Design Council pleads guilty to inspiring TV

How refreshing it is for the Design Council to be accused of promoting designers (Letters, DW 28 July). We would indeed plead guilty to inspiring an engaging prime-time TV series (Better by Design, Channel 4, Tuesdays 8.30pm) and also take responsibility for the million and a half viewers who each week learn something about the value of product design.

However, just to reassure David Crisp: we really don’t spend all of our time dreaming up ways in which to promote Seymour Powell, as those who heard Paul Priestman speaking in Paris recently, the pupils at award-winning Notley Green primary school in Essex, and visitors to our Millennium Products exhibitions in Europe and South America might testify.

Incidentally, Crisp has also misunderstood how TV works if he thinks that Seymour Powell was specially chosen by the Design Council or Channel 4. We are simply the series commissioners.

It is the production company (in this case TV6) which makes such decisions, although we do actually that think Richard and Dick happen to make design interesting on TV.

Then again, perhaps we’re wrong.

Maybe the BBC should canvass opinion on a few other presenters before David Attenborough is allowed to present yet another nature series.

Martin Brown

Government and communication director

Design Council

London WC2