Andrea Wonfor | |
---|---|
Born | 31 July, 1944 Canterbury, Kent |
Died | 10 September, 2004 Ingoe, Northumberland |
Nationality | United Kingdom |
Education | Simon Langton's Girls School, Cambridge University |
Occupation | Television producer & (later) executive |
Spouse(s) | Patrick Masefield (1967, div. 1973), Geoffrey Wonfor (1974, her death) |
Children | 2 daughters |
Andrea Jean Wonfor also known as Andrea Duncan (31 July 1944 – 10 September 2004) was a British television executive and producer. Her successes included The Tube, The Big Breakfast, Byker Grove and The Word.
Wonfor was born in Margate in 1944 as Andrea Jean Duncan. She was brought up in Kent but her father had links to the north of England. She attended Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School before reading history at New Hall, Cambridge.
In 1966, after her graduation from Cambridge University, she became a trainee at Granada Television with the future Director General of the BBC John Birt as a fellow new recruit. Three years later, she joined Tyne Tees Television as a researcher and a director. By 1976, she was their head of children's and young people's programmes.
In 1982, with producer Malcolm Gerrie and her second husband, Wonfor created The Tube which was a live programme broadcast from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The programme was presented by Jools Holland and Paula Yates, launching the broadcasting careers of both presenters, despite their poor audition, according to Holland. The programme attracted high ratings for the then new Channel 4.
In 1989, Wonfor created the children's programme Byker Grove. The programme launched many careers of people from the North-East including Ant & Dec, Jill Halfpenny and Donna Air.