Age, Biography, and Wiki
Alan Yentob was born on March 11, 1947, in Stepney, London, to an Iraqi Jewish family. His family moved to Manchester shortly after his birth. At the age of 12, they returned to London, where he lived on Park Lane. Yentob passed away on May 24, 2025.
| Occupation | Executives |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 11 March 1947 |
| Age | 78 Years |
| Birth Place | Stepney, London, England |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | England |
| Date of death | 24 May, 2025 |
| Died Place | N/A |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is no publicly available information regarding Alan Yentob's height, weight, or other physical measurements.
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Dating & Relationship Status
There is no detailed public information available about Alan Yentob's personal relationships or marital status.
One example of this collaboration were sales of shares in Haighton Holdings in 1951 involving his mother, father and uncle Nadji Khazam. Together they were involved in the UK with various other textile manufacturers plus wholesalers such as Spencer, Turner & Boldero and Jeremiah Rotherham & Co. The families also had dealings in South Africa with their holding company Anglo-African Investments. The public companies were eventually shed and a few consolidated into Dewhurst Dent, in which Alan Yentob still owned a 10% share.
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| Husband | Philippa Walker (m. 2020) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2023, Alan Yentob's estimated net worth was around $10 million, reflecting his successful career in television. During his tenure at the BBC, his salary was significant, with a declared income of £183,000, and additional earnings ranging from £200,000 to £249,999 for his contributions as a presenter. In 2013, his salary was disclosed to be over £330,000.
In July 2009, Yentob was revealed to have accumulated a pension worth £6.3m, giving an annual retirement income of £216,667 for the rest of his life. This was one of the biggest pensions in the public sector. He earned £200,000 – £249,999 as a BBC contributor and presenter. He was paid a declared salary of £183,000 by the BBC, but additional income from the BBC for presenting and other roles was reputed to earn him an extra £150,000, bringing his BBC income to an estimated £330,000.
Career, Business, and Investments
Alan Yentob held various senior positions at the BBC, including head of music and arts, controller of BBC1 and BBC2, and the corporation's creative director from 2004 to 2015. He was also the chairman of the board of trustees for the charity Kids Company from 2003 until its collapse in 2015. Yentob was known for producing impactful and innovative television content, leaving a lasting legacy despite criticism for his self-promotion and perceived disconnect from the public.
Alan Yentob (11 March 1947 – 24 May 2025) was an English television executive and presenter. He held senior roles at the BBC, including head of music and arts, controller of BBC1 and BBC2, and was the corporation's creative director from 2004 until 2015. He was also chairman of the board of trustees of the charity Kids Company from 2003 until its collapse in 2015.
Yentob left Arena to become the BBC's head of music and arts, a position he occupied until 1987, when he was promoted to controller of BBC2, one of the youngest channel controllers in the BBC's history. Under Yentob's six-year stewardship he introduced programmes such as The Late Show, Have I Got News for You and Absolutely Fabulous.
Yentob was on the board of trustees of the Architecture Foundation. He was involved with several charities, including the posts of chairman and trustee of Kids Company.
Yentob resigned as the BBC's creative director on 3 December 2015 in the wake of allegations that he had sought to influence the BBC's coverage of the Kids Company scandal.
Yentob's role as chairman of the board of trustees for Kids Company, as well as the founder Camila Batmanghelidjh, came under close scrutiny following the collapse of the charity in early August 2015. He was accused of multiple shortcomings in oversight and financial management and of failing to ensure that he avoided a conflict of interest with his position at the BBC. It was alleged that he intervened there in an attempt to deflect criticism of Kids Company and its founder Batmanghelidjh. Yentob vigorously defended his actions and stated in August 2015 that he was "not remotely considering" resigning over his behaviour. However, he resigned on 3 December 2015.
Yentob acknowledged that he had stood in the studio of the Today programme while Batmanghelidjih was being interviewed in July, later saying that he had wished to hear what she had to say and had not been attempting to intimidate staff. He also telephoned a senior member of staff at Newsnight, asking the programme to "delay a report critical of financial management at Kids Company", and telephoned the Radio 4 presenter Edward Stourton before a report in The World at One. The BBC Trust, under chairwoman Rona Fairhead, investigated these interventions, although senior BBC management were reported to have reassured the Trust that they had not compromised editorial independence at the BBC.
Yentob acknowledged signing an email from Kids Company to the government which sought millions in further funding by suggesting certain communities in London might "descend into savagery" if Kids Company ceased its operations. The email, which was subsequently leaked to BuzzFeed News and the BBC's Newsnight programme, spoke of "looting, rioting and arson attacks on government buildings" and warned of possible sharp spikes in "starvation and modern-day slavery". It said that these concerns were "not hypothetical, but based on a deep understanding of the socio-psychological background that these children operate within". Yentob said this email "was not intended in any way as a threat".
The Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee report heavily criticised Yentob. He was described as someone who condoned excessive spending and lacked proper attention to his duties. The BBC was also accused of poor leadership for failing to take action against him when he tried to make suggestions about the BBC's reporting of Kids Company.
Yentob was portrayed by Omar Ebrahim in the 2017 operetta Committee, about parliamentary committee hearings into the events surrounding Kids Company, with music by Tom Deering and text by Josie Rourke and Hadley Fraser.
Social Network
There is no specific information available regarding Alan Yentob's social media presence or engagement.
In 1973, Yentob became a producer and director, working on the high-profile documentary series Omnibus, for which, in 1975, he made a film called Cracked Actor about the musician David Bowie. In 1975, he helped initiate another BBC documentary series, Arena, of which he was editor from 1978 until 1985. The series returned, for semi-regular editions, until the present day.
In 1993, Yentob was promoted to controller of BBC1, responsible for the output of the BBC's premier channel. During his tenure he commissioned the dramas Middlemarch, Pride and Prejudice and Ballykissangel, and cancelled the soap opera Eldorado. He remained in the post until 1996, when he was promoted again to become BBC Television's overall director of programmes. This appointment was only a brief one, before a re-organisation of the BBC's executive committee led to the creation of a new post, filled by Yentob, of director of drama, entertainment and children's. This placed Yentob in overall supervision of the BBC's output in these three genres across all media – radio, television and Internet. He occupied this post until June 2004, when new BBC director-general Mark Thompson re-organised the BBC's executive committee and promoted Yentob to the new post of BBC creative director, responsible for overseeing BBC creative output across television, radio and interactive services.
Education
Yentob was educated at King's Ely in Cambridgeshire. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and spent a year at the University of Grenoble. He graduated with a lower second-class degree in Law from the University of Leeds in 1968. During his time at Leeds, he became involved in student drama.
Yentob grew up in Didsbury, a suburb of Manchester and returned to London with his family when he was 12 to live in a flat on Park Lane. He was a boarder at the independent school King's Ely in Cambridgeshire. He passed his A-levels in French, English and History, getting Bs, and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and spent a year at the University of Grenoble. He went on to study Law at the University of Leeds, where he became involved in student drama. He graduated with a lower second class degree (2:2) in 1968.
In 2005, Yentob was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from De Montfort University, Leicester. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to the arts and media.
Conclusion
Alan Yentob's legacy in television is marked by both creative achievements and controversy. His career spanned numerous influential roles at the BBC, contributing significantly to the world of television and arts. Despite his passing, his impact on British media remains substantial.
