ABC Children’s TV Legend Tim Brooke-Hunt Dead at 76

Legendary children’s content veteran Tim Brooke-Hunt has died. The producer and former Head of Children’s TV at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) passed away “peacefully” surrounded by family and friends on Monday, Sept. 23 following a long illness, according an obituary in The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC. He was 76.

The UK-born Brooke-Hunt rose to become one of Australia’s leading producers of children’s television content, with his career in children’s entertainment spanning four decades and seeing him produce some of Australia’s most beloved children’s programming. After graduating from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business with an MBA degree and working as a chartered accountant in London, he moved to Australia in the 1970s and began his career in television, according to Kidscreen. He served in senior leadership roles at Australian production companies Beyond International and Yoram Gross Film Studios and co-founded Sticky Pictures in 2002 before joining the ABC in 2007 as Executive Head of Children’s Content. Just three years later, he became the network’s Controller of Children’s Content.

During his time at ABC, Brooke-Hunt led the launch of ABC3 and the relaunch of ABC4Kids on ABC2. Per ABC, he was also responsible for the ABC’s Educational programs and online content for children. Among the ABC shows he commissioned were the historical drama My Place, Dance Academy, and the preschool series Giggle & Hoot. He left the ABC in 2013, with Richard Finlayson, director of ABC Television, saying at the time, “there is no doubt that the dominance of ABC TV in the children’s area has been one of the great success stories for the ABC and this has been achieved under Tim’s leadership. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Confirming his passing, the ABC said, “Our condolences go to Tim’s family, friends and colleagues.” His former colleague Michael Carrington remembered Brooke-Hunt on LinkedIn as “more than a brilliant industry colleague—he was a friend, and we shared an incredible journey through children’s TV together…. His influence didn’t stop at Australia’s borders—Tim played a key role in international collaborations through his work as a founding director of the Asian Animation Summit, where he mentored countless producers, always with patience, kindness and an unrelenting belief in creative potential.”

Following his departure from the ABC, Brooke-Hunt was appointed as board president at Flying Bark Productions, which made 2015’s Blinky Bill: The Movie. He was also a founding director of Kidscreen’s Asian Animation Summit event.