Alexei de Keyser
Encyclopedia
Alexei Paul de Keyser was a British
television producer
, the son of the prolific British actor David de Keyser
.
He was educated at St Christopher's School, a progressive boarding school in Letchworth
, Hertfordshire, and William Ellis School
in Highgate
, London. He then studied drama at Hull University, leaving early to work at the Groucho Club
in London. His first role was reading scripts for the independent producer Verity Lambert
, and he became her script editor
at Cinema Verity
, working on popular dramas such as Class Act. In 1996 he moved to Carlton Television
, where he transformed the drama London Bridge into a twice-weekly soap.
De Keyser joined the BBC
in 1997 as series script editor for BBC One
's popular long-running drama Casualty
. He quickly rose to become producer and then series producer in 1998.
In 2000 he was made Executive Producer for BBC Drama Series, where he launched the first series of Waking the Dead
, which gained an International Emmy nomination in the Best Drama Series category in 2003.
He also executive produced two series of the BBC THREE comedy Grease Monkeys.
He died at home, "suddenly and unexpectedly" according to the BBC, on 28 July 2004.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, the son of the prolific British actor David de Keyser
David de Keyser
David de Keyser is a British actor. He is the father of Alexei de Keyser, Pia de Keyser and Thomas de Keyser.In the mid-sixties de Keyser worked twice with the writer, actor and director Jane Arden. Their first collaboration, The Logic Game, was the first BBC drama to be shot on film; it was...
.
He was educated at St Christopher's School, a progressive boarding school in Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The town's name is taken from one of the three villages it surrounded - all of which featured in the Domesday Book. The land used was first purchased by Quakers who had intended to farm the...
, Hertfordshire, and William Ellis School
William Ellis School
William Ellis School is a United Kingdom secondary comprehensive school for boys in Highgate, London.-Admissions:It is a specialist Language College. The School's motto is 'Rather Use Than Fame'. The school is over-subscribed, usually an indicator of a popular school. It is situated just west of...
in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, London. He then studied drama at Hull University, leaving early to work at the Groucho Club
Groucho Club
The Groucho Club is a well-known private social club located at Dean Street in Soho, London. Its members are mostly drawn from the media, entertainment, arts and fashion industries....
in London. His first role was reading scripts for the independent producer Verity Lambert
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...
, and he became her script editor
Script editor
A script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production...
at Cinema Verity
Cinema Verity
Cinema Verity was a British independent television and film production company, founded in 1985 by Verity Lambert, the television producer, who named the company after herself and as a pun on the expression 'cinéma vérité'....
, working on popular dramas such as Class Act. In 1996 he moved to Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
, where he transformed the drama London Bridge into a twice-weekly soap.
De Keyser joined the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1997 as series script editor for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's popular long-running drama Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. He quickly rose to become producer and then series producer in 1998.
In 2000 he was made Executive Producer for BBC Drama Series, where he launched the first series of Waking the Dead
Waking the Dead (TV series)
Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series...
, which gained an International Emmy nomination in the Best Drama Series category in 2003.
He also executive produced two series of the BBC THREE comedy Grease Monkeys.
He died at home, "suddenly and unexpectedly" according to the BBC, on 28 July 2004.
External links
- Tributes, BBC Press Office, 29 July 2004
- Obituary, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 4 August 2004 - Obituary, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 28 August 2004 - Obituary, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 4 September 2004