"They've all been to Oxbridge University, wherever that is," spits a disillusioned Partridge as he considers the unfairness of the politically correct "Mr and Ms's of the BBC".
Thompson seemed to come right out of this mould with his degree from Merton College,Oxford,and years spent in the BBC's "officer class" before becoming the chief executive of Channel 4 in January 2002.
When he joined Channel 4, 北京赛车pk10 dubbed him a "young fogey" and now he's even got the beard to prove it. But Thompson's time at Channel 4 shattered the myth that he was a dull, safe pair of hands.
He might not have left an imprint on the public's mind as large as that of predecessors such as the "pornographer-in-chief" and new BBC chairman, Michael Grade, but Thompson's legacy will be one of a man who made the right, often tough, decisions at the right time.
On arriving at Channel 4, Thompson was faced with a tricky situation as its 4Ventures division hit the buffers. Forced to unveil Channel 4's first loss in a decade (not helped by a slump in ad revenues),
Thompson then embarked on a radical cost-cutting exercise. Within six months, 200 jobs were cut and the loss-making FilmFour division was folded back into the company. Thompson promised more money for programme making after the streamlining of 4Ventures.
It seems to have worked. In 2003, 4Ventures made money (if restructuring costs are excluded) and group profits more than doubled to 拢45m. Share of peaktime audience was a steady 9.5%.
But what about the other real test -- programming? There have been plenty of successes under Thompson. Capturing 'The Simpsons', establishing 'Hollyoaks' in the weekly schedule, the reality shows 'Wife Swap' and 'Jamie's Kitchen', original comedy in 'Bo Selecta!' and the first "returning" dramas in 'Teachers' and 'Shameless'.
Under Thompson, 78% of peaktime programming was original, compared with 68% 10 years ago. On the downside, too much of it is still home improvement and mediocre reality programming (with the obvious exception of anything featuring Sarah Beeny). But the return of the director of programming, Kevin Lygo, from Five should bring more creativity to the schedule.
However, Thompson's timing is terrible for Channel 4. While you can't blame him for going, it is left rudderless as it faces questions over its future funding and merger opportunities. Whoever replaces Thompson (Sky's Dawn Airey or an enlarged role for the chairman, Luke Johnson, have been reported as likely options) needs to be rolling up their sleeves sooner rather than later.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .