Sad to report, Pennant Roberts, Chair of the DPRS for the bulk of its existence, has died in Cardiff aged 69. A warm and committed man, he served his fellow directors for over 30 years with great dedication and consistency. I worked alongside him on Committees and Boards for all of this time.

In the 1970’s Pennant was the establishing director on Howard's Way, Tenko and Survivors, and directed on other popular 70s and 80s BBC series such as Blake's Seven, Doomwatch, Softly Softly, Juliet Bravo, The Onedin Line and, frequently, Doctor Who. Pennant was a patriotic Welshman, and a good Welsh speaker. He and his wife Betsan moved down to Cardiff at the end of the 1980’s, and there they remained, apart from Pennant’s countless trips to London for DPRS Board Meetings, or flights on DPRS business to all parts of the world. For the rest of the 1990’s he directed and produced plays and series for the Sherman Theatre and for television (BBC and HTV) in both Welsh and English, one being the BAFTA-nominated Snow Spider.

Around this time he became a popular teacher and mentor. Directors UK Board Member Delyth Thomas writes, “Pennant was hugely generous in mentoring young people, generous with his time, and just let you get on with it, whilst quietly ensuring you didn't dig yourself into a big hole.” Roger Michell recalls, “Pennant was my tutor on the 1990 BBC Drama Directors' Course. As well as being a never-ending fund of practical advice, BBC lore and film wisdom, he was also eternally cheerful, funny, encouraging and generous. We all loved him.”

Pennant had appeared in the directors’ movement in the mid-late 1970s when I was Chair of ADP (The Association of Directors and Producers, a TV-only organisation formed to bully the unions into getting TV residuals for directors). Then the Directors Guild was started in 1981/2, uniting directors in film, TV and theatre. The Guild expanded fast and in 1984 absorbed the ADP. Pennant became a permanent and valued member of the DGGB Council.

In 1987 I started the DPRS as a subsidiary of the DGGB, using as capital (on Suzan Dormer’s suggestion) a £2000 fund made up of first residuals generously donated by ADP members. After two years of struggle, the DPRS finally began to receive payments from Europe. I soon handed the Chairmanship over to Pennant, recognising that it needed someone numerate.

Pennant had a very good head for figures, as he did for the intricacies of European rights legislation. With new CEO Suzan Dormer he worked tirelessly, and totally unremunerated of course, for over 16 years, writing, translating, speaking, travelling and arguing; gradually building up the DPRS into a successful and well-respected organisation that distributed millions of pounds annually to UK directors.

Pennant had a passion for Moral Rights, as I do. We worked together through 2002-5, successfully negotiating with the Broadcasters the Contract Advice Guides, and unsuccessfully trying to do a deal on Moral Rights. One of the opposing representatives was our new CEO Andrew Chowns!

As DPRS has transformed into Directors UK, we wouldn’t be where we are now without him – or indeed without Suzan Dormer, who recently left us for pastures new. Suzan worked in harness with Pennant for the whole sixteen years. Every single UK director owes them both a huge debt of gratitude.

Piers Haggard June 29 2010

For a list of tributes from those who knew Pennant, please click here.