The television producer and executive Sally Head, who has died aged 79 of cancer, commissioned groundbreaking dramas, from Prime Suspect, Cracker and Band of Gold to Tipping the Velvet and Fanny Hill. In doing to, she demonstrated not only an instinct for what makes good television, but also a willingness to take risks.
Lynda La Plante’s proposal of a police procedural featuring a female detective heading a murder investigation – and facing sexism from her male colleagues – instantly appealed to Sally as head of drama at the ITV company Granada Television.
