Roger Graef dead: BAFTA Award-winning documentary maker and producer dies aged 85

express.co.uk:

Channel 4 making the announcement on behalf of his family.The BAFTA award-winning producer and writer had a successful career in both the US and UK, making films on a wide range of social justice topics.Roger died peacefully surrounded by his family, Channel 4 said.Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said Roger was "one of broadcasting’s most original and influential documentary film-makers".According to Alex, Roger believed in Channel 4 and was "committed to creativity and risk-taking in cinema, comedy, documentaries and current affairs".He continued: "Beyond his contribution to Channel 4, his extensive legacy of documentaries has helped to inform and change people’s views on some of the most challenging aspects of British society and its private and public institutions.""Roger was a delight to chat to, to be pushed and provoked by and his love for television and culture shone through in every conversation."He once said that he wanted his epitaph to be that he made a difference.

Without doubt, Roger did exactly that."Roger was born in New York in 1936 before moving to the UK in 1962.He got his British citizenship in 1992, after 30 years in the UK.Roger was known for his documentaries including One Of Them is Brett, State Of The Nation: A Law In The Making, and Police.He also made over 30 documentaries on the police and judicial system in the UK.As well as creating documentaries, he also directed a number of TV specials including the first three Amnesty International Comedy Galas, which aired between 1976 and 1979.He directed the first Secret Policeman's Ball and co-produced the first Comic Relief with Richard Curtis in 1985.He visited as a professor at Oxford University, wrote for a selection of UK publications,.