# Bernard Sendall

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{{Short description|British writer (1913–1996)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Bernard Charles Sendall''' (30 April 1913 - 25 May 1996) was a [Civil Servant](/source/Civil_Servant) and an executive member of the [British](/source/United_Kingdom) [Independent Television Authority](/source/Independent_Television_Authority) (ITA). However, he is probably best known as the author of the first two books in the six-volume ''Independent Television in Britain'' series, widely regarded as the definitive history of the first 37 years of the [ITV](/source/ITV_(TV_network)) service.

==Early life==
Sendall grew up in the town of [Worcester](/source/Worcester%2C_England) where he attended the [Royal Grammar School](/source/Royal_Grammar_School_Worcester). He studied Modern History at [Magdalen College, Oxford](/source/Magdalen_College%2C_Oxford), graduating with a first class degree at the age of 20. After leaving Oxford, he studied as a postgraduate at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University).

==Civil Service==
Sendall joined the British Civil Service in 1935 and from 1941 to 1945 was Private Secretary to [Brendan Bracken](/source/Brendan_Bracken%2C_1st_Viscount_Bracken), the [Minister of Information](/source/Minister_of_Information) during the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War). After the war, the defunct [Ministry of Information](/source/Ministry_of_Information_(United_Kingdom)) was re-established as the [Central Office of Information](/source/Central_Office_of_Information). Sendall helped with the transition and became the Central Office's first Controller between 1946 and 1949. He then went on to act as Controller of the [Festival of Britain](/source/Festival_of_Britain) until 1951 a job for which he was honoured with the [CBE](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) in 1952.

==Television==
In 1955, Sendall joined the [Independent Television Authority](/source/Independent_Television_Authority), initially as Secretary but later the deputy to the [Director-General](/source/Director-General), [Sir Robert Fraser](/source/Robert_Fraser_(ITV)). (Fraser, like Sendall, was one of several senior figures in [Independent Television](/source/ITV_Network) who had previously worked in the information services.) He remained in the post throughout the Authority's metamorphosis into the [Independent Broadcasting Authority](/source/Independent_Broadcasting_Authority) in 1972 and eventually retired in 1977. On retirement, he was awarded the [Royal Television Society](/source/Royal_Television_Society) gold medal for his durable contribution to television.

Sendall wrote and published the first two volumes of ''Independent Television in Britain'', the official history of ITV in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The series was subsequently continued by other writers.

==References==
* Sendall, Bernard ''Independent Television in Britain: Volume 1 - Origin and Foundation 1946-62'' London: The Macmillan Press Ltd 1982 {{ISBN|0-333-30941-3}}
* Sendall, Bernard ''Independent Television in Britain: Volume 2 - Expansion and Change 1958-68'' London: The Macmillan Press Ltd 1983 {{ISBN|0-333-30942-1}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sendall, Bernard}}
Category:1913 births
Category:1996 deaths
Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Category:ITV people
Category:British writers
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:People educated at the Royal Grammar School Worcester

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bernard Sendall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Sendall) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Sendall?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.