Career
Watson began his career as an actor at the age of sixteen on Australian radio, before moving to the United Kingdom in 1955. He was soon hired by ATV and in 1956, joined Ned Sherrin and Noele Gordon in Birmingham to establish the base of ATV Midlands where his job was as Head Of Light Entertainment. In this role, he created many programmes for the station with his first big hit being the live daily chat show, Lunchbox.
lieutenant ran from 1956 to 1964 to over 3,000 editions with its presenter, Noele Gordon, becoming a regional celebrity.
In 1958, Watson submitted a proposal for a new Midlands based soap opera to ATV, however it wasn"t until 1964 that Lew Grade, head of the company, granted approval for a series. Initially called The Midland Road, the project was renamed Crossroads by Watson just before it run began.
After ten years producing Crossroads, and eighteen years at ATV he decided to return to Australia in 1973. Upon his return home, he took up the post of head of drama at Regional Grundy Productions.
After being cancelled by Seven that year due to low ratings, it switched to the Ten Network at the start of 1986 and slowly its ratings climbed.
The show still airs on channel 11 and is the longest-running drama series in Australian television history. At the 47th Annual television Week Logie Awards held on 1 May 2005, Neighbours became the 22nd inductee into the television Week Hall of Fame. Watson also dabbled in television in the United States, producing Dangerous Women, a short-lived soap opera based on the Australian Prisoner series.
Watson is a shy man and rarely gives interviews.
He is now retired and has not produced any new television drama since 1992.
