Charlie Parsons (born 7 August 1958) is a British television producer who created a number of notable television shows including Survivor. He also created The Big Breakfast and The Word.
The first version of Survivor was the Swedish 1997 season, but he began to try to sell the idea in 1994. He has won several awards including an Emmy for US series Survivor in 2001. His life partner is Lord Waheed Alli, who is also his business partner. Their former company, Planet 24, was sold for several million pounds in 1999.
In March 2010 the Guardian newspaper reported that Parsons was investing in new independent production company, NERD, and had become the company's Chairman.
He went to Pembroke College, Oxford where he studied English Literature and afterwards trained as a journalist. According to a review in 2000,
| “ | This nice middle-class schoolboy from Kent, who read English at Oxford, became - so his critics claim - the Titan of Tack TV. He's the bloke that gets the blame for everything that is bad about British television - yoof TV, decline in standards and dumbing-down. But to his admirers, Parsons is a creative genius; a co-founder of Planet 24 and the brain behind such television hits as The Word and The Big Breakfast. | ” |
Now Charlie is the CEO of Charlie Parsons Creative www.charlieparsons.co.uk a personal private investment company specialising in developing ideas and people in Media and Entertainment. In this role, he just developed and produced Never Forget, a musical with the songs of Take That which had a rousing and successful West End run with four and five star reviews before touring the country. He is also a patron of the London Film School.
Runaway Entertainment is one of Charlie's newest ventures; www.runawaylondon.com Runaway is a theatrical development company which specialises in the acquisition of titles, the commissioning of new work and the development of productions for the stage
Founded by double Emmy award winner Charlie Parsons and Olivier award winning producer Tristan Baker, Runaway Entertainment is at the forefront of developing new and groundbreaking work for the theatre industry.
Charlie Parsons Creative is also working with Alchemy Tv www.alchemytv.co which was set up in 2011 by Nicola Gooch, leading executive producer of factual features and ex-BBC and Channel 4 commissioning editor.
Alchemy specialises in contemporary and innovative factual and features programmes with high production values.
The company is nurturing and developing new on-screen talent with a view to building brands based around real passions and expertise.
Prior to Alchemy, Nicola was an executive producer creating series for all the major UK broadcasters across genres ranging from documentary and current affairs to live factual entertainment. She has worked with major on-screen talents including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Antonio Carluccio, Jools Holland, Mel Geidroyc, Nick Knowles, Sarah Beeny, Melvyn Bragg and Chris Evans.
Famous quotes containing the words charlie and/or parsons:
“Don’t pay any attention to Ah Ling. He has a mania for quoting Confucius. And Charlie Chan.”
—Joseph O’Donnell. Clifford Sanforth. Mrs. Houghland, Murder by Television, reassuring her friends after the houseboy has pointed out a sign of ill omen (1935)
“I will have no Parsons around me but such as drink deep, ride to Hounds and caress the Wives and Daughters of their Parishioners. A Virtuous Parson does nothing to test or exercise the Faith of his Flock.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)