Irene Shubik

Hampstead, London, England, UK

Irene Shubik (26 December 1929 – 26 September 2019) was a British television producer and story editor, known for her contribution to the development of the single play in British television drama. Beginning her career in television at ABC Weekend TV, she worked on Armchair Theatre as a story editor, where she devised the science fiction anthology series Out of this World. Moving to the BBC, she briefly worked as a story editor before being promoted to producer, creating the science fiction anthology television series Out of the Unknown. Leaving Out of the Unknown after two seasons, Shubik co-produced The Wednesday Play, overseeing its transition into Play for Today in 1970. She left the BBC in 1976 and subsequently produced the first season of Rumpole of the Bailey for Thames Television before joining Granada Television, where she produced Staying On and devised The Jewel in the Crown. She also wrote film scripts and a novel, The War Guest.