Derek Smith, Producer BBC Midlands, passed away on March 17th. 2015.

Derek was my father. Here's a short summary of his career:
Derek joined the BBC in Birmingham in 1957 and worked at Gosta Green studios and Carpenter Road before the opening of Pebble Mill.

He worked for five years on the Farming programme before becoming a producer on general subjects. He made several films on the Armed Services, including Soldier in the Sun in Aden and Yemen. He made a film on the history of the aircraft carrier, The Flight Deck Story and the history of the Jump Jet.

He continued with films on a wide range of subjects: Mission To Hell (Bishop of Birmingham returns to meet his Japanese torturer in Singapore); The Lost River of Gaping Gill for “The World About Us;” Journey Through Summer, (six long distance walks with P.J. Kavanagh);  Four In Hand (Carriage Driving) with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; Major Minor (piano competition); Return to Dunkirk; Just a Year (victims recovering from injures after the Birmingham pub bombings).

In 1977, Derek created a new motoring magazine programme Top Gear. Initially broadcast in the BBC Midlands only, it moved to the network and Derek continued as producer up to 1986.

Another original programme he created was Now Get Out Of That, which was an outdoor test of survival and mental tests between two teams. The show ran for four seasons.

These are just a few of the programmes or series Derek produced. In all, they number more than a hundred.

Graham Smith