It may be an obvious point but despite its similarities, the elegant world of ballet seems somewhat far removed from the shiny landscape of Light Entertainment. Yet for future producer Charles Garland, dance and drama were in his bones from a very young age. Being taken to watch the ballet by his godfather at the age of 12 resulted in an epiphany and suddenly the young Charles knew exactly what he wanted to do. Enrolling at the Royal Ballet School aged 15 following passing the daunting audition in Hammersmith led by the great Nannete de Valois, he was put straight into the academy without undertaking junior training on the one condition that he grew two inches. Unfortunately Charles never made those two inches and therefore his ballet career never materialised. However, ballet’s loss was in time television’s gain…
The same day as he realised his ballet fate, encouraged by a friend, Charles auditioned for a musical at Birmingham rep and got the part in favour of his friend and became a theatre actor. In between roles, he surprisingly became a restaurateur following accepting an invitation to assist his friend. Eight months later, he was still working at the restaurant and decided to go into partnership with the proprietor and set up a joint venture in SW1. Being one of the only members of the team who spoke English, Charles became an invaluable member who cultivated a front of house style. Yet entertainment was his first love and despite the successful business, he knew his true talent laid elsewhere.
Joining the BBC in 1986 after a meeting six months earlier where he was told there wasn’t any jobs by Peter Norman despite pleading his case in a wonderful showcase of his broad talents. From correctly addressing the Dean of Salisbury to knowing what ingredients went into making a hollandaise sauce, this was the ultimate showcase of his many talents which definitely made an impact on Norman. Six months later, Charles received a call inviting him to assist the legendary Jonathan Miller on the TV adaptation of Cosi Fan Tutte for BBC2. Working alongside such a theatrical icon, the pair hit it off to the extent that Miller rang the BBC and requested that Charles’s contract be made permanent so that he could work on his forthcoming project. Without any formal interview, Charles had secured a role at the corporation and was looking forward to what was to come.
Based at Television Centre, part of his responsibility was to test the technical equipment before a recording to iron out any difficulties. These shows had always been incredibly basic for the simple reason that they weren’t intended for transmission so someone playing the guitar would usually suffice. Yet Charles had other ideas and attempted to make the shows as elaborate as possible. One such programme featured Les Dennis and Kenneth Connor interviewing each other about the difference between being a comedian and a comic. This led to more elaborate ideas including the opening number for a musical which he wrote and featured the largest panning shot for the time. This was Charles’s first directing role and was something that he seemed to like.
Meeting the legendary BBC comedy supremo David Croft would be the start of another chapter of his career. Light Entertainment seemed a million miles from his grounding in classical ballet. However, it was this period that would arguably define Charles’s career and make him into one of the greatest Light Entertainment producers of his generation. Working under legendary producer Robin Nash who was synonymous with Top Of The Pops would also offer Charles vital grounding in the disciplines of television. These two men would unknowingly make an indelible impression on Charles and suddenly he was starting to make a name for himself behind the camera as opposed to in front of it.
David Croft thrived upon creating a repertory company of talent both behind and in front of the camera and remained loyal to them throughout. In 1995 Croft left the BBC and returned as a freelance and created what was to become his last sitcom Oh Doctor Beeching starring the late Paul Shane, Su Pollard and Jeffrey Holland for what would be the third instalment of the sitcom trilogy. Falling victim to scheduling issues would ultimately bring a premature end to Oh Doctor Beeching’s success but Charles reflects fondly on these times and is glad that it’s suddenly being repeated on the satellite channel That’s TV.
Being associated with David Croft made Charles into one of the most qualified authorities on the Croft repertoire and in the nineties when the BBC had the desire to repeat the entire Dad’s Army back catalogue on BBC1, it fell to Charles to edit them to make them suitable for the twenty eight minute time slot. This was much more of a difficult task than once thought as high quality precision was required to protect the essence of the show. To do this, the editor requires a comprehensive understanding of the show and its individual plots in order to avoid removing significant moments which would alter the narrative. However, Charles forever ensured that all cameo roles were kept in to avoid disappointing actors who were proud of their small contributions to such a sitcom juggernaut.
After a lifetime in entertainment, Charles has decided to put pen to paper and create a memoir surrounding the significant figures who he’s had the pleasure to work alongside during a varied career in entertainment. Perturbed by the idea of writing an autobiography, Charles set about devoting a chapter to each fascinating figure he’s encountered not just working behind the scenes in television but from his dancing days. He may not be a nationwide star or as famous as the entertainers whom he helped shine. Yet his story rivals any entertainment legend and it was an utter delight to welcome him onto the podcast!
Beyond The Title