Lambert, Verity Ann, 1935-2007, television producer

Verity Ann Lambert OBE was an internationally renowned television and film producer. Educated at Roedean and at the Sorbonne, Lambert, as the first producer of the television series ‘Doctor Who’ in 1963, became the BBC’s youngest, and only female, drama producer. After completing two series of Doctor Who, she moved on to produce the series ‘Adam Adamant’, ‘Detective’ and a series based on the short stories of Somerset Maugham, for which she received a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Award) in 1969. Joining London Weekend Television the same year, she produced, amongst others, ‘Budgie’ and ‘Between the Wars’. In 1974, Lambert was appointed Controller of Drama at Thames Television, where she developed the highly acclaimed series ‘Rock Follies’, ‘Rumpole of the Bailey’, ‘Edward and Mrs Simpson’ and the International Emmy-winning television film ‘The Naked Civil Servant’. Two years later she moved to Euston Films, working as executive producer on television series including ‘Minder’, ‘Reilly - Ace of Spies’, and ‘Widows’, before being appointed Chief Executive of Euston Films in 1979. A move to Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment as Director of Production followed in 1982, where she was executive producer for a number of films including ‘Dreamchild’ and ‘Clockwise’. After setting up her own independent production company, ‘Cinema Verity Ltd’, in 1985, she went on to produce the film ‘A Cry in the Dark’, the television series ‘Jonathan Creek’ and ‘Love Soup’, and was executive producer on ‘GBH’, ‘May to December’ and ‘Eldorado’.

Lambert’s achievements were well recognised by both the television and business communities, and she received numerous international awards and marks of esteem throughout her career. In 1983, she was named the Veuve-Cliquot ‘Business Woman of the Year’, and Women’s Own magazine ‘Woman of Achievement’. In 1988, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Strathclyde and in 1991, she received the Women in Film ‘Simon Olswang & Co. Business Award’. Appointed an OBE in 2002, she also received, in the same year, the BAFTA Alan Clarke Award for Outstanding Creative Contribution to Television. A recurring theme in her work was the role of women in society and it is fitting that in 2007, she was posthumously awarded the Women in Film ‘Working Title Films Lifetime Achievement Award’.

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997).

Created by Victoria Peters, February 2010.