MGEITF

Past Speakers

Throughout the history of the Festival we have continued to attract major names from the industry worldwide who often have something controversial or passionate to say.

 

Speakers and session subjects often tackle hot political and social issues. In 1982 Brian Hanrahan and Mike Nicholson confronted military censors over the Falklands war coverage and two years later Arthur Scargill publicly denounced TV's coverage of the miners' strike. Peter Mandelson spun the audience about Labour's Campaign Trail and Louise Woodward with her lawyer Barry Scheck gave their verdict on cameras in the court. Leah Betts parents spoke passionately on the portrayal of drugs on TV, Robbie Coltrane and Jimmy McGovern put Cracker on the couch and David Baddiel attacked heavy TV censorship and regulation. Sir John Harvey Jones made waves with his State of the Nation on Independent production companies and the Festival's screening of Death of a Princess generated immense political controversy. In 2008, Gerry McCann, father of missing Madeline, took time out of his search effort to address the industry, despite heavy backlash from the press at the time.

 

MacTaggart highlights include Janet Street Porter's laying into the M people, Dennis Potter attacking the BBC governors, Michael Grade hitting out at John Birt's regime and in 2001 David Liddiment criticising television's battle for ratings, saying the "the soul of British television" was in danger. James Murdoch used the spotlight in 2009 to assert that "the only reliable, durable, perpetual guarantor of independence is profit" and kicked off industry debate about paying for content and the value of news journalism.

 

In 1989 Rupert Murdoch braved a wary British audience, CNN's Ted Turner brought us '24 hour news' and industry maestro Barry Diller graced the Worldwide stage. Also from the US, the Festival has welcomed X-Files creator Chris Carter live from LA, while Simpson's creator Matt Groening, Sopranos creator David Chase, Sex and the City creator Darren Star and Shameless writer Paul Abbott have all given masterclasses on their successful shows.