Captain Thomas Marcus Brownrigg CBE DSO RN (Retired) (8 July 1902 – 9 October 1967) was a British Royal Navy officer before and during World War II who later became the first General Manager of Bracknell New Town Development Corporation before becoming the first General Manager of Europe's first commercial television station, Associated-Rediffusion. Naval career Brownrigg began his naval career as a midshipman in 1919. He progressed through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant in 1923 and a captain in 1942. He saw service on numerous ships, including pre-war stints on the flotilla leader HMS Montrose, the aircraft carrier , and the light cruiser HMS Cairo. World War II During the Second World War, Brownrigg served on the battleship HMS Warspite as Navigating Officer before taking a staff position under Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham in the planning department of the Naval Expeditionary Force, preparing for D-Day. He then became commanding officer of HMS Scylla for D-Day itself, whilst also serving as Flag Captain for the Eastern Task Force during the landings. He finished the war in command of the Royal Navy Air Station at Rattray. Post-war After the war, Brownrigg served briefly on HMS Theseus before taking a series of land-based naval positions. He served as Director of Plans for the Admiralty, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean and finally, in 1952, being briefly Naval Aide de Camp to the Queen. Nevertheless, he had made enemies within the Admiralty due to his idiosyncratic nature and failed to progress beyond the rank of captain. He was placed on the retired list in July 1952. Bracknell New Town Following his retirement from the navy, Brownrigg became General Manager of the Bracknell New Town Development Corporation. With his experience in planning for Operation Overlord, he was considered the ideal choice for implementing the development of a New Town as envisaged by Patrick Abercrombie and Lord Reith in their eponymous reports. Associated-Rediffusion The experience of managing Bracknell was put to use in Brownrigg's next post, the one where he would, his war service notwithstanding, gain the most fame. The Television Act 1954 had created the framework for commercial broadcasting in the United Kingdom. British Electric Traction's Broadcast Relay Services subsidiary and Associated Newspapers formed a joint company, Associated-Rediffusion (A-R), to bid for a commercial television contract. Because of the extensive planning and construction involved, they approached Brownrigg to become their General Manager.