bbspy

Peter Bazalgette, the man that brought Big Brother to UK television, has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

The 58-year-old – who also pioneered lifestyle programming, creating shows such as Ready Steady Cook, Changing Rooms and Ground Force – received the accolade for services to broadcasting.

He commented: “To receive a knighthood is a delightful compliment and I’m acknowledging it as recognition for television’s thriving independent production sector in general.”

Bazalgette’s production company Bazal was absorbed by Endemol in 1990. In 2000, he sold the Big Brother format in the UK, three years after Endemol founder John De Mol created it in the Netherlands.

In the eleven years since, there have been 24 series including spin-offs, three of which were produced under the Bazal name. The UK version has been credited with accelerating the global popularity of the show, which has aired in over seventy countries.

Bazalgette left Endemol in 2007 and is currently the president of the Royal Television Society and a consultant in the media industry.