Stuart Murphy
Encyclopedia
Stuart Neil Luke Murphy is the Director of Programmes for Sky1, Sky Atlantic
, Sky2 and Sky3 and Director of Commissioning, Sky Entertainment Channels.
in West Yorkshire
where he was captain of the school rugby team and played clarinet for Leeds Youth Orchestra. He studied Political Geography at Clare College, Cambridge
in 1990.
, Fist of Fun
, and Lifeswaps with Paul O'Grady. He later worked as a producer at MTV on Hanging Out with Davina McCall, and at the Big Breakfast. He re-joined the BBC to work for Jane Root
in the Independent Commissioning Group, and later developed Radio One TV for Roly Keating
, on UKTV.
He launched and ran UK Play, a music and comedy channel owned by UKTV from 1998. At 26, this made him the youngest controller of a TV channel. He commissioned shows such as Rock Profile
with Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and gave Vernon Kaye and Tess Daly
their first jobs.
, the BBC
's forerunner to BBC Three, becoming Head of Programmes, in 2000, and then Controller.
, which launched in February 2003, he oversaw a channel budget of £93m, commissioning a variety of shows. He commissioned 34 comedies, including Little Britain
, Nighty Night
, The Mighty Boosh
, Gavin & Stacey
, Pulling, Early Doors
, High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman
, Monkey Dust
, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
, 15 Storeys High
, Snuff Box, Grownups, 3 Non-Blondes
, Breezeblock, Ideal
, Funland
, The Smoking Room
and Man Stroke Woman
.
He commissioned various dramas including Torchwood
, Casanova
, Bodies
, Outlaws, Burn It
and Conviction
. He kickstarted parenting programming on TV, with Who Rules The Roost, Honey, We're Killing The Kids
, Little Angels and The House of Tiny Tearaways both presented by Tanya Byron
. Other commissioned shows included Flashmob The Opera (a live opera from Paddington Station
) and Flashmob The Opera: Meadowhall.
BBC Three won six BAFTAs, five British Comedy Awards
, 15 RTSs and five Rose d'Or Awards under his controllership. In his final year BBC Three won Broadcast Digital Channel of the Year for Best Entertainment Channel, and MGEITF Non Terrestrial Channel of the Year.
He was tipped as an outsider in the running for the controllership of BBC One
in 2007. In 2004 The Observer
included Murphy in a list of 80 young people who they believed would shape people's lives in the early 21st Century.
in 2006 where he stayed for 11 weeks.
Between 2006 and 2008, he was the Creative Director of Twofour
Broadcast.
, A League of Their Own
, Ten Minute Tales, Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
, Strike Back
, Mad Dogs
, The Runaway, Little Crackers
, Ross Kemp: Middle East Special, Pineapple Dance Studios
, Louie Spence’s Showbusiness
, An Idiot Abroad
.
(previously at the BBC), Entourage
(previously at ITV) as well as Blue Bloods
and The Borgias
. He commissioned screenwriter Paul Abbott
to make Sky Atlantic's first drama, Hit and Miss, commissioned cult comedy This is Jinsy
, and commissioned documentary Flying Monsters with David Attenborough
.
Sky Atlantic launched on 1 February 2011.
Sky Atlantic
Sky Atlantic is a television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, which launched on 1 February 2011 on Sky in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland....
, Sky2 and Sky3 and Director of Commissioning, Sky Entertainment Channels.
Early life
He attended St Mary's RC SchoolSt. Mary's School, Menston
St. Mary's School on Bradford Road in Menston, West Yorkshire, England is a Roman Catholic school for young people of secondary school age, which serves the parishes of Addingham, Burley in Wharfedale, Horsforth, Ilkley, Otley, Pudsey and Yeadon....
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
where he was captain of the school rugby team and played clarinet for Leeds Youth Orchestra. He studied Political Geography at Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
in 1990.
