George Auckland

Who is George Auckland?

George Auckland is a UK television and digital media executive, now retired after a long career at the BBC. During his time as a BBC executive he worked on some of the key educational landmarks in British interactive media including the BBC Micro computer and the BBC Networking Club. He also set up the BBC's first web production unit which was responsible for award winning websites such as Teletubbies, Bitesize, and produced many of the BBC's early TV programmes about home computing and the Internet.

Auckland graduated from Durham University with a Degree in Applied Physics in 1969 he then joined the BBC as a trainee Film Editor in October that year. He became a TV producer and worked on many programmes from Blue Peter to a whole range of award-winning adult education programmes including Johnny Ball's Think of a Number. In December 1989 he received a Royal Television Society award for Take Nobody's Word For It with Hendrik Ball, the award was in the 'adult/continuing education general audience' category.

In spring 1996 Auckland helped create the BBC Education Website, and in 1999 became head of a new department: Digital Media, which won the Royal Television Society, Educational Television, 1999 Judge's Award in for BBC Education Online. He ran the Innovations Unit within BBC Learning until March 31, 2011 when he retired from the BBC after 41 and a half years of service.