Richard Hopkins, British Television Producer of Top Reality Shows
Hopkins, whose credits included Fear Factor and Big Brother, was the creator of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, which became the U.S. hit Dancing with the Stars.
Richard Hopkins, a British television producer who helped bring Dancing with the Stars to the United States, died January 7, 2012. He was 47.
According to news reports, the cause was cancer.
In Britain, Hopkins was a key figure in several significant reality television productions. In a career spanning two decades, he produced Fame Academy and Fear Factor in Britain, and worked on the first season of Big Brother before developing, pitching and producing popular dance contest Strictly Come Dancing for the BBC.
He then brought the format to America, where the show was rechristened Dancing with the Stars.
Between 2003 and 2006, Hopkins ran the BBC’s format entertainment division. Later, in conjunction with Sony Music, he established the company Fever Media.
Hopkins is survived by his wife and three daughters.