Marvellous

Within a few minutes of taking tea with television writer Peter Bowker, it becomes clear why he writes such effective dramas on subjects close to his heart. He is a people person: curious, observant and fascinated by family dynamics and human quirks. At one point, he suddenly directs a question at me, and I realise how easy it would be to open up to him.

Aged 57, born in Stockport – his strong northern accent is still intact – he also tends to end every other sentence with laughter. When he talks about his fictional characters, it is as if they are real.

When Kim Shillinglaw became Controller of BBC Two last year, one of her predecessors took her for a drink. Roly Keating had launched BBC Four, moved on to BBC Two and filled in as temporary boss of BBC One. In a meeting room in New Broadcasting House, Shillinglaw recalls with terrible clarity what he told her.

“He said, ‘You will find BBC Two is the toughest. Let me tell you that now. BBC Four has a lot of individual commissions but not very much money, so there’s a limit to how many things it can commission.

Radio Times has announced the line up for its inaugural festival, which will be held at Hampton Court Palace in September.

The programme includes talks from RTS award-winners Sir Bruce Forsyth, Melvyn Bragg and Peter Bowker, alongside masterclasses ranging from drawing with Horrid Henry illustrator Tony Ross to learning how to act on radio with The Archers’ Charles Collingwood (Brian Aldridge).