Sky Arts chief Phil Edgar-Jones and veteran producer Patricia Anne Higson, whose credits include Line of Duty, both received OBEs in the King’s inaugural New Year’s Honours.
Edgar-Jones, a former Big Brother executive producer who has been with Sky since 2012 and helped bring Sky Arts free-to-air, was honoured for his services to the Arts and TV.
“I am privileged to be able to collaborate with incredible artist talents across the spectrum of the arts alongside our brilliant team at Sky. We are passionate about the power and importance of arts and culture, not just to enrich our lives, but also as an economic force.”
Higson [main picture]. known to colleagues as Paddy, is a patron of the Glasgow Media Access Centre, and was honoured for services to the film and TV industry and to diversity and inclusion in Film and TV.
The King’s honour brought her full circle 40 years on from her first encounter with him. She filmed with Prince Charles in her first production manager role, on Highlands and Islands – a Royal Tour, a 1973 short funded by the Highlands and Islands Development Board and in a 2020 interview, she recalled shooting footage of Charles “looking at a fish farm, then a deer firm, a Harris weaver, eating Orkney fudge and so on…”
Higson is best known for working with film director Bill Forsyth on titles such as Gregory’s Girl, and with Jed Mercurio on Cardiac Arrest and Line of Duty. She also produced BBC dramas Dalziel and Pascoe and Monarch of the Glen.
Upon receiving Bafta Scotland’s Outstanding Contribution to the Scottish industry award in 2018, Higson called for more training for film crew in Scotland, and encouraging people from ethnic minorities and deprived areas to get into film.
She was, in her own words, “dragged out of retirement” in 2013 to work on CBBC show Katie Morag, where she mentored line manager Katy Engels, who went on to work on dramas such as Shetland and The Cry.
