Bill Cotton: man behind the BBC's 'golden age'

As a producer of the BBC's light entertainment from 1956, head of light entertainment from 1970 to 1977 and later as BBC1 controller and managing director of BBC television, Bill Cotton set the benchmark for the corporation's output Photograph: PA

Dick Emery as the vicar in one of the sketches from the The Dick Emery Show. The programme became a mainstay of the BBC schedules, running from 1963 to 1981 over 18 series and 166 episodes Photograph: BBC

Having made a name for himself as a children's TV presenter in Australia, Rolf Harris was backed by Cotton with BBC shows Hi There and Hey Presto it’s Rolf in 1964, and The Rolf Harris Show in 1967 Photograph: BBC

After several specials on ITV, Cotton gave singer Cilla Black her big break with a variety-entertainment show in 1968. It ran for eight seasons until 1976. She returned to TV in 1984 with ITV's Surprise Surprise, which was followed a year later by the massive hit Blind Date Photograph: BBC

After the puppet fox had appeared with magician David Nixon in his variety shows, Cotton gave Basil Brush his own programme from 1968. It won a Saturday slot - after the football results - from 1975, joining shows such as Doctor Who, The Generation Game, The Two Ronnies, Match of the Day and Parkinson in the weekend lineup and achieving regular ratings of more than 13 million viewers Photograph: BBC

Cotton helped launch Irish singer Val Doonican as a TV star with his own show from 1971 at a time when UK viewing was dominated by the likes of Perry Como and Dick Van Dyke. 'Given the choice, we ought to use our rubbish,' Cotton quipped about European talent Photograph: Rex Features

Cotton commissioned Dad's Army in 1968 despite fears that the Home Guard drama might offend some viewers. Despite the concern, it proved a hit, regularly attracting an audience of 18 million during the 1970s. David Croft, who created the show with Jimmy Perry, said Cotton was 'the master jeweller' of 'a golden age of television'. 'He had a nose for a hit,' added Croft. 'He was a wonderful showman and a great believer in his producers and he backed us to the hilt' Photograph: PA

Cotton lured Morecambe & Wise from ITV in 1968 after they fell out with the channel's head, Lew (later Lord) Grade. Following a tip-off from Grade's nephew, Michael, they were offered a colour series on BBC2 (the only station able to offer colour transmission at the time), with repeats on BBC1. The duo proved a massive hit, and their 1977 Christmas special attracted 28 million viewers, a record for a light entertainment programme Photograph: Rex Features

Cotton signed The Two Ronnies - Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett - in 1971 for a 13-week run of their own series. It eventually ran for nearly 20 years Photograph: BBC

Offbeat comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus made its debut in 1969. The show aired late at night and was replaced in the Midlands by a farming show. Despite this, Cotton responded to word-of-mouth acclaim and commissioned a second series in 1970 Photograph: BBC/PA

Seeking to emulate the success of US chatshows, Cotton recruited BBC reporter Michael Parkinson as host of his own show. The new show, Parkinson, became an instant hit when it was launched in 1971 Photograph: BBC/PA

Bruce Forsyth strikes a classic pose at the start of The Generation Game, which ran on BBC1 from 1971. Forsyth said it was Cotton's idea for him to host the show, which regularly attracted 20 million viewers. 'He wanted me to do it and it changed my life' Photograph: BBC

Two Ronnies star Ronnie Barker was joined by Richard Beckinsale (left) in comedy series Porridge from 1974. Despite tabloid outrage over its glorification of prison life, it proved a massive success, spawning a spin-off movie and the series Going Straight Photograph: BBC

Other hit shows during Cotton's tenure at the BBC included Till Death Do Us Part, Steptoe & Son, Fawlty Towers, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Last of the Summer Wine, The Likely Lads and The Good Life. '[His shows] helped to define not just a genre but a generation,' said BBC creative director Alan Yentob Photograph: Rex Features