee" after the Battle of the Plate River, off Uruguay, in World War II (these events were later the basis of a 1956 film called "The Battle of the River Plate"). Her brother, Anthony Harwood, is News Editor of the British newspaper, "The Daily Mirror." [Trivia section [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0367825/bio Internet Movie Database] Accessed 19 September 2006]

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/02_february/24/harwood.shtml BBC appoints new Executive Producer for EastEnders]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/06_june/22/drama.shtml BBC reshuffles top drama execs]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0367825/ Kate Harwood] at the Internet Movie Database