StoryVault founder and Grumpy Old Men creator Stuart Prebble dies

Stuart Prebble, the founder of UK indie StoryVault Films, former CEO of commercial broadcaster ITV and creator of BBC series Grumpy Old Men, has died aged 74.

Stuart Prebble

The respected TV executive died of pancreatic cancer last Thursday.

Prebble began his TV career as editor of ITV’s current affairs series World in Action, before becoming head of factual programmes at Granada Television (now part of ITV) and controller of factual programmes at ITV.

He was promoted to CEO of ITV in 2001 and then became CEO of the now-defunct ITV Digital.

After leaving ITV in 2002, he set up prodco Liberty Bell, where he created Grumpy Old Men. The hit unscripted format, which ran from 2003 to 2006, featured middle-aged men including Jeremy Clarkson, Bob Geldof and Bill Nighy discussing modern-life issues that irritated them. The series spawned spin-off Grumpy Old Women.

Prebble sold Liberty Bell to Avalon in 2011 and then launched StoryVault Films, the prodco behind Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year, a 12th season of which is currently in the works.

A year ago, upon the publication of his autobiography Still Grumpy After All These Years, Prebble reflected on his career: “It’s exactly 50 years ago today that I walked through the doors of BBC Broadcasting House at the start of what has turned into a five-decade career in television,” he said.

“I’ve done a lot of jobs in that time – sub-editor, reporter, presenter, producer, exec producer, commissioning editor, CEO of ITV – and as an indie for the last 23 years. I’ve had some wonderful breaks and worked with some amazing people, and luckily for me I still do. Thanks to a wonderful industry, and to the hundreds of friends I’ve made along the way.”

Following news of Prebble’s death, writer and broadcaster Michael Crick wrote on X that Prebble was “one of the most distinguished TV journalists of modern times,” while award-winning TV producer and presenter Rob McLoughlin described Prebble as “one of Britain’s best TV journalists, editors, investigators and original minds,” who had a “fabulous sense of humour.”