Influential BBC arts broadcaster Alan Yentob dies aged 78

The influential BBC broadcaster Alan Yentob, who profiled countless major artists over multiple decades, has died at the age of 78.

He helmed numerous television arts shows, including Imagine, Omnibus and Arena, and became known for his in-depth interviews with figures like David Bowie, Jay-Z, Leonard Cohen, Grayson Perry, Salman Rushdie and Orson Welles.

Yentob was also a high-ranking executive at the BBC, including spells controlling BBC One and Two, during which time he also oversaw the commissioning of many longstanding cultural programmes, notably Later…With Jools Holland in 1992.

The news was confirmed in a statement from his family, who said that he passed away on Saturday (May 24). His wife Philippa Walker said: “For Jacob, Bella and I every say with Alan had the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.”

“He was curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”

Born in London in 1947 into an Iraqi Jewish family, he joined the BBC World Service in 1968 as a production assistant and landed his first major role as the editor of Arena in 1975.

Released that year, his documentary film Cracked Actor profiled David Bowie during his Diamond Dogs tour in the US, a period during which he was struggling with cocaine addiction. Showcasing Bowie’s fragile mental state and creative inspirations, it became one of the defining depictions of Bowie’s career.

Yentob routinely targeted musicians as subjects for his documentaries and he oversaw the launch of Later…With Jools Holland while controlling BBC Two, a show that is currently in its 66th season on the air. During his time in charge of BBC One, he commissioned acclaimed shows such as Our Friends In The North and Absolutely Fabulous, and he also launched CBBC and CBeebies.

See some reactions to Yentob’s passing below.

"To work with Alan was to be inspired and encouraged to think bigger"

Director-General Tim Davie pays tribute to Alan Yentob, "one of the defining figures in the story of British culture"

More: https://t.co/yPWt5OEAf2 pic.twitter.com/64fW8E3oGt

— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) May 25, 2025

R.I.P. ALAN YENTOB

Sad to learn of the passing of Alan Yentob, the long-serving BBC arts broadcaster and documentary-maker, who has died aged 78.

Bowie fans became aware of Yentob's fifty-minute BBC 1 Cracked Actor documentary, when it first aired fifty years ago in January… pic.twitter.com/xxkyfdxuDK

— David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) May 25, 2025

We’ve lost a tip top chap. Our advocate from the start… Alan Yentob. pic.twitter.com/x7bs4FvM88

— Dawn French (@Dawn_French) May 25, 2025

Very sad to hear about the death of Alan Yentob. Here he is backstage after one of my shows, being incredibly supportive, as he always was. A lovely man, and a king of TV. pic.twitter.com/sHhCqsffk7

— David Baddiel (@Baddiel) May 25, 2025

Alan Yentob was a one of a kind documentary maker, an effortless broadcaster and had such an inquisitive mind. Knew how to make television interesting and thought provoking.

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 25, 2025

Yentob resigned from his role as the BBC’s creative director in 2015 after facing scrutiny for his role as chairmen of Kids Company, a charity accused of financial mismanagement.

He is survived by his wife Philippa Walker and their two children.

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