Bill Cotton

Bill Cotton was the Controller of BBC One from 1977 to 1981, having been the Head Of Light Entertainment since 1970. He had been an effective leader of Light Entertainment, and was directly responsible for shows like, and  — all iconic British shows of the era.

His precise impact on the production of Doctor Who as the BBC1 Controller was unclear. However, in the later, more senior role of Managing Director of Television, when he was Michael Grade's boss, he famously spoke directly to the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. On 1 March 1986, during the depths of Grade's Doctor Who "hiatus", he told DWAS that Doctor Who would indeed be returning in Autumn of that year. He also broke the news that the show would return to its 25-minute format. However, he misled fans by implying that the reason for the change of format was to increase the length of the broadcast season — something that did not at all prove to be true of season 23. (REF: The Sixth Doctor Handbook)