[1] Born on 15 December 1964 in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, Richard Hopkins was educated at Bedford School and at University College London, where he read English literature.
He worked in publishing and for various radio stations in Britain and France before he began working for the independent production company Planet 24, and became associate producer of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin.
[4] Between 2003 and 2006, Hopkins ran the BBC's format entertainment department, and became executive producer of Mastermind, Weakest Link, A Question of Sport and Strictly Come Dancing.
He left the BBC in 2006 in order to found Fever Media, producing The People's Quiz in 2007, and Move Like Michael Jackson in 2009.
[5] Richard Hopkins died of cancer in London on 7 January 2012 at the age of 47.