Having worked as a television producer for over fifty years, Beryl Vertue’s career has included programmes that have become part of the fabric of British television – Men Behaving Badly, Coupling and, most recently, Sherlock amongst them. On top of the impressive list of credits, Vertue is also responsible for pioneering the idea of intellectual property in television, and developed the format for selling UK programmes worldwide before forming one of the first independent production companies. Although undoubtedly a powerhouse and legendary amongst producers and comedians, the sheer longevity of her career means that audiences are often unaware of exactly how influential her contribution to the industry has been. The BFI’s double bill of events was a perfect introduction not only to Vertue as a personality, but also a fascinating insight into the massive body of work she’d produced.
Tuesday 26th February saw two events at the BFI Southbank, introducing some of Vertue’s work as well as giving the audience a chance to hear from the woman herself. The Comedies of Beryl Vertue was a screening of three of Vertue’s comedies – Men Behaving Badly, My Good Friend and Is It Legal?. Each programme was briefly introduced by her long-term collaborators, writer Simon Nye and director Martin Dennis. All three episodes were produced in a relatively similar period of time (1995-1998), and featured Dennis as a director, with Nye as a writer on two out of the three. As a figure who has been responsible for a large amount of programming over the last fifty years, Beryl Vertue has produced work with a huge variety of content and style – but as the three programmes showcased were chosen by Vertue herself as particular favourites, the session was an excellent opportunity to see her perspective on her own successes.
The second event, In Conversation With Beryl Vertue, was introduced with a short film; this lasted only a few minutes but managed to briefly condense the catalogue of work that Vertue has had a hand in creating over the years. This was followed by a conversation with Vertue herself, led by Paul Jackson, the former Director of Entertainment & Comedy at ITV and current CEO of Eyeworks UK. Jackson was the perfect choice of interviewer – having long been acquainted with Vertue, he was knowledgeable enough to pick up on particular highlights and stories of her career whilst keeping the interview constantly moving forward to cover as much as possible over the two hours.
The conversation looked at Vertue’s career right from the start – working as a secretary and agent for Associated London Scripts – through to her work selling formats internationally, and setting up Hartswood Films. The interview’s real success was the way in which it highlighted Vertue’s personality; she spoke vividly and with a great deal of humour about her career and achievements. Her no-nonsense attitude to making things happen ran throughout, and she mentioned a piece of advice from Spike Milligan, who told her that the “only way to make things happen is to go to the top”. This attitude, arguably, was an instrumental factor in constructing a career of such longevity and merit – colleagues throughout the evening described her as “never taking no for an answer”.
The BFI’s programme for the evening left its audience in no doubt as to how important Vertue’s contribution has been to television, both in the UK and abroad. Ending the evening with a standing ovation from an audience of both long-term colleagues – including Mark Gatiss, Imelda Staunton and Sarah Alexander – and her own fans was a real measure of her success. Beryl Vertue is unmistakably a highly valued and much loved presence in the industry.
Isabel Dixon
