AceShowbiz - Pip Wedge, a trailblazer in television broadcasting who significantly influenced the development of private TV in both the United Kingdom and Canada, has died at the age of 97.

Pip Wedge passed away peacefully and unexpectedly on April 15 in Toronto due to natural causes, according to his wife, Lis Wedge. She shared with The Hollywood Reporter that after feeling unwell and taking a nap, he never woke up. "After nearly 61 years of marriage, I am missing him tremendously," she said.

Born on December 2, 1928, in Forest Hill, southeast London, Pip Wedge was named Philip by his parents but was nicknamed Pip, inspired by the character from Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations.

During the upheaval of World War II, Wedge completed his high school education and in May 1946 began working as a clerk and switchboard operator at a London advertising agency. He later served in the UK Navy as a telegraph operator.

While stationed on a navy ship near Glasgow Harbor, Wedge regularly tuned into the American Forces Network radio station, where he enjoyed pop artists like Doris Day, Jo Stafford, and Johnny Ray. This early exposure to popular music helped him attract the attention of veteran British musician and broadcaster Steve Race, who also wrote for Musical Express.

In a 1994 interview with Playback Magazine, Wedge recalled building the courage to meet Race. Their first encounter resulted in Wedge borrowing several LPs from Race. When returning the records months later, Wedge offered some writing advice as Race was composing a column for Musical Express, leading to a job offer.

Pip Wedge began contributing concert reviews for Musical Express in June 1950 and advanced to reporter and assistant editor by June 1952.

In 1955, Wedge learned from Race that he was involved in a license application to launch Associated-Rediffusion, Britain's first commercial TV station designed to compete with the BBC. Wedge joined the station, initially helping establish their music department and later moving into light entertainment.

His early television production work included popular quiz shows such as Double Your Money and Take Your Pick, which helped define the rough and tumble environment of early British TV game shows.

By spring 1962, feeling that his career in quiz show production in the UK had plateaued, Wedge sought new opportunities. He was invited to produce pilots of Double Your Money in Canada and Australia, leading him to relocate to Toronto.

In Toronto, Wedge established studio facilities at CFTO-TV, recruited contestants, and replicated this process in Sydney, Australia. By 1964, he was producing 42 half-hour episodes of Double Your Money for the privately owned CTV Television Network, distributing the show across five Canadian cities while editing the series in Toronto.

In August 1965, Wedge accepted a position at CTV, initially based in Montreal before moving to the network's Toronto headquarters in August 1967. There, he worked under executive vice president Murray Chercover and programming chief Arthur Weinthal.

He was promoted to director of development in 1970, transitioning from being seen merely as a music man or producer in class-conscious London to a respected Canadian TV executive. Wedge noted in the 1994 profile that the Canadian environment was more democratic and welcoming, allowing him to be valued for his contributions rather than background.

Pip Wedge spent 28 years at CTV until his retirement in June 1994. His work included producing Canadian variety and daytime shows, such as three television specials featuring singer Petula Clark, and early seasons of W5, CTV’s flagship news magazine series.

He also managed CTV’s acquisition of foreign programming, sourcing popular U.S. studio series like Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Soap, and The Love Boat at the Los Angeles Screenings each year, overseeing the network’s schedule management.

Following retirement, Wedge continued consulting for CTV and various industry organizations, including the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

In November 2006, he was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Broadcast Hall of Fame. Starting in 2007, he served for ten years as an adjudicator for the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, which regulates broadcast taste and standards in Canada under the supervision of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Pip Wedge’s pioneering efforts helped shape the structure and growth of private television broadcasting on both sides of the Atlantic, leaving a lasting legacy in the industry.