- [on the death of Bill Cotton] Under his leadership in the '70s the BBC commissioned and produced a raft of entertainment and comedy which set a benchmark for these genres which has rarely been surpassed. From Monty Python (Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)) to Morecambe And Wise (The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)), from The Generation Game (Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game (1971)) to Dad's Army (1968), these shows and others like them have helped to define not just a genre but a generation. Bill Cotton was always there to remind us that the BBC mission to entertain could be just as ambitious and aspirational as our commitment to inform and educate.
- [on the frustrating complications of programme commissioning] You know what these things are like. You know there is endless discussions, negotiations. You know what the American networks are like, you know what Hollywood is like, you know what the BBC is like. You can't trust anyone, believe me. These things take a while.
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