Philip Jones R.I.P.

[julian_craster]

Obituary: Philip Jones

Television executive who sold 'Inspector Morse' to the world



Friday, 10 July 2009



THE INDEPENDENT

Philip Jones: Television executive who sold 'Inspector Morse' to the world - Obituaries, News - The Independent



Over a period of four decades that mirrored the growth of television, Philip Jones was one of the industry's master salesmen, taking British programmes to worldwide audiences. He sold Inspector Morse (1987-2000), starring John Thaw as the Oxford detective, to more than 200 countries.



While responsible for international sales at the ITV companies Central Independent Television and Carlton, Jones established a reputation as a "people" person. With a dislike for paperwork, he clinched deals by building up relationships with buyers on the telephone, in meetings and by entertaining them at meals that became legendary with colleagues.



When he left in 1999 – he was described at the time by a fellow industry stalwart as "one of the last grand old men of distribution" – Jones recalled how his job had become tougher with the advent of cable, satellite, video and DVD, and the need to negotiate separate deals.



"If I was visiting Scandinavia, I could leave on Sunday and be back on Friday, having done Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark," he explained. "Now, it would take three weeks."



On one such trip to Sweden, Jones showed the character that made him so likeable in the industry. Arriving at his hotel late after an alcohol-fuelled dinner with a client, he discovered that his room had been let to another guest. Following a row with the concierge and determined to make a point, he stripped down to his boxer shorts and went to sleep on a sofa in the lobby.



Born Philip Mervyn-Jones in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in 1944 (he dropped the "Mervyn" when he entered television), he was the son of a teacher serving in Italy as a lieutenant- commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. While attending Colchester Royal Grammar School, Jones excelled at rugby union and cricket, and was coached by Trevor Bailey at Essex County Cricket Club. However, he was not academic and stayed on at school until the age of 19 to achieve four O-Level passes. His plans to train as an Army officer at Sandhurst were thwarted when he suffered a bad knee injury that left him with a permanent limp.



Interviews for jobs with firms such as the Fyffes banana company were unsuccessful and his mother suggested that he contact his paternal uncle, Elwyn Jones, a BBC producer. A meeting with him did not result in work, but Jones applied for jobs at the BBC and, in 1963, was taken on as a clerk in the BBC Transcription Service. From there, he became a junior sales executive with BBC Enterprises, which sold the corporation's programmes abroad.



One of Jones's most significant deals, which he and the division's general manager, Dennis Scuse, sealed together, was the first sale of a British programme to the Soviet Union, The Forsyte Saga (1967). Then, Jones joined Yorkshire Television (1970-73), where his global sales included Alan Whicker's various jet-setting series.



In 1973, his career took a slightly different course when he became a theatrical agent with the William Morris Agency in London, charged with packaging stars and ideas to sell to television. As he wined and dined entertainers such as Neil Diamond, he himself described his job title as "head of lunches".



Jones returned to television as director of international sales for ITC Entertainment (1978-82), the distribution arm of the impresario Lew Grade's ATV, which was still earning income from 1960s series such as Danger Man and The Saint. On top of this, he clinched a $1m deal with Australian television, giving it the rights to screen The Muppet Show. The company also sold films made by Grade, such as On Golden Pond (1981) and Sophie's Choice (1982).



When ATV was replaced as the ITV Midlands franchise holder by Central Independent Television in 1982, Jones continued in the same role for the new company. Then, in 1988, he became managing director of the newly formed Central Television Enterprises and, nine years later, director of international relations at its successor, Carlton International.



Throughout this time, Jones was responsible for sales at one of the two biggest commercial television organsations (the other was Granada Inter-national) distributing British programmes worldwide. Central Independent Television won the Queen's Award for Export on two occasions, in 1987 and 1989. As well as Inspector Morse, Jones had success with other dramas, including Soldier Soldier and Sharpe, documentaries and children's programmes. He also showed business acumen by founding Central Video and by obtaining the rights to the films of the great producer-director Alexander Korda, including The Thief of Baghdad (1940).



On leaving Carlton International in 1999, he set up his own company, Philip M. Jones Associates, acting as a consultant to producers worldwide. He was also on the board of Promenade Productions and served on the international jury at the Banff Television Festival.



