Cathy Rogers
Encyclopedia
Cathy Rogers is a British television executive, producer and presenter, who has also had some success as a pop musician.
Rogers was born in Lancashire
, England. She studied medicine at Oxford University
, gaining a Master's Degree in Health Policy. Rogers joined the BBC
as a producer in the early 1990s, specialising in scientific documentaries, including work on the long-running series Horizon. During the same period, she played keyboards and sang vocals in the twee pop group Heavenly
.
In 1995 Rogers moved to the independent production company RDF Media
, where she helped devise and produced the popular Channel 4
technology reality game show
Scrapheap Challenge
, known in North America as Junkyard Wars. She appeared onscreen as co-presenter of Scrapheap Challenge from the second series onwards until 2001 when Lisa Rogers
took over, and of Junkyard Wars for the first three series until replaced by Karyn Bryant
. She also created and hosted a related programme, Full Metal Challenge
. She continued her popular music career as well, playing with the Heavenly spinoff Marine Research
in the late 1990s.
In 2001 Rogers was promoted to creative director at RDF Media's new Los Angeles
center, where she oversaw the company's activities in the United States, including the American versions of popular shows such as Faking It
and Wife Swap
. She then ran an olive farm in Loro Piceno
, Italy, and set up a tree adoption scheme. She published an account of her time in Italy as The Dolce Vita Diaries. In 2009 she returned to RDF Media as creative director.
Rogers was born in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. She studied medicine at Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, gaining a Master's Degree in Health Policy. Rogers 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...
as a producer in the early 1990s, specialising in scientific documentaries, including work on the long-running series Horizon. During the same period, she played keyboards and sang vocals in the twee pop group Heavenly
Heavenly (British band)
Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...
.
In 1995 Rogers moved to the independent production company RDF Media
RDF Media
Zodiak Media is a Anglo-American television production company. It was formed in 2010 when RDF Media Group was acquired by, and merged with Zodiak Entertainment...
, where she helped devise and produced the popular Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
technology reality game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Scrapheap Challenge
Scrapheap Challenge
Scrapheap Challenge is an engineering game show produced by RDF Media and broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. In the show, teams of contestants have 10 hours in which to build a working machine that can do a specific task, using materials available in a scrapheap. The format was exported to the...
, known in North America as Junkyard Wars. She appeared onscreen as co-presenter of Scrapheap Challenge from the second series onwards until 2001 when Lisa Rogers
Lisa Rogers
Lisa Rogers is a Welsh television presenter and occasional actress. She has appeared in films, television programmes, theatre and radio.-Early life:...
took over, and of Junkyard Wars for the first three series until replaced by Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant is an American actress, writer, and television personality.-Early life:Bryant was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, completed secondary school at Lawrence Academy at Groton, and received bachelor's degrees from Brown University in political science and...
. She also created and hosted a related programme, Full Metal Challenge
Full Metal Challenge
Full Metal Challenge was a television series made by RDF Media for Channel 4 in the UK and the Learning Channel in the USA. Hosted by series creator Cathy Rogers and Henry Rollins, the show was very similar to Rogers' last show, Scrapheap Challenge...
. She continued her popular music career as well, playing with the Heavenly spinoff Marine Research
Marine Research
Marine Research was an indie rock/twee pop band, based in Oxford/London , formed in 1997 by four of the five members of Heavenly , following the suicide of Heavenly drummer Mathew Fletcher...
in the late 1990s.
In 2001 Rogers was promoted to creative director at RDF Media's new Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
center, where she oversaw the company's activities in the United States, including the American versions of popular shows such as Faking It
Faking It
Faking It was a television programme originating on Channel 4 which has spawned various international remakes, including a US version which began in 2003 on the TLC network...
and Wife Swap
Wife Swap
Wife Swap is a reality television program, originally produced by UK independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It was first broadcast in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4. Since 2004, a US version has also been broadcast on the ABC network...
. She then ran an olive farm in Loro Piceno
Loro Piceno
Loro Piceno is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about 50 km south of Ancona and about 15 km south of Macerata on a hill near the Fiastra stream....
, Italy, and set up a tree adoption scheme. She published an account of her time in Italy as The Dolce Vita Diaries. In 2009 she returned to RDF Media as creative director.