Beryl Vertue Dies: Acclaimed UK TV Exec Behind ‘Sherlock’ And ‘Men Behaving Badly’ Was 90
Beryl Vertue, the acclaimed UK TV exec behind Sherlock and Men Behaving Badly, has died aged 90.
Vertue’s daughters Sue Vertue and Debbie Vertue said in a joint statement: “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we have to share the sad news that mum passed away peacefully last night. It wasn’t Covid, it was just her nearly 91-year-old body saying enough is enough.”
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They described her as “our best friend, our mentor, our adviser, our role model, our holiday companion, our giggle-maker and our boss,” adding: “She was more than a mother to us – she was also a friend. To many in the industry she was more than a friend – she was often a mother.”
Multiple UK TV figures paid tribute to Vertue, who set up and steered successful independent drama company Hartswood Films in 1979. Both Sue Vertue and Debbie Vertue now work for Hartswood and Sue Vertue is married to Sherlock co-writer Steven Moffat.
Sherlock co-writer and star Mark Gatiss tweeted: “Beryl Vertue. What a life. An extraordinary legacy. From Goons to Rag & Bone Men, Daleks to Consulting Detectives. She saw it all and did most of it. But foremost – a wonderful woman, a loyal colleague and an absolute scream. She was loved.”
Vertue started her career as a secretary then agent, representing UK comedy greats such as Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes.
She formed Hartswood Films a decade later and went on to exec produce a wealth of hit UK shows including Men Behaving Badly, Coupling and My Good Friend. Coupling is based on Moffat and Sue Vertue’s relationship.
With 2010’s Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, she arguably found her greatest commercial success although she went on to oversee the likes of Me and Mrs Jones and the BBC’s Richard Madden-starring Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
She was made an OBE in 2000 and a CBE in 2016 and received honorary awards from BAFTA, the RTS, BPG and Women in Film and TV.
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