No laughing matter: the downfall of Mr Comedy

Once he was the golden boy, who produced hit television shows such as 'The Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City'. But now Chris Albrecht is in disgrace, forced to resign from his post as chairman of Home Box Office following revelations of a drunken assault on a female companion. By Andrew Gumbel
Published: 11 May 2007

We still don't know the biggest secret in American television - whether Tony Soprano is going to get whacked before the small screen's quintessential mob drama reaches the final episode of its final season next month. But we do know about someone else whose professional career - if not his life - has just been rubbed out with the kind of cold, business-like efficiency that corporate America and the mafia have always had in common: the man who did more than anyone else to bring The Sopranos (and a host of other culture-changing hit shows) to television audiences around the world. continue...