Barrie Edgar

Anthony Barrie Edgar (26 April 1919 – 28 December 2012), known as Barrie Edgar, was an English television producer. Edgar began working for the BBC when its television service resumed after the Second World War, remaining with the corporation until his retirement in 1979. During the course of his career, he produced over 1,200 programmes, including multiple episodes of the long-running series Songs of Praise, Gardeners' World and Come Dancing.

Barrie Edgar was born in Birmingham, the only child of Elsie Ann (née Wright) and Percy Edgar. His father was a music hall performer and concert organiser who established the BBC radio station 5IT. Barrie was educated at Oundle School and had an interest in acting from a young age. At the age of 14, he played Tom Brown in a Children's Hour radio production of Tom Brown's Schooldays, which starred Frank Benson as Dr Arnold.

After leaving school, he worked as a voluntary assistant stage manager at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham. Although unpaid, he worked seven days a week — six days of performances, with a scenery changeover on Sundays. In 1937 he became a stage manager for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. This job was offered to him by the theatre's managing director Barry Jackson. While at the theatre, he also had acting experience as an extra. He also had broadcasting experience in 1938 when a group from the theatre, with Edgar as assistant stage manager, performed at Alexandra Palace in London for a live television broadcast of a drama by Adelaide Phillpotts.

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