Tony Garnett picked by Harry Bradbeer

Tony Garnett picked by Harry Bradbeer

From Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

May 19, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

This episode features Harry Bradbeer discussing the life and impact of Tony Garnett, a pioneering figure in British television and film.

Tony Garnett was born in Birmingham and, after a brief career as an actor, found a new role behind the scenes of The Wednesday Play. These rapidly gained a reputation in the sixties for social realism, and together with Ken Loach and Roger Smith, Tony produced short, pioneering films that are still famous today. Cathy Come Home was a shocking expose of homelessness, while Up The Junction contained a trip to the abortionist that drew hundreds of complaints. Tony's own mother had died following an illegal backstreet abortion, and his father committed suicide shortly after. Ken Loach reckons that tragedy hung over him his whole life. Nominating Tony Garnett is Harry Bradbeer, winner of multiple awards for his involvement in series such as Fleabag and Killing Eve. He worked with Tony Garnett on the hit nineties tv series about young lawyers in London, This Life. Also contributing to this special episode of Great Lives are Susanna Capon, who was a trainee script editor on The Wednesday Play; and Ken Loach himself, now almost ninety and interviewed in his current hometown of Bath by producer Miles Warde. The presenter is Matthew Parris and Great Lives is a BBC Studios production in…

People in this episode

Host: Matthew Parris

Guest: Harry Bradbeer

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC Radio 4, BBC Studios

Books & works: This Life, The Wednesday Play, Cathy Come Home, Up The Junction

Places: Birmingham, Bath

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