Mal Young: Difference between revisions

| occupation = {{hlist|[[Television producer]] |[[Screenwriterscreenwriter]]}}

Young began his career in [[graphic design]]. At age 27, he began working in television, on the [[Channel 4]] [[soap opera]] ''[[Brookside (televisionTV programmeseries)|Brookside]]''.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jul/08/mediatop100200246|title=Mal Young|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=July 8, 2002|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> Over nearly a decade, he worked his way up from extra to become the show's producer in the early 1990s. His tenure was criticised for taking the show away from its social realist roots towards a more sensationalist, ratings-chasing format. He oversaw the iconic Jordache Body Under The Patio storyline, as well as conceiving the first lesbian kiss on pre-watershed British TV <ref>{{Cite book|last=Redmond|first=Phil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5X5qAAAAQBAJ|title=Mid-Term Report: From Grange Hill to Hollyoaks, Via Brookside|date=2013-08-15|publisher=Penguin Random House|isbn=978-0-09-956916-9|language=en}}</ref> achieving record ratings for the series and for Channel 4. He also co-created and produced his own successful drama series for Channel 4, ''And The Beat Goes On''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Denise Petski|work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/mal-young-exits-young-and-the-restless-as-head-writer-ep-1202522289/|title=Mal Young Exits 'Young And The Restless' As Head Writer & EP|date=December 18, 2018|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref>

He thenYoung moved on to become head of drama at the independent production company [[Pearson Television]], where he oversaw work on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] police drama ''[[The Bill]]''<ref name=theguardian/> and another soap opera, [[Five (channel)|Channel 5]]'s ''[[Family Affairs]]'', which he created,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/aug/02/broadcasting.channel52|author=John Plunkett|title=Family Affairs: 'it's not as bad as you think'|work=The Guardian|date=August 2, 2005|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> and was executive producer on C5's legal drama series, the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]]-nominated ''[[Wing and a Prayer (TV series)|Wing and a Prayer]]''.

From 1997- to 2004, heYoung moved to the [[BBC]] to become the [[BBC television drama|Controller of Continuing Drama Series]] for the Corporationcorporation's in-house production arm. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the organisation's in-house continuing episodic drama series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://daytimeconfidential.com/2016/01/10/young-and-restless-taps-uk-soap-producer|author=Jamey Giddens|title=The Young and the Restless Snags High Profile U.K. Soap Exec Mal Young|work=Daytime Confidential|publisher=Confidential Media, Inc. ([[SAY Media]])|date=January 10, 2016|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> Programmes he oversaw for the BBC included the soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]''; medical dramas ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'' (which he co-created), ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'', and the latter's spin-off series ''[[Holby City]]'', which he co-created; police dramas ''[[Dalziel and Pascoe (TV series)|Dalziel and Pascoe]]'', ''[[Waking the Dead (TV series)|Waking the Dead]]'',<ref>{{cite news|title=Mal Young, Controller of Continuing Drama Series, to leave the BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/09_september/28/young.shtml|publisher=BBC News|date=September 28, 2004|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> and ''[[Merseybeat (TV series)|Merseybeat]]'';<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/leslie-has-the-merseybeat-3557355|title=Leslie has the Merseybeat|work=[[Liverpool Echo]]|date=August 13, 2002|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> anthology shows ''[[The Afternoon Play]]'' and ''[[Murder in Mind (TV series)|Murder in Mind]]''; legal drama ''[[Judge John Deed]]''; rural-set ''[[Down to Earth (2000 TV series)|Down to Earth]]''; comedy-drama ''Being April''; and the new versionrevival of the science- fiction series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', although he had left the BBC by the time the new version of ''Doctor Who'' aired in March 2005.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/films_and_tv/malyoung.shtml | title= Interview with new Doctor Who producer Mal Young | work=BBC Wiltshire | date=26 September 2005 | access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="supremo">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3698768.stm|title=EastEnders supremo quitting BBC|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=September 28, 2004|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref>

At the end of 2004, Young became head of drama at independent production company 19Television Limited, part of [[Simon Fuller]]'s [[19 Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite news|urlname=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3698768.stm|title=EastEnders "supremo quitting BBC|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=September 28, 2004|access-date=February 26, 2019}}<"/ref> Along with former BBC Head of Development Serena Cullen, who is now 19 Entertainment's head of development for film and television, he iswas charged with developing new drama formats for the UK and US markets., He nowand splitssplit his time between the US and UK. He co-created, wrote, and produced a drama pilot for Fox in March 2007, ''Born in the USA''. He then co-wrote and sold another pilot to The CW in the US, ''Austin Golden Hour'', a real-time medical drama series format for the 2008-20092008–2009 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/reviews/2008/05/22/the-futons-first-look-austin-golden-hour-the-cw-27645/20080522_austingoldenhour/|title=The Futon's First Look: "Austin Golden Hour" (The CW)|publisher=[[The Futon Critic]]|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref>

