Stephen Lambert (media executive)

Stephen Lambert (born 22 March 1959) is a British media executive responsible for creating formatted documentary programs such as the award-winning "Wife Swap", "Faking It" and "Secret Millionaire". Born in London, he was educated at the University of East Anglia, where he took a first in Politics & Philosophy, and Nuffield College, Oxford. He is chief executive of Studio Lambert, an independent television production company backed by super-indie All3Media.

BBC 1983-1998

As a post-graduate student at Nuffield College, Oxford, Lambert wrote a book published by the British Film Institute called "Channel 4: Television With A Difference?" to coincide with the launch of Britain's fourth terrestrial channel in November 1982. In 1983, he joined the BBC and worked in the Documentaries Department for the next sixteen years. He was a producer/director on the BAFTA-winning BBC2 series "40 Minutes" and the BBC1 series "Inside Story". Between 1992 and 1994, he produced a six part documentary series for BBC2 about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1994, he became the founding editor of BBC2's main documentary strand in the 1990s, "Modern Times". He executive produced some of the first BBC1 docu-soaps, including "The Clampers" and "Lakesiders", as well as the fly-on-the-wall series about Sunderland A.F.C., "Premier Passions". He also executive produced a five part Royal Television Society award-winning series about the Department of Social Security. He started a long working relationship with the film-maker Adam Curtis, executive producing his BAFTA-winning series "The Mayfair Set", winner of the best factual series award 1999.

RDF Media 1998-2007

In 1998, Lambert became RDF Media's first director of programs. He devised and executive produced the highly-acclaimed "Faking It" series which premiered on Channel 4 in 2000. It won the BAFTA best features program award in 2001 and 2002 and the Rose D'Or in 2003. This was followed by "Wife Swap", which was a hit on Channel 4 pulling audiences of more than six million. It won the BAFTA best features program award in 2003 and the Rose D'Or in 2004. Lambert continued working with Adam Curtis, executive producing his "The Century of the Self" (2002), "The Power of Nightmares" (2004) (winner of BAFTA best factual series award 2004), and "The Trap" (2007).

From 1998 to 2005, RDF Media's grew rapidly with Lambert spearheading its editorial development. RDF started producing in the US and opened its RDF USA production office in Los Angeles. In 2004, "Wife Swap" became RDF's first US network series airing on ABC. RDF received Broadcast's "Best Production Company of the Year Award" for 2002, 2004 & 2006, the only company to win this award three times. Turnover rose from £3.5m (1998) to £48m (2005) and in May 2005, RDF Media floated on the Alternative Investment Market. The RDF Media Group started to acquire other independent production companies such as IWC Media, The Foundation, The Comedy Unit, Touchpaper Television. Lambert became the group's chief creative officer. He continued to devise new formats such as "Secret Millionaire", which won the Rose D'Or in 2007, "" for Channel 4, and "The Verdict" for BBC2.

Tiaragate 2007

In July 2007, Lambert found himself caught up in controversy when the BBC showed a trailer to journalists of a documentary series that RDF was producing called "A Year with the Queen". The trailer seemed to show the monarch walking out of a photo-shoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. It later emerged the Queen was walking into the shoot. Lambert took responsibility for a misleadingly edited trailer that was shown previously to international co-producers, but he was not involved in the edit of the BBC trailer shown to the press. The BBC and ITV froze new commissions from RDF until an independent inquiry into the affair - the Wyatt Report - reported in October 2007. When it came out, Lambert chose to quit RDF and at the same time, Peter Fincham, Controller of BBC One, and his head of publicity, Jane Fletcher, also resigned from their jobs. The report said that no-one "consciously set out to defame or misrepresent the Queen in the tape", but that "RDF edited the footage of the Queen in a cavalier fashion". [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/10_october/05/investigation.pdf Investigation into ] ]

tudio Lambert 2008-

In March 2008, Lambert set up a new independent production company, Studio Lambert, in partnership with All3Media. Studio Lambert specializes in the creation, development and production of high quality non-scripted programs for the UK, US and international markets. It's based in London and Los Angeles.

References

External links

* Lambert, Stephen (1982) "Channel 4: Television With A Difference?" ISBN 0851701248
* [http://www.davidrowan.com/2003/01/interview-stephen-lambert-reality-tv.html Interview: Stephen Lambert, reality-TV creator] Evening Standard, January 29 2003
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/aug/11/mondaymediasection Top of the heap] Guardian, Monday August 11 2003
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/oct/04/mondaymediasection.broadcasting Swapping success] Guardian, Monday October 4 2004
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/oct/23/independentproductioncompanies.mondaymediasection Making it, not faking it] Guardian, Monday October 23 2006
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/oct/10/comment.bbc Profile of RDF's ex-creative director Stephen Lambert] mediaguardian.co.uk, Wednesday October 10 2007
* [http://www.rdfmedia.com/ RDF Media Group plc website]
* [http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/ BAFTA television nominations & winners]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/10_october/05/investigation.pdf] Wyatt Report October 2007
* [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982858.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 U.K.'s Lambert hangs reality shingle] Variety, March 25 2008
* [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991860.html?categoryid=18&cs=1 Studio Lambert sets up US division] Variety, September 8 2008
* [http://www.all3media.com/companies/Studio_Lambert.html Studio Lambert Ltd webpage]