Stuart Prebble obit

Stuart Prebble Dies: Former ITV Boss & ‘Grumpy Old Men’ Creator Was 74

 

He was not on the list.

Stuart Prebble, the creator of the Grumpy Old Men BBC series and a former CEO of ITV, has died aged 74. Prebble died of pancreatic cancer on August 21, his family confirmed.

Prebble was a much-liked British TV executive who held senior roles both creative and commercial.

British broadcaster Michael Crick called Prebble “one of the most distinguished TV journalists of modern times” as he paid tribute on X.

After leaving university, he first edited the World in Action current affairs series before beginning to work his way up the ladder at UK network ITV overseeing factual shows.

He become ITV CEO in April 2001 and subsequently CEO of ITV Digital before leaving to set up an indie called Liberty Bell.

At Liberty Bell, Prebble came up with the Grumpy Old Men series, which involved a number of well-known middle-aged men talking about issues in modern life that irritated them. Contributors included Jeremy Clarkson, Bob Geldof and John Humphrys. The show amassed a cult following and ran for three series, leading to a spin-off titled Grumpy Old Women. This one featured Lesley Joseph, Janet Street-Porter and Jenny Eclair.

Prebble later sold Liberty Bell to Avalon and set up another indie, StoryVault Films, of which he was chair at the time of his death. That indie makes Sky’s highly-rated series Portrait Artist of the Year, which has won several awards. Prebble posted recently on Instagram that he was “Deliriously happy” filming Season 11 of the hit Sky show.

 

Director

Grumpy Old Men (2003)

Grumpy Old Men

7.6

TV Series

Director

2006

1 episode

 

World in Action (1963)

World in Action

7.1

TV Series

Director

1986–1988

2 episodes

 

Writer

Grumpy Old Men (2003)

Grumpy Old Men

7.6

TV Series

writer

2003–2006

2 episodes

 

Grumpy Old Men at Christmas

6.5

TV Movie

Writer

2003

 

Producer

Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner in Landscape Artist of the Year (2015)

Landscape Artist of the Year

8.2

TV Series

executive producer

2025

9 episodes

 

Phoebe Hicks, Tai Shan Schierenberg, and Adebanji Alade in Artist of the Year: Masterclass (2024)

Artist of the Year: Masterclass

TV Series

executive producer

2024

11 episodes

 

Portrait Artist of the Year (2013)

Portrait Artist of the Year

8.2

TV Series

executive producer

2014–2024

102 episodes

 

Vive la Revolution! Joan Bakewell on May '68

TV Movie

executive producer

2018

 

Melvyn Bragg in Melvyn Bragg on TV: The Box That Changed the World (2017)

Melvyn Bragg on TV: The Box That Changed the World

6.1

TV Movie

executive producer

2017

 

Adrian Chiles in My Mediterranean with Adrian Chiles (2016)

My Mediterranean with Adrian Chiles

8.4

TV Series

executive producer

2016

2 episodes

 

Melvyn Bragg: Wigton to Westminster

TV Movie

executive producer

2015

 

Thalidomide: The Fifty Year Fight (2014)

Thalidomide: The Fifty Year Fight

TV Movie

executive producer

2014

 

Diana: Her Story

7.4

TV Movie

executive producer

2012

 

Three Men Go to Ireland (2009)

Three Men Go to Ireland

7.6

TV Mini Series

executive producer: Liberty Bell

2009–2010

2 episodes

 

Willie's Chocolate Revolution: Raising the Bar

TV Series

executive producer

2009

3 episodes

 

Three Men in More Than One Boat (2009)

Three Men in More Than One Boat

7.6

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2009

2 episodes

 

Dispatches (1987)

Dispatches

6.5

TV Series

executive producer

2008

1 episode

 

Am I Normal?

7.1

TV Series

executive producer

2008

4 episodes

 

Willie Harcourt-Cooze in Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory (2008)

Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory

6.7

TV Series

executive producer

2008

4 episodes

 

Three Men in a Boat (2006)

Three Men in Another Boat

7.5

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2008

2 episodes

 

How to Get More Sex

5.8

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2007

 

The Grumpy Guide to...

6.9

TV Series

executive producer

2007

10 episodes

 

TV Is Dead?

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2007

5 episodes

 

The Alastair Campbell Diaries

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2007

 

Grumpy Old New Year

6.7

TV Movie

executive producer

2006

 

Don't Get Me Started!

7.6

TV Series

executive producer

2005–2006

2 episodes

 

Grumpy Old Holidays

8.2

TV Series

executive producer

2006

4 episodes

 

Grumpy Old Women

7.2

TV Series

executive producer

2006

1 episode

 

My Appalling School Report

TV Series

executive producer

2006

 

Three Men in a Boat (2006)

Three Men in a Boat

7.5

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2006

2 episodes

 

Why Is There So Much Rubbish on Telly?

executive producer

2005

 

World's Greatest Conspiracy Theories

5.5

TV Movie

executive producer

2004

 

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

TV Series

executive producer

2004

 

Victoria Wood's Big Fat Documentary

8.2

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2004

1 episode

 

Grumpy Old Men at Christmas

6.5

TV Movie

executive producer

2003

 

Grumpy Old Men (2003)

Grumpy Old Men

7.6

TV Series

executive producer

2003

1 episode

 

Being There (1993)

Being There

TV Series

executive producer

1993–1996

 

Open Eye (1990)

Open Eye

TV Series

executive producer

1990–1992

7 episodes

 

World in Action (1963)

World in Action

7.1

TV Series

producerseries editor

1981–1991

42 episodes

 

Editor

World in Action (1963)

World in Action

7.1

TV Series

Editor

1987–1989

58 episodes

 

Self

Breakfast (2000)

Breakfast

5.2

TV Series

Self

2006

1 episode

 

The Media Show (1987)

The Media Show

5.1

TV Series

Self

1989

1 episode

 

World in Action (1963)

World in Action

7.1

TV Series

Self - Presenter

1982–1987

3 episodes