ScreenSkills is saddened to hear of the death of TV producer Beryl Vertue, aged 90. The hugely influential figure in television was behind hit series including Men Behaving Badly, Dracula and Sherlock. Her production company, Hartswood Films, is a contributor to the High-end TV Skills Fund, where her daughter, Debbie, sits on the council.
Christine Healy, Chair of the HETV Skills Council, said: “Beryl was a remarkable pioneer – clever, inventive and a pivotal figure in the enormous success that UK high-end television drama is enjoying today. ScreenSkills and the HETV Skills Council send our condolences to Debbie, Sue, the family and all at Hartswood. A sad loss for the whole TV community.”
ScreenSkills has worked with Hartswood in a variety of ways. For example, last year, the company provided opportunities to participants on the high-end TV First Break programme for people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds on two drama productions being made at the new Farnborough Film Studios. Productions also offered opportunities to Trainee Finder trainees and Make a Move candidates to step up into a more senior role.
Beryl first joined the industry as an agent for comedy writers such as Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes and successfully sold hit UK shows to American television before forming Hartswood Films in 1979 where shows such as Coupling and Jekyll established her as an award-winning producer.
She received an OBE in 2000 and a CBE in 2016 for her services to the TV industry and was honoured with a BAFTA for outstanding contribution to television in 2004. In 2016 Benedict Cumberbatch awarded her with a lifetime achievement prize at the Women in Film and TV awards.