Bill Podmore
| Bill Podmore | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Edgar William Podmore 15 August 1931 Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 22 January 1994 (aged 62) Cheadle, , England |
| Occupation | TV producer |
| Years active | 1967–88 |
| Spouse(s) | Gillian Podmore (separated) |
| Partner(s) | Millie Preece |
Edgar William "Bill" Podmore (15 August 1931 – 22 January 1994) was a British television producer. Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, he was best known for his long association with the soap opera Coronation Street, a series he produced for twelve years (1976–88). This period is now widely regarded as a "golden era" in the programme's history.
Initially a Royal Air Force pilot, he became a TV cameraman for the BBC, shortly after with Granada Television and later, a director. When, as a relatively young man, he was called upon to direct an episode of Coronation Street, Violet Carson (Ena Sharples) with a massive twinkle in her eye, drew herself up to her full height and confronted him - "Hello Bill, welcome...my train leaves at 5.30 p.m.!"
Bill was asked to take over as producer of "the Street" in 1976. Initially he turned the offer down flat. As former Street writer John Stevenson recalled recently in a BBC Radio 2 documentary, "Coronation Street was on a downward slope at the time. Stevenson stated that no-one wanted to work on it, the quality of the scripts had dropped, the storylines were poor and it was becoming something of a joke within the TV industry to have to work on it".
Podmore helped steer the programme back onto an even keel. He referred to this as "re-decoration, not demolition" meaning that he intended to capitalise on the strengths he already had there. Thus the Ogdens became a comedic double act yet again, and Eddie Yeats, who before Podmore's stewardship had been nothing more than a petty thug, became the Ogdens' surrogate son and was revealed to have a heart of gold. Bill brought in new characters, such as Renee Bradshaw, and brought minor characters, such as Fred Gee and Vera Duckworth, to the fore.
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