Joy Whitby

Joy Whitby (born 27 July 1930) is an English television producer and executive who during her career has specialised in children's programmes.

She read History at Oxford University, and her first job was as a secretary at the Mayfair Delinquency Clinic. She joined the BBC as a studio manager in 1955 and, a year later, became a producer on Listen with Mother. She moved from radio to television in 1962.

During an attachment to Blue Peter, Whitby was commissioned to write an internal BBC report on Watch with Mother; five pre-filmed series had been on air for a decade. The first Controller of BBC 2, Michael Peacock was aware of the shortage of nursery schools in the country and appointed Whitby to create and produce Play School, a new television series for pre-school children, running Monday to Friday through the year. In developing the series, Whitby consulted teachers, writers and illustrators. Nancy Quayle, an expert on 'learning through play', became a permanent consultant and Wendy Duggan provided the many animals that featured in Pet's Corner. There were other familiar landmarks like the story telling chair, the dressing up pegs, the revolving clock and three "windows" which led to the outside world through a library of specially made films.

Because of a blackout the previous night, the first edition of Play School inadvertently opened the new BBC2 service on 21 April 1964. One of its innovations was a rotating team of diverse presenters with as many men as women. According to Samira Ahmed, Whitby found Brian Cant's "unpretentious charm" at his audition ideal for the new show. The presenters were not all English. Paul Danquah is thought to have been the first black presenter of a children's programme. Rick Jones was Canadian and Marla Landi, Italian.Eric Thompson went on to adapt and create all the voices for The Magic Roundabout which was based on the French series, Le Manège Enchanté.

Following the success of Play School, Michael Peacock asked Whitby to create a new daily programme at teatime for slightly older children Jackanory was launched in 1965. It drew on quality stories from around the world and invited actors, writers, artists and celebrities to present stories that were particularly suitable to them. For example, Sir Compton Mackenzie retold Greek Legends and Margaret Rutherford read five Beatrix Potter tales.

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