Career
He joined the BBC and worked on shows such as Reportage, The Sunday ShowThe Sunday Show
The Sunday Show is a British television entertainment programme that was broadcast live on Sunday lunchtimes on BBC Two between 1995 and 1997. Four series of the show were produced. Donna McPhail and Katie Puckrik hosted the first two series, with Puckrik was replaced by Paul Tonkinson for the...
, Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun was a popular British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring . A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World.Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches...
, and Lifeswaps with Paul O'Grady. He later worked as a producer at MTV on Hanging Out with Davina McCall, and at the Big Breakfast. He re-joined the BBC to work for Jane Root
Jane Root
Jane Root is a creative executive in the media industry, who has run major television networks on both sides of the Atlantic...
in the Independent Commissioning Group, and later developed Radio One TV for Roly Keating
Roly Keating
Roland "Roly" Keating is the current Director of Archive Content for the BBC.-Education:Keating was educated at Westminster School, an independent school for boys in London, followed by Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he read Classics.-Life and career:Keating joined the BBC in...
, on UKTV.
He launched and ran UK Play, a music and comedy channel owned by UKTV from 1998. At 26, this made him the youngest controller of a TV channel. He commissioned shows such as Rock Profile
Rock Profile
Rock Profile is a British television comedy show written by and starring comedy partnership Matt Lucas and David Walliams, both now widely known for the sketch show Little Britain. Rock Profile first appeared on the channel UK Play in 1999, before moving to BBC Two in 2000...
with Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and gave Vernon Kaye and Tess Daly
Tess Daly
Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly is an English television presenter. She is married to the presenter Vernon Kay.-Early life:Daly was born in Derbyshire to Vivian , who died of emphysema, and Sylvia Daly...
their first jobs.
BBC Choice
He joined BBC ChoiceBBC Choice
BBC Choice was a BBC TV station which launched on 23 September 1998 and closed on 9 February 2003. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, and was the first new channel from the BBC since BBC Two launched in 1964...
, 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...
's forerunner to BBC Three, becoming Head of Programmes, in 2000, and then Controller.
BBC Three
As the first channel controller of BBC ThreeBBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
, which launched in February 2003, he oversaw a channel budget of £93m, commissioning a variety of shows. He commissioned 34 comedies, including Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
, Nighty Night
Nighty Night
Nighty Night is a British dark comedy sitcom written by and starring Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on 6 January 2004 on BBC Three before moving to BBC2....
, The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh (TV series)
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy television show created by Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and others . The Mighty Boosh is a comic fantasy containing humour and pop-culture references. Episodes often featured elaborate musical numbers in different genres, such as electro, heavy metal, funk, and...
, Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey is a British comedy television series. A romantic comedy-drama, the show follows the long-distance relationship of Gavin from Billericay in Essex, England, and Stacey from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The writers of the show, actors James Corden and Ruth Jones, also...
, Pulling, Early Doors
Early Doors
Early Doors is a BBC sitcom written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey who also appear in the series playing best friends Joe and Duffy. The setting is The Grapes, a small public house in Greater Manchester, where daily life revolves around the issues of love, loneliness and blocked urinals...
, High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman
High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman
High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman is a British television comedy show broadcast on BBC ThreeIt features character comedian Marc Wootton playing an effete and slightly vicious fake medium/psychic...
, Monkey Dust
Monkey Dust
Monkey Dust is a British satirical cartoon, notorious for its dark humour and handling of taboo topics such as murder, suicide and paedophilia. There were three series broadcast on BBC Three between 2003 and 2005...
, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps was a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and initially revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings, played by Ralf Little , Sheridan Smith , Will Mellor , Natalie Casey and...
, 15 Storeys High
15 Storeys High
15 Storeys High is a critically acclaimed British sitcom, set in a tower block. The main characters are Vince Clark, a misanthropic, cynical recluse played by Sean Lock, and Errol Spears, Vince's exact opposite and whipping boy, played by Benedict Wong....
, Snuff Box, Grownups, 3 Non-Blondes
3 Non-Blondes
3 Non-Blondes is a hidden camera comedy show , distributed by the British Broadcasting Corporation on the BBC Three digital network channel. It also airs on BBC America and Comedy Channel in Australia.Ninia Benjamin, Tameka Empson and Jocelyn Jee Esien play a range of comical characters to the...
