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Richard Woolfe, 41, thrives on life at the edge. As the tele- vision champion of paranor- mal television, Most Haunted, Sixth Sense, he relishes controver- sy. At Edinburgh, one of his com- petitors, Sky 1’s controller Sarah Ramsden, let fly. “You’re making money out of people’s grief. I find it grossly tasteless”, she said.
Back at Living TV’s HQ in London’s Great Portland Street, an unrepentant Woolfe fired back: “Sarah has a bee in her bonnet about the paranormal.
I say to her ‘Are you a book burn- er? If you had been around in the days of Galileo and Darwin would you have lopped off their heads?’
He explains: “I’m not suggest- ing that we offer proof about ‘the other side’. Broadcasters need to be grown up, respect their audi- ence. We present evidence and ask viewers to decide. If we ban the paranormal we’re on that slippery slope to censorship.”
Woolfe, a fully paid up mem- ber of the 24/7 club is a worka- holic. “Absolutely. Love it.” He’s in the office by 8.15; golden hour answering e-mails; rapid feed- back to programme ideas; back to back meetings; dinner with
producers and talent – then home to ‘my mini-focus group’ wife Hillary and teenagers Elise and Daniel.
“Living TV is the No 1 channel for women. We are about con- necting women and celebrating life with programmes about chil- dren, relationships, comedy, hav- ing a good time. The advertisers want us to reach women 16 - 44. We’re hitting the button big time.”
Woolfe (once hot favourite for Kevin Lygo’s job at Five but lost out to Dan Chambers) is irrepress- ibly enthusiastic. Was it a huge disappointment? “Not at all. I did- n’t go looking for it. I was enor- mously flattered but my work on Living is far from finished and I’ve just been given the men’s chan- nel Bravo.
“When I came to Living TV two years ago, it was a channel in decline. My greatest pleasure comes from having been able to change that perception in the trade and with our customers.”
A glance at his autumn schedule suggests Woolfe will be out there, full-throttle, stirring it up.
“We’re embracing Pink Programming. The idea is that women have a gay best friend. Queer Eye For The Straight Guy
from the States will have big appeal. Five guys, experts in fash- ion, culture, interior design, grooming, food and wine, descend on a straight guy – egged on by wife or girlfriend – and make better. The dynamics are fantastic.”
Speedily, Woolfe commissioned a UK version which launches in November. And he’s holding nationwide auditions for Strip Search – Pop Idol meets Full Monty.
“These are warm shows, great fun. You can watch them with your kids. So Pink, I hope, will be our new Pashmina!”
Proud parents, Flextech/Telewest are happy to indulge. Woolfe’s touch has helped double their commercial impact over the past six months.
All in a day’s work for the den- tist’s son from Brighton who quali- fied as a teacher before forcing his way into television as a researcher on That’s Life.
People who know him best say beneath that boundless enthusiasm lies a steel-trap ambi- tion. When he says: “One day it might be nice to have a go at running a terrestrial,” you sense it might be only a matter of time.
Living TV, 112 on your Sky digital dial, celebrates its 10th Anniversary this autumn. Director of Programmes Richard Woolfe talks to John Morrell about the paranormal, Pink Programming and his search for male strippers.
Pippa Cross’s
six of the best
Industry personalities hand out their very own BAFTAs
Most Impressive Character
That would be Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, a film that always grabs me by the throat. It’s an extraordinary piece of filmmaking dealing with live issues, which might be why it continues to have an impact on people. The first film I was involved in was My Left Foot and it ended up at the Oscars, and when I went there I walked up to Gregory Peck and was able to shake him by the hand and congratulate him on that film. He looked at me like I was barmy, but I was so glad I did it.
Scariest Movie
Don’t Look Now is, I think, the scariest film in the world. Others since have made me jump but none has had quite the same effect. I saw it when I was a stu- dent, and literally ended up on the floor between the rows of the cinema.
Most Poignant Scene
This comes at the end of Oh! What A Lovely War, and I’m think- ing of this partly because of the celebrations surrounding Lord Attenborough’s birthday but also because it shows the endless rows of crosses on the graves. That seems to be one of the most
poignant moments in British cine- ma, and an image we should hold on to.
Funniest film
I settled upon Les Visiteurs because I was trying to think of a film that I’d really, really laughed at. I discarded more obvious choices, and remembered what a treat that film was for me. The trouble with a lot of comedies is that they’re hyped to the hilt so that by the time you get to see it you’re sure you’re going to laugh – but you don’t.
Uncomfortably Close to
Home award
Welcome To Sarajevo, which I first saw at Dinard. That film brought home to me what was going on just a few hundred miles away from us. I suppose the film that I’ve been involved in that had a similar feeling to it was Bloody Sunday, which was a very imme-
diate depiction of something that had happened long ago but which people literally couldn’t or wouldn’t understand.
Most fun ‘popcorn movie’
Star Wars came out when I was at an age it felt new and fresh.
I must have planned my family just right, because I got to go and see them all again with my children when they were re- released years later. I think we have to be grateful for the trail that film blazed. It’s an extraordi- nary, in many ways very elemen- tal and classical, piece of story- telling with terrific production values. It seemed to present so many possibilities.
Pippa Cross is the former head of Granada Films. In the summer of 2003 she produced Kay Mellor’s latest Gifted for ITV. She also formed CrossDay Productions with Janette Day.
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