In December 2018, reports were released saying that Young had departed the show as executive producer and head writer.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bowe, Jillian|title=Did Mal Young Get the Boot at The Young and the Restless?|url=https://daytimeconfidential.com/2018/12/18/did-mal-young-get-the-boot-at-the-young-and-the-restless|website=Daytime Confidential|publisher=Confidential Media, Inc. ([[SAY Media]])|access-date=February 26, 2019|date=December 18, 2018}}</ref> Young's departure was later announced, as was the news of [[Josh Griffith]] and [[Anthony Morina|Tony Morina]] taking over his positions as head writer and executive producer, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bowe, Jillian|title=Breaking News: Tony Morina and Josh Griffith to Helm The Young and the Restless|url=https://daytimeconfidential.com/2018/12/18/breaking-news-tony-morina-and-josh-griffith-to-helm-the-young-and-the-restless|website=Daytime Confidential|publisher=Confidential Media, Inc. ([[SAY Media]])|access-date=February 26, 2019|date=December 18, 2018}}</ref>

In May 2019 at the [[46th Daytime Emmy Awards]], Mal Young picked up the award for Best Show and Best Writing.<ref>{{Citation|title=46th Daytime Emmy Awards|date=2021-05-18|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=46th_Daytime_Emmy_Awards&oldid=1023784215|work=Wikipedia|language=en|access-date=2021-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-05-07|title=Young And The Restless Mal Young Celebrates As Y&R Wins Outstanding Drama, Writing And Directing Emmy's|url=https://www.soapoperaspy.com/2019/young-and-the-restless-mal-young-celebrates-as-yr-wins-outstanding-drama-writing-and-directing-emmys/|access-date=2021-05-29|website=Soap Opera Spy|language=en-US}}</ref>

In September 1999, heYoung gave the [[Huw Weldon]] [[Royal Television Society]] lecture at their Cambridge convention.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/1999/sep/17/mondaymediasection.broadcasting|author=Janine Gibson and Julia Hartley-Brewer|title=Soaps are now the 'soul of the nation'|work=The Guardian|date=September 17, 1999|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> In July 2004, in a poll of industry experts conducted by ''[[Radio Times]]'', he was voted the [[Radio Times's Most Powerful People in Drama|9th-most powerful person in television drama]]. In May 2005, he received a special award for his contribution to television from ITV's Soap Awards. He was the producer of the widely derided ''[[Desperate Scousewives]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/desperate-scousewives-executive-producer-mal-3348700|title=Desperate Scousewives executive producer Mal Young on why the Liverpool show was axed|author=Tina Miles|work=Liverpool Echo|date=May 8, 2013|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> In November 2019, he received a [[Doctor of Letters]] (DLitt) from [[Glasgow Caledonian University]] in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British television and his support of and commitment to GCU's MA TV Fiction Writing students, where he is a visiting Professorprofessor.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|title=Honours for Rose Reilly and Mal Young among others|url=https://www.gcu.ac.uk/theuniversity/universitynews/2019-honorarygraduates/|access-date=2021-05-29|website=GCU|language=en}}</ref>

{{Succession box|before=[[Phil Redmond]]|title=[[Executive producer]] of ''[[Brookside (televisionTV programmeseries)|Brookside]]''<br />(with Phil Redmond)|after=[[Phil Redmond]]|years=1995–19971991–1997}}

{{Succession box|before=Ruth Caleb|title=Executive producer of ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''<br />(with Mervyn Watson: 2002–2004)|after=Mervyn Watson|years=1998–2004}}

{{Succession box|before=none|title=Executive producer of ''[[Holby City]]''<br />(with [[Johnathan Young]]: 1999)<br />(with [[Kathleen Hutchison]]: 2002–2004)|after=[[Richard Stokes (producer)|Richard Stokes]]|years=12 January 1999–2004}}

{{Succession box|before=[[Jill Farren Phelps]] and [[Charles Pratt Jr.]]|title=Executive producer of ''[[The Young and the Restless]]''<br />(with [[Charles Pratt Jr.]]: 13 July – 6 December 2016)<br />(with [[Sally Sussman Morina|Sally Sussman]]: 7 December 2016 – 24 October 2017)|after=[[Anthony Morina]] and [[Josh Griffith]]|years=13 July 2016–52016 – 5 February 2019}}

{{Succession box|before=[[Sally Sussman Morina|Sally Sussman]]|title=[[Head writer]] of ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' <br />(with [[Josh Griffith]]: 20 March 2019 – 1 April 2019)|after=Josh Griffith|years=25 October 2017 – 1 April 2019}}

[[Category:BritishBBC television producers]]