, Breezeblock, Ideal
Ideal (TV series)
Ideal is a British comedy-drama, or dark comedy originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three, created by Graham Duff and produced by BBC Comedy North and Baby Cow Productions. It stars Johnny Vegas as small-time cannabis dealer Moz....
, Funland
Funland
Funland is a comedy / thriller serial, produced by the BBC that was first screened from Sunday 23 October 2005 to Monday 7 November 2005 , on the digital channel BBC Three...
, The Smoking Room
The Smoking Room
The Smoking Room is a British television sitcom written by Brian Dooley, who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, was originally transmitted on BBC Three between 29 June and 17 August 2004. The Christmas Special was first transmitted on the same...
and Man Stroke Woman
Man Stroke Woman
Man Stroke Woman is a British television comedy sketch show directed by Richard Cantor and produced by Ash Atalla and starring Amanda Abbington, Ben Crompton, Daisy Haggard, Meredith MacNeill, Nicholas Burns and Nick Frost. In addition to being broadcast on digital channel BBC Three in the United...
.
He commissioned various dramas including Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, Casanova
Casanova (2005 TV serial)
Casanova is a 2005 British television comedy drama serial, written by television scriptwriter Russell T Davies and directed by Sheree Folkson...
, Bodies
Bodies (TV series)
Bodies is a BAFTA-nominated British television medical drama produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. Created by Jed Mercurio, the series began in 2004 and is based on his book Bodies. The first series debuted on BBC Three as the channel at this time was trying to break out into hour-long...
, Outlaws, Burn It
Burn It
Burn It was a drama series, with touches of dark comedy, following the lives of three twenty-somethings in present-day Manchester.-About:The series followed Carl, Andy and Jon as three self-proclaimed Generation X-ers going through life without any real responsibilities to worry them...
and Conviction
Conviction (2004 TV series)
Conviction is a British television crime drama that premiered on BBC Three on 7 November 2004. The six part series was written by Bill Gallagher and stars William Ash, David Warner, Ian Puleston-Davies, Reece Dinsdale, Nicholas Gleaves, Laura Fraser and Jason Watkins...
. He kickstarted parenting programming on TV, with Who Rules The Roost, Honey, We're Killing The Kids
Honey, We're Killing the Kids
Honey, We're Killing the Kids is the name of a BBC television series in which parents are shown the consequences of poor parenting. The program shows computer-generated images of what their children may look like as adults if they continue with their present life-style, dietary and exercise habits...
, Little Angels and The House of Tiny Tearaways both presented by Tanya Byron
Tanya Byron
Tanya Byron is a British psychologist, writer and media personality, best known for her work as a child therapist on television shows Little Angels and The House of Tiny Tearaways...
. Other commissioned shows included Flashmob The Opera (a live opera from Paddington Station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
) and Flashmob The Opera: Meadowhall.
BBC Three won six BAFTAs, five British Comedy Awards
British Comedy Awards
The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
, 15 RTSs and five Rose d'Or Awards under his controllership. In his final year BBC Three won Broadcast Digital Channel of the Year for Best Entertainment Channel, and MGEITF Non Terrestrial Channel of the Year.
He was tipped as an outsider in the running for the controllership of 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...
in 2007. In 2004 The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
included Murphy in a list of 80 young people who they believed would shape people's lives in the early 21st Century.
Commercial Broadcasters
After BBC Three he joined RDF MediaRDF 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...
in 2006 where he stayed for 11 weeks.
Between 2006 and 2008, he was the Creative Director of Twofour
Twofour
Twofour is a UK independent media group that was founded in 1988 by Charles Wace, a former TV news producer and brother of financier Ian Wace. It has grown to become one of the largest independent media groups in the UK, employing over 350 people internationally....
Broadcast.
