Summary
MICHAEL GRADE'S sudden exit from the BBC continues to rankle his former colleagues at the corporation. I understand that some are now particularly keen to set the record straight on his early career. Grade was initially at the BBC between 1984-87, as Controller of BBC1. In this capacity he has been credited with "launching" the channel's flagship soap opera EastEnders, which first aired in February 1985. But how much did Grade really have to do with EastEnders reaching the small screen?
History relates that EastEnders' cocreators, Tony Holland and the late Julia Smith, were approached by BBC executives in 1983 - the year before Grade's arrival - with a request to write a biweekly soap to compete with ITV favourites Coronation Street, Emmerdale Farm and Crossroads. Two proposed settings were given to Smith and Holland.See the full content of this document
Extract
Knives Come Out for Grade
One was a caravan s...
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