Barney Colehan
Encyclopedia
Barney Colehan was an English radio and television producer.
Major Bernard Colehan arrived at the BBC
from the British Forces Broadcasting Service
. He first came to prominence in 1946 as a BBC radio producer responsible for Have A Go hosted by Wilfred Pickles
. As a light entertainment producer Colehan produced the first programme when television arrived in the north of England in 1951. One of his early successes was Top Town
, a talent show pitting contestants from neighbouring towns against each other.
His longest running success was The Good Old Days
, which started in 1953 and was on air for 30 years. Colehan had the idea in 1963 of making a TV version of Jimmy Savile's
popular Radio Luxembourg
show Teen and Twenty Disc Club. He produced the pilot which later became Top of the Pops
. In 1966, Colehan brought It's a Knockout
to the screen which ran for 16 years under his watch.
Colehan was renowned for having a magic touch, although he did manage to reject a project submitted by Tony Warren
who went to Granada instead and created Coronation Street
.
Was awarded The British Academy of Composers & Songwriters Gold Badge in 1982 for lasting contribution to the UK's entertainment industry.
He died on 21 September 1991 in hospital at Rawdon, near Leeds.
Major Bernard Colehan arrived at 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...
from the British Forces Broadcasting Service
British Forces Broadcasting Service
The British Forces Broadcasting Service provides radio and television programmes for HM Forces, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Tristan da Cunha as well as a live satellite...
. He first came to prominence in 1946 as a BBC radio producer responsible for Have A Go hosted by Wilfred Pickles
Wilfred Pickles
Wilfred Pickles OBE was an English actor and radio presenter.Born in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Pickles was a proud Yorkshireman, and having been selected by the BBC as an announcer for its North Regional radio service, went on to be an occasional newsreader on the BBC Home Service...
. As a light entertainment producer Colehan produced the first programme when television arrived in the north of England in 1951. One of his early successes was Top Town
Top Town
Top Town was a New Zealand game show series where teams from different towns in New Zealand competed in various obstacle challenges against each other, along the lines of the earlier British series It's a Knockout. The show first ran in New Zealand between 1976 and 1990 and made a return in a...
, a talent show pitting contestants from neighbouring towns against each other.
His longest running success was The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days is a popular BBC television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983.It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day...
, which started in 1953 and was on air for 30 years. Colehan had the idea in 1963 of making a TV version of Jimmy Savile's
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
popular Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
show Teen and Twenty Disc Club. He produced the pilot which later became Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. In 1966, Colehan brought It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...
to the screen which ran for 16 years under his watch.
Colehan was renowned for having a magic touch, although he did manage to reject a project submitted by Tony Warren
Tony Warren
Anthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
who went to Granada instead and created Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Was awarded The British Academy of Composers & Songwriters Gold Badge in 1982 for lasting contribution to the UK's entertainment industry.
He died on 21 September 1991 in hospital at Rawdon, near Leeds.