Industry pays tribute to Stuart Prebble

Industry heavyweights have paid tribute to former ITV chief executive officer and founder of Storyvault Films Stuart Prebble, who has died aged 74.

The veteran TV exec passed away from pancreatic cancer on 21 August.

Prebble started off his television career as a journalist and on-screen reporter before producing and editing ITV’s current affairs series World In Action, before becoming the broadcaster’s first commissioning editor for factual programmes.

He went on to lead ITV as chief executive in 2001, before founding production company Liberty Bell with David Buckley, where he originated shows such as Three Men in a Boat and the Alastair Diaries.

He was also the creator of classic TV comedy series Grumpy Old Men, which first premiered on BBC2 in October 2003.

His most recent venture was Storyvault Films, which he founded in 2009 alongside Buckley, his wife Sam Richards and Southan Morris. He also worked with Danielle Graham who joined Storyvault in 2012.

Paying tribute to her husband, Richards told Broadcast: “Stuart has probably contributed more to the British television landscape over the last 50 years across multiple genres than anyone I can think of.

“I am the luckiest human being in the world to have been loved by a most exceptional, kind, brilliant and singular man. When we started Storyvault Films, we called it our Storyvault family because we just feel so incredibly proud of every single one of the brilliant team we’ve been privileged to make these programmes with.”

The indie’s slate includes high-profile Sky returners Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year, which Richards note had given “a platform for thousands of artists whose work might not otherwise have been seen”.

Storyvault exec producer Graham also paid tribute to Prebble, calling him “a TV legend, but more importantly, a decent person and a good friend.”

“He was inspiring right up until the end, when he squeezed every drop out of life, chalking up new memories with the lovely Sam by his side,” she said in a post on social media.

Sky’s executive director of original unscripted Phil Edgar-Jones said: “As far as formidable forces in TV goes Stuart Prebble was one of the most commanding; an outstanding journalist, manager, programme maker and supreme wit.

“His pitch for Portrait Artist of the Year was the very first (good) one I took as a commissioner and together we battled to get it on air and convince the then very austere National Portrait Gallery to take some of the finished paintings as part of an exhibition.

“This was something they resisted until Stuart and I and the Head of Arts at the time went for a cup of tea (china cups, stuffy office) with the then director of the gallery.”

Edgar-Jones noted the series is “firmly established as best in class in the Arts landscape”.

He added: “I’ll miss his wit and wisdom (and the very occasional email telling me to get back in my commissioning editor box – he could summon up his Grumpy Old Man to great and always very funny effect), he approached his life and career on his own terms and as far as I’m concerned that’s a life well-lived.”

Former ITV chair Peter Bazalgette also paid tribute saying: “Stuart was a great broadcaster, both as an exec and a programme maker.

“It was good that he returned to production latterly, making grumpy old men like me very happy.”

Speaking of his legacy, Richards added that it is “not only the programmes and the spirit in which he created them, but also his kindness”.

“He made time for everyone. He was immensely strong, kind and wise and he was our rudder on the Storyvault ship, a guiding light to everyone,” she said.

“We all feel incredibly privileged to have had him in our orbit and we’ll try to take his lead and in that spirit, continue to do him proud.”

David Liddiment added that Prebble was “a huge talent” who was “always on the side of ambition and quality. I benefitted from his support and wise counsel when he was for all to short a time my boss at ITV.” 

Among his other exploits, which include founding family archive and student resource Storyvault.com, Prebble and his wife also helped start charity TOBE Heartsafe, to raise awareness for sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, following the unexpected death of their son Toby.

The service offers cardiac screening and CPR training as well as defibrillators for schools, sports clubs and institutions.

“Stuart always said to me that we work in a far too self-congratulatory industry,” Richards added.

“He always said everyone who needs to know already knows and you don’t need to shout about it. But all of us want to honour his memory by shouting about him, and what a kind, funny, singular person he was who made a massive contribution to our industry.”