Sydney Lotterby

Sydney Warren Lotterby OBE (born 30 November 1926) is a British television producer and director.He started as a cameraman at the BBC and progressed to becoming technical manager.He joined the BBC's Entertainment Department in 1958 and in 1963 became a producer/director.

Television comedy series which he produced or directed included: As Time Goes By, May to December, Last of the Summer Wine, Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Ever Decreasing Circles, Brush Strokes, Open All Hours, Butterflies, Ripping Yarns, Porridge, Going Straight,Broaden Your Mind, the final series of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, The Liver Birds, Up Pompeii! and Sykes and A....

A sketch in At Last The 1948 Show in which four exactly alike men all called Sydney Lotterby ("The Four Sydney Lotterbies") was written by John Cleese, because he liked the name. The men were played by Cleese, Marty Feldman, Tim Brooke-Taylor, and Graham Chapman. Cleese also gave the name to the character played by Robert Lindsay in Fierce Creatures (1997).

Lotterby has won four BAFTAs awards for comedy, including for Porridge (and also for a special in 1975), Going Straight (1978) and Yes Minister (1980).He has also been nominated for eleven more. In 1994 Lotterby was appointed OBE.