Robert Cooper

Born West Bromwich, Staffordshire. Parents: Alan Cooper (an electrical salesman), and Helen Cooper (a nurse). Education: 1955-60 Harefield Primary School, 1960-62 Whitehall Junior School, Uxbridge (teacher Mr Dix), 1962-67 St Nicholas Grammar School in Northwood, 1966-1969 Altrincham Boys' Grammar School, 1969-72 Hull University (English and Drama). His first job was at BBC Radio Humberside where he was employed as tea boy and general help by the head of the engineering department Ken Fossett, who (in 1973), helped him get a staff job as a Station Assistant at BBC Radio Merseyside. There, amongst other duties, he took over the production of a weekly radio programme of short stories by local writers, one of whom was Alan Bleasdale. In 1973 he commissioned six radio plays (including Alan Bleasdale's first play), which was the first series of radio dramas on British local radio. In 1974 Gillian Reynolds invited him to join the new Liverpool independent radio station Radio City, where he produced Alan Bleasdale's weekly Scully series and shows by John Gorman, The Scaffold and a weekly arts programme as well as making several appearances in the "Clive B. Burrows 78 Spectacular Show". In 1976 David Hatch invited him to join the Drama Department at the BBC Network Production Centre in Manchester where he began directing dramas for Radios 3 and 4. Later that year he worked as a stage manager at the Victoria Theatre-In-The-Round, Stoke-On-Trent, where he designed the sound for a number of Peter Cheesman's productions. In 1977 he took over as radio drama producer in Belfast where he commissioned and directed work by many writers from Ireland including Stewart Parker, Bill Morrison, Robin Glendinning, William Trevor, Neil Jordan, Jennifer Johnston, Graham Reid and Brian Friel. During that time the head of drama (Ronnie Mason), once referred to him as "our tallest radio drama producer" - a professional accolade he never forgot. He returned to Manchester in 1984 where he commissioned and directed work by writers including Jimmy McGovern, John Arden, Tom Kilroy, Christopher Reason, Allan Berrie and Anthony Minghella. In 1988 he returned to Belfast as the BBC's Northern Ireland TV drama producer (and later as its head of drama), where he commissioned and produced TV dramas and films by British and Irish writers including William Trevor, Frank McGuinness, Graham Reid, John McGahern, Ronan Bennett, Gary Mitchell, Pearse Elliott, Terry Cafolla, Barry Devlin, Tim Loane, Lizzie Mickery, Colin Bateman and Anthony Minghella, and directors including Danny Boyle, Diarmuid Lawrence, Anthony Minghella, Pat O'Connor and Michael Winterbottom. He also directed two TV films there. In 2003 he helped set up the production company Great Meadow Productions with his partner Kate Triggs, producing TV dramas for Channel 4 and the BBC about the Bradford Riots, Margaret Thatcher, Live Aid, P.G. Wodehouse and Christine Keeler, together with a new adaptation of "Room At The Top" which won the BAFTA Best Mini Series Award in 2012. He has two daughters by his previous marriage to the actress Jenny Howe; Zoe Cooper, who is Writer in Residence at the RSC and Emily Cooper, who is a drama teacher. He lives in Norfolk with his wife, Kate Triggs.