Sir Paul Fox: BBC executive who launched Dad's Army dies aged 98

Sir Paul Fox joined the BBC in the 1950s as a newsreel scriptwriter

Former BBC executive Sir Paul Fox, who oversaw the launch of Dad's Army, has died at the age of 98, the corporation has announced.

Sir Paul also launched other classic comedies including The Two Ronnies and talk show Parkinson.

He also devised BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

Paying tribute, BBC director-general Tim Davie said Sir Paul had "a towering career in television across the industry".

"Few people have had such a broad and lasting impact on the TV landscape, commissioning shows that audiences have loved for decades and still love," Davie said.

"He was one of the best TV executives from a golden era in television. He will be hugely missed."

Sir Paul joined the BBC in the 1950s as a newsreel scriptwriter before going on to edit round-up show Sportsview and news and investigation programme Panorama.

Sir Paul oversaw the launch of hugely successful comedies including Dad's Army

During this period, he came up with the idea of BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, which was first awarded in 1954 to runner Sir Chris Chataway, who later became a Conservative MP.

Sir Paul then became controller of BBC One where he oversaw a roll call of hugely successful programmes.

He moved to become managing director of Yorkshire TV, which became ITV Yorkshire, from 1973 to 1988, before returning to the BBC as a managing director of network television.

He retired in 1991, the year in which he was knighted for services to the TV industry.

Sir Paul went on to become chairman of the Racecourse Association and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) before leaving both roles later in the 1990s.

He was also a former chairman of breakfast franchise consortium Daybreak TV and was a board member of Thames Television.