Orson Welles' Sketchbook was directed by Huw Wheldon, 'producer' being 1950s BBC language for producer-director. There is a story that during the filming of one episode Orson ran out of ink and threw down his pen in irritation. By the time Wheldon had reached the set Orson has disappeared, telling a crew member that he was going to Paris. It turned out to be the case. Nevertheless, the two men became friends. Wheldon later conducted a celebrated interview with Welles on the legendary BBC arts programme 'Monitor'. Welles tried to persuade Wheldon to be his European manager. Wheldon was concerned both that he would never be paid and that Orson would have 'eaten him up'. Wheldon went on to become the Managing Director of BBC TV, and knighted for his services to broadcasting. He died in the same year as Welles, 1986. On his death the sketches Welles had done for the show were found among Wheldon's papers, a gift from the one man to the other.
Welles was an accomplished artist, and went to Ireland at the age of 16 in order to become a painter, not an actor.