Tony Wilson

Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4.

As a co-founder of the independent label Factory Records and founder-manager of the Haçienda nightclub, Wilson was behind some of Manchester's most successful bands, including Joy Division, New Order, and Happy Mondays.

Wilson was known as "Mr Manchester", dubbed as such for his work in promoting the culture of Manchester throughout his career.

Wilson was born 20 February 1950 in Hope Hospital, Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire, to Sydney Wilson and Doris Knupfer, and moved to Marple, near Stockport, Cheshire, at the age of five.

After passing his Eleven plus exam, Wilson attended De La Salle Grammar School in Weaste Lane, Pendleton, Salford.

He developed a love of literature and language, ignited by a performance of Hamlet at Stratford upon Avon.

Wilson started his professional career in 1968 at the age of 17, working as an English and Drama teacher at Blue Coat School in Oldham.

He later graduated with a degree in English from Jesus College, Cambridge.

Through the 1970s and 1980s he was one of the main anchors on Granada Reports, a regional evening news programme, where he worked with Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley among others.

He continued in this line of work even at the height of his success in the music industry.

Wilson, who intensely disliked the music scene of the mid-1970s which was dominated by such genres as disco, progressive rock and arena rock, saw the Sex Pistols at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall, in June 1976, an experience which he described as "nothing short of an epiphany".

He booked them for the last episode of the first series.

Wilson was the manager of many bands, including A Certain Ratio and the Durutti Column, and was part owner and manager of Factory Records, home of Happy Mondays, Joy Division and New Order – the band managed by friend and business partner Rob Gretton.

He also founded and managed the Haçienda nightclub and Dry Bar.

After his graduation in 1971, Wilson began as a trainee news reporter for ITN, before moving to Manchester in 1973, where he secured a post at Granada Television.

He presented Granada's culture, music and events programme, So It Goes.

Wilson reported for ITV's current affairs series World in Action in the early 1980s and hosted editions of After Dark, the UK's first open-ended chat show, first on Channel 4 and later BBC Four.

Journalist Fergal Kinney wrote in 2021: “His appearances on Channel 4’s freewheeling late-night debate show After Dark...are exhilarating, pitched somewhere between a malevolent David Dimbleby and a slightly effete Jonathan Meades.” Paul Morley's book From Manchester with Love: The Life and Opinions of Tony Wilson quotes Wilson as nearly falling asleep on the programme but waking up to hear one of the guests attacking him for naming his band Joy Division.

The scene was termed "Madchester" in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He made little money from Factory Records or the Haçienda, despite the enormous popularity and cultural significance of both endeavours.

In 1988, Wilson hosted The Other Side of Midnight, another Granada weekly regional culture slot, covering music, literature and the arts in general.

He hosted the short-lived TV quiz shows Topranko! and Channel 4's Remote Control in the 1990s, as well as the Manchester United themed quiz, Masterfan, for MUTV.

Wilson co-presented the BBC's coverage of The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium with Lisa I'Anson in 1992.

In 2000, Wilson and his business partners launched an early online music store, Music33.

Wilson was portrayed by Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's film 24 Hour Party People (2002), and by Craig Parkinson in Anton Corbijn's film Control (2007).

A semi-fictionalised version of his life and of the surrounding era was made into the film 24 Hour Party People (2002), which stars Steve Coogan as Wilson.

After the film was produced, Wilson wrote a novelisation based on the screenplay.

He played a minor role (playing himself) in the film, A Cock and Bull Story (2005), in which his character interviews Coogan.

In 2006 he became the regional political presenter for the BBC's The Politics Show.

He presented a weekly radio show on Xfm Manchester – Sunday Roast – and a show on BBC Radio Manchester.

His final music TV show was filmed in December 2006 for Manchester's Channel M.

Only one episode, entitled "The New Friday", was recorded before Wilson became ill.

Wilson's involvement in popular music stemmed from hosting Granada's culture and music programme So It Goes.

In October he joined Blur bassist Alex James, Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq and previously unknown presenter Emily Rose to host the 21st century version of the 1980s music programme, The Tube, for Channel 4 Radio which ran until 2 March 2007.

Wilson also co-produced the Ian Curtis biopic, Control (2007), being portrayed on this occasion by Craig Parkinson.

Wilson was a partner in the annual In the City and Interactive City music festivals and industry conferences, and also F4 Records, the fourth version of Factory Records.

Wilson identified himself as a socialist and refused to pay for private healthcare on principle.

Wilson was also an outspoken supporter of regionalism.

Along with others including Ruth Turner, he started a campaign for North West England to be allowed a referendum on the creation of a regional assembly, called the "Necessary Group" after a line in the United States Declaration of Independence.

Although his campaign was successful, with the British government announcing that a vote would take place, this was later abandoned when North East England voted against the introduction of a regional tier of government.