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Former LWT presenter Jan Rowland runs a half a billion pound BBC business. She talks to John Morrell about Greg, Alan, Clive,
spinning and pilates.
Jan Rowland, Chief Operating Officer for BBC’s Drama, Entertainment and Children’s Division (DEC) is a tal- ented, vivacious woman in her early 40’s with an infectious laugh and a razor-sharp mind.
She belongs to that new breed of ‘can do, let’s get on
with it’ senior BBC executives who are blowing fresh creative air around the Corporation.
Rowland is completely at home with Director General Greg Dyke’s much-publicised ‘cut the crap, make it happen’ philosophy.
“You say to someone: ‘Great idea, just do it. It’s fine.’ And they say ‘I’ve just got to check with a, b and c’ and you say: ‘No you don’t, I’ll take responsibility.’”
Rowland, who joined the Corporation in November 2000 from United Broadcasting, adds, “It is all about attitude. Creative people have started to see things happen. People are enjoying themselves more; a new sense of fun is creeping down.”
A typical day starts at 8 am – once a week at the home of DEC’s Director Alan Yentob. In the outside world, where DEC would certainly be in the FT 100, Rowland is Managing Director to Yentob’s Chief Executive.
“Alan makes wonderful cap- puccino. He is the creative guru, wheeling and dealing. I run the business side – strategy, finance, HR, co-production.”
By 10.30 she is back at Television Centre for routine meet- ings with her senior team. Organic orange juice – no croissants.
Daughter of a Manchester fire chief, Rowland got her law degree at Kings College London.
“I spent my formative years running over to the High Court with writs. We were libel and media lawyers and I got to know people in television. LWT wanted an in-house lawyer and I took the job.
“Everyone in the practice told me it was an absolute mistake. Best thing I ever did,” she laughs. “My career has been completely fatalis- tic. I’ve never planned anything.”
But Greg Dyke has inter- vened twice.
“LWT producer Simon Shaps was creating a new programme to replace Weekend World. He asked if I had thought of becom- ing a presenter. No. Would I shoot some vox pops? Hesitant ‘Yes.’ Greg saw the rushes and said ‘Great, sign her up.’
“Days later, I bumped into him. ‘Have you said Yes?’ No, I’m think- ing about it. ‘There’s nothing to
think about – you don’t want to live a life of regret.’ And that was it.”
The second Dyke intervention, she suspects, produced the phone call from Yentob asking her over to the BBC for a chat.
Between times, Rowland became pivotal in the Lord (Clive) Hollick/Roger/Laughton consortium that won the Meridian franchise.
She looks back with great warmth for both men. “Clive chose well with Roger. Clive is a hard- nosed businessman. Roger instilled great loyalty in everybody.”
By 8.30 most evenings, Rowland is home, slumped in front of Malcolm In The Middle, 24 and dozens of tapes.
“But at weekends, my hus- band and I are health junkies. I do spinning (aerobics on a bike) and pilates.” She explains: “Pilates is often used for dam- aged ballet dancers. It elongates you, makes you very strong – without being bulky.”
Strong she is, bulky she isn’t. Ambitious, yes. But fate will take care of that. In the meantime, there is half a billion pounds of licence- payer’s money to look after.
Asif Kapadia’s
six of the best
Industry personalities hand out their very own BAFTAs
Best Film Performance
Gong Li in Zhang Yimou’s The Story of Qiu Ju. Pregnant woman wants an apology from the head of her village because he kicked her husband in the balls and therefore he cannot do the har- vest. No matter how many times I watch the film, there is always a moment when I think, ‘Just take the money and forget about it!’ But she doesn’t, she has her pride
and wants justice and keeps fighting until she gets what she feels she is owed.
Best Short
Jane Campion’s Passionless Moments. A collection of scenes about nothing, really. Simple, funny and clever. The film shows that those useless thoughts that come into your head can be just as valid for a film as a conven- tionally ‘dramatic’ idea.
Best Film
Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped. The clue is in the title; it’s about a bloke who breaks out of prison. Non-professional actor, hardly any dialogue or action. The story is told in the cut and it works so powerfully.
Best Film Ending
George Sluizer’s The Vanishing. A man in search of his girlfriend, who has vanished. He meets her killer and begs to know what happened. The scene opens in darkness, you can hear a man scratching around, he pulls a light out of his pocket and all is revealed... Horrific.
Best Scene
Juliette Binoche on the subway train in Michael Haneke’s Code Unknown. One static shot, ten minutes long. A woman sits on a packed subway train minding her own business; two youths tease
her, it develops and becomes darker. No one on the train does anything to help her; by the end of the scene she is attacked and finally an older man defends her. The boys run off and the woman starts to cry. The tension Haneke creates in this scene is unbeliev- able. The kind of moment that you see happening all the time but is rarely captured with this intensity in movies.
Best Titles
Scorsese’s Raging Bull. Boxer training in a ring, it is raining. One B/W shot, slow motion, the ropes cut across the frame. The odd flashbulb goes off in the back- ground. Beautiful music. Poetry.
Asif Kapadia is the co writer/director of The Warrior. He has also directed other shorts, documentaries and commercials including The Sheep Thief.
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