Sky1
He joined Sky1 in May 2009 and commissioned a variety of drama, entertainment, and factual programmes including Got to Dance, Must Be the MusicMust Be The Music (TV series)
Must Be the Music was a British television musical talent competition contested by aspiring singers and musicians drawn from public auditions. The show was a music competition and reality show that was broadcast in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Auditions were held in Edinburgh,...
, A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own (game show)
A League of Their Own is a comedy panel game that was first broadcast on Sky1 on 11 March 2010. It is hosted by Gavin and Stacey star James Corden and features Andrew Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp as team captains and Georgie Thompson and John Bishop as regular panellists, alongside two weekly...
, Ten Minute Tales, Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
Terry Pratchett's Going Postal is a two-part television adaptation of the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett, adapted by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle and produced by The Mob, which was first broadcast on Sky1, and in high definition on Sky1 HD, at the end of May 2010.It is the third in a...
, Strike Back
Strike Back (TV series)
Chris Ryan's Strike Back is a six-part British television series based on the novel of the same name written by best-selling author and former soldier of the Special Air Service, Chris Ryan. It was produced by Left Bank Pictures for Sky1...
, Mad Dogs
Mad Dogs (TV series)
Mad Dogs is a four-part British black comedy and psychological thriller television series created by Cris Cole that started broadcast on Sky1 on 10 February 2011. It was produced by Left Bank Pictures, and co-produced by Palma Pictures. The series stars John Simm, Marc Warren, Max Beesley and...
, The Runaway, Little Crackers
Little Crackers
Little Crackers is a British television comedy series that was broadcast on Sky1 and Sky1 HD in December 2010. It consists of a series of short films featuring stars of British comedy including Dawn French, Stephen Fry and Catherine Tate...
, Ross Kemp: Middle East Special, Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios (TV series)
Pineapple Dance Studios is a docusoap which aired on Sky1 during 2010. The show gave viewers an insight into the world of Pineapple Dance Studios, a London dance complex, and introduced several employees including Louie Spence and Andrew Stone. The show was first broadcast on 14 February 2010 on...
, Louie Spence’s Showbusiness
Louie Spence's Showbusiness
Louie Spence's Showbusiness is a docusoap that is the follow-up series to Pineapple Dance Studios. It was announced by Louie Spence on Alan Carr: Chatty Man on 9 July 2010 and he stated that the series would be "the same, but bigger; if that's possible." It has a similar format to its predecessor...
, An Idiot Abroad
An Idiot Abroad
An Idiot Abroad is a travel documentary television series broadcast on Sky1, as well as a spin-off book published by Canongate Books, created by and featuring Karl Pilkington and his former radio show colleagues Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant....
.
Sky Atlantic
In November 2010 he was made Director of Commissioning across all Sky Entertainment channels. He was also given responsibility for launching Sky Atlantic, a new entertainment channel which is the home of the majority of HBO content in the UK. He bought Mad MenMad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
(previously at the BBC), Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
(previously at ITV) as well as Blue Bloods
Blue Bloods (TV series)
Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. The show premiered on September 24, 2010, with episodes airing on Fridays at 10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific/9:00 PM Central and Mountain....
and The Borgias
The Borgias (2011 TV series)
The Borgias is a 2011 historical fiction television series created by Neil Jordan.The series is based on the Borgia family, an Italian dynasty of Spanish origin, and stars Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI with David Oakes, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger and Aidan Alexander as Juan, Cesare,...
. He commissioned screenwriter Paul Abbott
Paul Abbott
Paul Abbott is a BAFTA award-winning English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain today, following his work on many popular series, including Coronation Street, Cracker and Shameless,...
to make Sky Atlantic's first drama, Hit and Miss, commissioned cult comedy This is Jinsy
This is Jinsy
This is Jinsy is a British comedy programme. The pilot first aired on 1 March 2010 on BBC Three. The programme is about the bizarre residents of the fictional island of Jinsy. The show was written by Chris Bran and Justin Chubb who also play the leading roles...
, and commissioned documentary Flying Monsters with David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
.
Sky Atlantic launched on 1 February 2011.