For many years, Jones was president of the cricket club in Knowl Hill, Berkshire, where he lived. His son, Matthew Mervyn-Jones, is a television producer.



Anthony Hayward



Philip Mervyn-Jones (Philip Jones), international television sales executive: born Clacton-on-Sea, Essex 24 March 1944; married 1966 Sue Hancock (one son, one daughter); died Knowl Hill, Berkshire 5 July 2009.

[julian_craster]

From The Times

July 31, 2009

Philip Jones: television sales executive | Times Online Obituary



Philip Jones: television sales executive

Jones: he sold the Soviet Union The Forsyte Saga on its 'anti-capitalist' ethos



Philip Jones was the doyen of international television salesmen. He was the man who, over a period of 40 years, sold The Forsyte Saga to the Soviet Union and Inspector Morse to just about everybody. He marketed programmes for every British channel with the exception of Granada, and he established Europe’s largest commercial TV sales company in Central Television Enterprises (CTE). A bon vivant and a legend in his lunchtime, Jones was a prodigious networker who knew the world sales markets better than any other. He was a great “opener” of deals, preferring the thrill of the chase to the fine details that he left to his subordinates. He loved television, once boasting: “I watch six hours of TV every night, seven if there’s anything good on.”



He was born Philip Meredith-Jones in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in 1944. His father, a Welshman, was a primary school headmaster who became a lieutenant commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Philip was brought up in a pub run by his mother in Colchester.



He attended Colchester Royal Grammar School, though left with only four O levels. He preferred sport to academic work, and played cricket for Essex. But when a rugby injury left him with a permanently damaged knee, Essex’s captain, Trevor Bailey, was forced to let him go. The injury also ended his ambition to follow his brother to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.



Instead, in 1962, Jones chose the BBC, working his way up in BBC Enterprises, the corporation’s commercial arm. It was here that he helped to convince the Soviet Union of the anti-capitalist theme running through The Forsyte Saga, resulting in a rare deal with the Communist state. At the Rossiya Hotel in Moscow, where the deal was clinched in 1967, he removed what he thought was a bug from the hotel wall. When he nearly froze overnight, he realised it had been the central heating control.



He left the BBC for Yorkshire Television in 1970 where he spent three years before changing tack and joining the William Morris talent agency. His job was to “package” rising stars for television companies. He described himself as “head of lunches”, but while the lifestyle suited him this corner of the showbiz industry did not. In 1978 he became international sales director with ITC Entertainment, the distribution division of Lew Grade’s ATV.



Though Grade had an impressive catalogue, with programmes such as The Saint and Danger Man, the company was in financial difficulties. Yet, by clinching a $1 million deal to sell The Muppet Show to Network 10 in Australia, Jones helped to save the company from going under. One colleague described his relationship with Grade as akin to father and son.



Jones continued his role when Central Television won the Midlands franchise. In 1988 he set up CTE and became its managing director. This was his heyday. A great showman, he would be in his element working the rooms at the great television festivals in Monte Carlo and Cannes. In the latter, he would rent a suite at the smart Carlton Hotel and invite the world’s buyers to a free buffet and champagne. He had that ability to remember people’s names, and even their children’s names. Whether it be series such as Morse, Soldier Soldier or Sharpe, documentaries or children’s programmes, he knew instinctively where to place them. Foreign buyers trusted his judgment and beat a path to his door. If he was asked how many episodes were in a series, his typical reply was, “How many do you want?” On one famous occasion in 1992, while selling a documentary series called Sea Power, he persuaded a Russian admiral to dock his warship in Cannes harbour so that he could use it as the venue for the launch party.



Under Jones, CTE won two Queen’s Awards for Export. He loved the creative side of television, too. He would often be consulted on whether a planned series had sales potential. He would read scripts and talk to producers and directors.



In 1997 he became director of international relations at CTE’s successor, Carlton International. Gradually, working practices changed and he felt less at ease with the regime of spreadsheets, computers and shrunken expense accounts. It was the end of an era and in 1999 he left Carlton to form his own consultancy firm.



Jones died at home while reading Claire Tomalin’s biography of Samuel Pepys, a man whose convivial nature chimed with his own.



He is survived by his wife, Sue, a son and a daughter.



Philip Jones, television sales executive, was born on March 24, 1944. He died of a heart attack on July 5, 2009, aged 65