His senior positions in television included serving as the Head of BBC Drama Series and Serials and Controller of BBC1.
[2] Working for the BBC, he produced several drama series during the 1970s and 1980s, including literary adaptations such as A Christmas Carol (1977), Wuthering Heights (1978), Testament of Youth (1979), Pride and Prejudice (1980), The Barchester Chronicles (1982) and The Old Men at the Zoo (1983).
In common with Grade, Powell had a low opinion of the series[6] and especially despised its producer, John Nathan-Turner, whom, he later said, he wanted to "fuck off... or die, really".
[9] He remained channel controller until 1993, when he left the BBC to join the independent company Carlton Television as Director of Drama and Co-Production.
After he retired from television, Powell became Head of the Department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London.