Northern Irish TV producer J Brian Waddell dies
The death of J Brian Waddell, founder of Northern Ireland’s longest established television production company, Waddell Media, has been announced.
A former newspaper journalist and director of programmes for UTV, Waddell founded his eponymous production company in 1988, initially contributing to Irish broadcasters before developing a portfolio of factual, lifestyle and entertainment shows for 49 countries worldwide.
Waddell Media currently produces 50 hours of programming each year including The One Show for the BBC. The company also has offices in New York where it creates content for Discovery and National Geographic, and recently announced a new partnership with My Family creator DLT Entertainment.
BBC Northern Ireland’s head of programmes Ailsa Orr described Waddell as “a patriarch of broadcasting in Northern Ireland and a passionate and inspired filmmaker”.
He died from a heart attack following minor surgery on Wednesday 16 December.
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