| abstract | - John Michael "Mike" Gibbon (born 27 January 1942) is an English television producer and director. Gibbon married Moya McCarthy in July 1976 and they have a daughter, Sophie. He directed and produced the BBC televised soap opera, EastEnders. He began directing the programme in 1985 and began producing the programme in 1988. He became the show's new boss following the departure of show creator and series producer Julia Smith. Due to personal conflict with the series' head, Peter Cregeen, he was replaced by Michael Ferguson. It has been reported that Gibbon controversially called for the killing of at least 10 long-running characters in a bid to boost ratings. According to writer David Yallop, acting ability was a key factor in deciding which members of the cast to get rid of. Cast lists were marked with black asterisks, signifying a death for their character. One of the penned plots saw characters die in an IRA bombing. However, the plots never came to fruition, as Gibbon was demoted and then resigned from the serial. He is also deviser and adaptor, with David Yallop, of Herbert Jenkins's Bindle book series.
- Mike Gibbon directed 50 episodes of Emmerdale Farm between 1979 and 1984.
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