Collaborators and peers have paid tribute to Plum Pictures co-founder and “unrelenting geyser of ideas” Will Daws, who died suddenly this week, aged 57.
Daws and Stuart Cabb set up the unscripted indie in 2007 after the pair struck up a friendship at the BBC, with director of production Victoria Moss joining them soon after.
The company is based in Hat Trick’s office in Camden and Daws set up a Bristol offshoot set up in 2019.
Describing himself as “10 percent man, 90 percent anecdote”, he was regarded as an exuberant and humourous figure whose lack of conformity and pragmatism helped to create distinctive and entertaining shows.
“Will was like a brother to me,” said Cabb. 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.”
Working under the Hat Trick umbrella, Daws created Plum formats such as George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces for Channel 4, BBC4's Trainspotting Live, Netflix's Girls Incarcerated and a string of James May-fronted formats such as James May’s Toy Stories and Our Man In…
Other on-screen collaborators included Simon Reeve, Mary Portas, Stefan Gates, Wayne Rooney, Gok Wan, Piers Morgan, Trevor McDonald, Peter Snow, Hannah Fry, Johnny Vegas and Ronnie Corbett.
May described Daws as “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)”.
The presenter added: “He worked under a simple mantra that said television should be enjoyable to make, otherwise it wouldn’t be enjoyable to watch.
“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.”
Daws’ TV break came after he self-shot footage in a Liberian war zone on his own camera and sold the footage to Channel 4.
Working as an undercover camea operator, director and executive producer in current affairs for the BBC, he created factual shows such as Holidays in the Axis of Evil, Places That Don’t Exist, A Dirty Weekend In Hospital and The Zimmers.
Hat Trick managing director Jimmy Mulville said: “Will was not only a great producer brimming with ideas, he also possessed a wonderful sense of mischief and adventure. He led his Plum Pictures alongside Stuart Cabb with great charm, wit and kindness. We are going to miss him.”
BBC interim director of scripted Fiona Campbell, who worked with Daws in his early BBC days, told Broadcast he "was always bursting with genre busting ideas loaded with great comedy elements".
"Most of all I remember his fantastic superstar smile that embodied a personal light touch and attitude to our work no matter what tricky journalism trench we found ourselves in that week.
“Will was an entrepreneur to his core leaving the BBC to set up Plum and forge great success – I am devastated our creative community has lost him so suddenly we are so very shocked.”
C4 senior commissioning editor Clemency Green described Daws as “a special combination of a kind, generous soul and a joyfully creative mind”.
She added: “His gift for finding the heart of a story came from who he was – an unfailingly kind and deeply decent person. Will was a remarkable programme maker, able to elevate ideas with his wit and insight and turn them into shows that people loved to watch. He will be hugely missed by so many people.
“The mark he leaves on our industry, and on all of us who were lucky enough to work with him, will endure for years to come.”
Daws leaves behind his wife Shula, son Ethan, daughter Noa, mum Dilys and brothers Sam and Joe.
