Christopher Bland
A formidable British media titan who reshaped television and telecommunications, steering the BBC and BT through eras of revolutionary change.
1938–2017 (age 79)·British businessman·Birthday: May 29·The Silent Generation
Biography
Christopher Bland operated with the brisk authority of a natural chairman, a Tory knight who moved seamlessly between the boardrooms of broadcasting and telecoms. His career was a masterclass in managing institutions under pressure. After a stint in politics and running his own cable company, he became chairman of London Weekend Television, injecting commercial rigor. His most public role came at the BBC, where as Chairman of the Board of Governors from 1996, he defended the corporation's independence while demanding efficiency, clashing famously with Director-General John Birt. Never one to shy from a challenge, he then took the helm of the newly privatized British Telecom as it faced ferocious competition and the dawn of broadband, pushing for modernization. Bland was no mere figurehead; he was a strategic force, a believer in public service who wielded a businessman's axe, leaving a deep imprint on how Britain watched and communicated.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Christopher was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Christopher Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Christopher's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2017Died at 79
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Served as Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors from 1996 to 2001, overseeing a period of significant reform.
- Was Chairman of British Telecommunications plc (BT) from 2001 to 2007, leading its transition into the broadband era.
- As Chairman of London Weekend Television (LWT), he oversaw its successful merger with Granada Television.
- Served as Chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2004 until his death.
Did You Know?
He was a talented rugby player and represented Oxford University in the Varsity Match.
Bland wrote a well-received biography of his grandfather, Prime Minister H.H. Asquith.
Before his media career, he served as a Conservative councillor on the Greater London Council.
He was the first chairman of the Independent Broadcasting Authority to have previously run a commercial TV company.
“A chairman's duty is to steer the ship through storms, not just calm seas.”
