Speech given on accepting the International Emmy Directorate Award
for outstanding services to broadcasting
New
York, Monday 24 November
Printable version
(Joanna
Lumley presented the award)
Thank you
very much indeed Joanna.
When my
office asked the International Academy what I should say in my thank
you speech, the message came back loud and clear – think of the
worst Oscar acceptance speech you've ever heard, and don't go there!
So I just
want to say some thank yous.
First I
would like to thank Joanna for taking the time to come to New York to
present me with this award – as a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ star and a freewoman of
New York, I couldn't think of anyone more fitting to present me with
this special honour.
Joanna
was first known worldwide as Purdy in the Avengers and in recent years
for her iconic performance as Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, or Ab Fab
to its millions of fans.
But Joanna's
enthusiasm for performing also extends to genres as diverse as wildlife
documentaries, drama and childrens' programmes – many of them
made for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, I'm pleased to say.
Much like
the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ β€“ and she won't thank me for saying this – Joanna
is now something of a great British institution, although a younger
and more glamorous one than the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
She is
highly respected around the world and much loved. Thank you Joanna.
Next I
would like to thank my partner Sue who is here tonight. We've been together
a long time and she has always brought reality into my life with comments
like, "just because you're a big shot at work doesn't mean you're
a big shot here" and "I'm not your bloody personal assistant.
Do it yourself."
Only last
week I emailed her from the office asking about something. Back came
the reply, "remember we do live together, you could just speak
to me."
Without
Sue my life would have been a lot less fun.
And then
there's my four children who are all here tonight. When they heard that
I was getting this Emmy I'd like to think they all decided to come to
New York with, where appropriate, their partners, to pay tribute to
me.
But of
course I've been a parent too long to believe that. You know, I know
and they know that they all saw it as a great opportunity to have four
days in New York with me footing the bill.
But despite
that I'd like to thank them for coming. For me they have given meaning
to my life and without them it would have been very dull.
Most importantly,
I would like to thank the Board of the International Academy of Television,
Arts and Sciences for giving me the International Emmy Directorate Award
this year. This is a very prestigious award that I feel honoured to
receive.
My final
thank you is to the people who work for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ in Britain and right
across the world.
I'd like
to thank them for the creativity, originality and sheer hard work they
put in every day to enable the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ to produce and broadcast such a remarkable
range of high quality programmes.
I believe
the role of leader in any organisation is a fairly simple one –
it's to inspire the people who work for you so that they have the confidence,
the freedom and the opportunity to produce wonderful things.
I hope
that's what I've been able to do in the four years I've been at the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, an organisation full of really talented people. This award is not
for me, it's for them.
Finally,
can I just say this. There are a growing number of people, particularly
in the commercial media sector, who believe that publicly funded broadcasting
is increasingly irrelevant in a market driven world – and as such
is no longer necessary.
I beg to
differ. I believe there are two obvious reasons why organisations like
the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ are more important, not less, in our increasingly fragmented
media society.
Firstly
if we want broadcasting systems which reflect the culture of different
societies and are not dominated by American culture – no offence
intended - then strong, well funded public service broadcasters are
essential to achieve that.
And secondly
being publicly funded, but also independent of Government, means the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is free to take risks, to be creative, and most important of all,
free to ask awkward questions, particularly of governments.
At the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ we saw this as one of our central roles in the events leading up
to and during the Iraq war.
I am not
at all sure we saw the same level of autonomy and impartiality from
the vast commercial media organisations which now dominate American
television.
Thank you
again for this award.
Notes
to Editors
Speech
given by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Director-General Greg Dyke to the Emmy Board in New York
on Monday 24 November
(25.11.03)
