LIDDAMENT TO DELIVER MACTAGGART SPEECH

DAVID Liddiment, ITV Director of Programmes, is to deliver the 2001 Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival’s (GEITF) MacTaggart Lecture.
Liddiment’s speech will be a personal exploration of the challenge of sustaining creativity and innovation in television as the market becomes more complex and competition increases.
Liddiment said he was delighted to be delivering the celebrated James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture. He said: “It is a real honour to have been invited to deliver the MacTaggart Lecture and I am looking forward to examining some of the issues facing the creative community in today’s complex and demanding broadcasting marketplace.”
Liddiment began his career as a promotions scriptwriter at Granada TV. He worked as a researcher, director and producer before becoming Executive Producer of ‘Coronation Street’. He was appointed Head of Entertainment for Granada in 1989 and instigated hit programmes ‘This Morning’, ‘You’ve Been Framed’ and ‘Stars In Their Eyes’. As Director of Programmes for Granada he commissioned ‘Cracker’ and ‘Band of Gold’. In 1993 he joined the BBC as Head of Entertainment, then returned to ITV as Director of Programmes and Deputy MD of LWT.
In 1994 he was promoted to Managing Director of Granada UK Broadcasting and in 1997 became Director of Programmes at the ITV Network. In April 2001 his editorial responsibility was broadened when he was appointed Director of ITV Channels, including ITV2 and the ITV Sport Channel, which will launch later this year.
The MacTaggart Lecture was inaugurated in 1976 in memory of the acclaimed writer/director James MacTaggart. The lecture consistently attracts major names in UK and international broadcasting and is known for producing controversial and agenda-setting speeches. Past MacTaggarts have been delivered by Dennis Potter, Jeremy Isaacs, Rupert Murdoch, Janet Street-Porter, Ted Turner, Peter Bazalgette and last year, Greg Dyke.
The MacTaggart Lecture is sponsored for the consecutive third year by one of the world’s leading investment banks, Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB).
GEITF 2001 takes place from Friday 24 to Sunday August 26.
Liddiment will give his MacTaggart at 6:30pm on August 24 and will take questions in the Post MacTaggart session on Saturday August 25. (CD)