Will Daws, Plum Pictures Co-Head Who Created Shows With James May and George Clarke, Dies at 57
Will Daws, the joint managing director of Plum Pictures who was a key fixture in the U.K. television community and created shows with James May and George Clarke, died suddenly in London on Monday. He was 57.
Daws started his career as a stand-up comedian before picking up a camera and setting off to Liberia to document the war there. He sold his footage to Channel 4 and went on to work in current affairs at the BBC, where he created docuseries like “Holidays in the Axis of Evil” and “Places That Don’t Exist” as well as the “mischief” show “A Dirty Weekend in Hospital” and “The Zimmers,” which followed an elderly rock band.
Throughout his career, Daws fostered relationships with big names in the industry including George Clarke, James May, Simon Reeve, Stefan Gates, Peter Snow, Hannah Fry, Johnny Vegas and Ronnie Corbett.
The BBC is where Daws met his Plum Pictures co-founder Stuart Cabb. In 2007, the two left the broadcaster to go out on their own, launching Plum under the Hat-Trick banner. Director of production Victoria Moss joined soon after, and together they created a raft international formats including the long-running “George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces,” “James May’s Toy Stories,” “James May….Our Man In,” “Trainspotting Live” and lots of property content for Channel 4.
“Will Daws was more like the leader of a big, happy gang than someone who fitted the cliched mould of a television executive (a title he loathed anyway). He worked under a simple mantra that said television should be enjoyable to make, otherwise it wouldn’t be enjoyable to watch,” May said in a statement. “We discussed this when we met, 18 years ago, and as a result, almost everything I’ve done outside of car programming has been made with Will and Plum Pictures. He was an unrelenting geyser of ideas equally sparkling and idiotic, a motivator, a notorious charmer of commissioners and a terrible driver … I loved this man as did everyone around him. I am profoundly happy to have known him.”
Clarke shared that he alway called him “Lord Daws… and for good reason.”
“He built the most beautiful ocean liner called HMS PLUM. The ultimate amazing space,” he continued. “We all traveled with him aboard his wonderful ship visiting some of the most magical places on earth. Whatever storms we faced on those journeys, Lord Daws always protected us, managing to navigate us to calmer, safer waters. We always laughed with him. We were always in awe of him. We always loved him.”
Cabb added: “Will was like a brother to me. I’m still in denial that this has happened. He was a wonderful friend and extraordinary business partner. Life will be so much less fun without him.”
Daws is survived by his wife Shula, son Ethan, daughter Noa, mom Dilys and brothers Sam and Joe.
