Ken was born on February 7, 1932 in Shanghai, China.  His parents were from Manchester, England and had relocated to Shanghai with his father’s textile business enterprise.  The family was incarcerated in a Japanese internment camp in Yangchow for 2 ½ years during World War 2 and Ken grew from a young boy to a teenager of 13 by the time war ended and the family returned to live in England.  Following completion of school at Malvern College and national service with the RAF and Intelligence Corps there, Ken joined the workforce as a Reservations Clerk with P&O Shipping before emigrating to Canada in 1955, settling in Vancouver, B.C.  His first job in his new homeland was with The Hudson Bay department store at Granville & Georgia Street as a salesman for men’s shirts, ties and pyjamas and as a part-time advertising model for the company.  In 1961 a friend mentioned that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Vancouver had staff openings and Ken applied, successfully gaining a Propsman position with the Design Department. In 1964, Ken attended a summer Film and Television course at Stanford University to gain experience and on weekends he worked as a relief Studio Director at KPIX TV in San Francisco.  The following year he worked as 4th Assistant Director on the British film The Trap, looking after the needs of stars Oliver Reed and Rita Tushingham.  At CBC Vancouver he had quickly become a Props Specialist and remained in that role until 1967 when he transferred to the TV Program Department first as a Co-Ordinating Producer, then Studio Director and Producer with the TV Variety Department.  His first assignment was to the weekly pop music series Let’s Go which the following year was renamed Where It’s At (that series continued until 1969).  The following year, 1968, he introduced Terry David Mulligan as host of the music series Hits-A-Poppin, the first of four series they collaborated on.  In 1971, Ken brought The Irish Rovers to the television screen – initially with a contract for seven half-hour shows.  In his memoirs, former Graphic Designer Floyd Gillis remembered that “The Irish Rovers’ shows were pioneering the creative use of chromakey in video productions.”  The shows drew unprecedented ratings and led to a long-term association resulting in production of several series and eleven Specials over the period of the next eighteen years.  The programs were taped in the Vancouver studios and travelled to Ireland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand as well.  They had the distinction of beating Hockey Night in Canada ratings, and won a coveted Nellie (Genie) Award.  During that time, Ken also became Area Head of TV Variety for CBC Vancouver. 

Ken transitioned from staff to freelance Producer/Writer with CBC Vancouver. He produced the series It’s a Musical World hosted by Tommy Common from 1973 to 1976.  In 1976 he produced the Remembrance Day Super Special, Let Us Remember with Dame Vera Lynn and The Irish Rovers.  The Special was CBC’s entry at the Montreux Festival that year. In that same year and into 1977, Ken, working with Red Robinson, produced the game show series Trivia and through 1978 and ’79, the disco series The Raes was a big hit with audiences.  In 1983, Ken introduced a talent search series entitled Fame Game (that series continued for the next two years, morphing to the Rock Wars series in 1985).  Also in 1983, Ken was asked by the CBC Network to create a music video series (one of the first to be televised).  The resulting series – Good Rockin’ Tonite – initially hosted by Terry David Mulligan and later by Stu Jeffries (with guest hosts in between the two), aired for the next ten years.

In 1987 CTV (now Global) and The Canadian Country Music Association approached Ken and subsequently contracted him to create The Canadian Country Music Awards.  Ken produced the show for its first seven years.

Over the years Ken produced a great many other series and television Specials.  To name just a few, there was Christmas with Juliette (1976), Easter in Israel with Tommy Common (1977), Once Upon an Evening with Shari Lewis (1977), All My Best with Roger Whittaker (1977), Walt Disney World Salutes Canada with Rene Simard (1978), Carroll Baker in Nashville (1981), Rocky Mountain Christmas with Frank Mills (1984), New Faces with David Foster (1989) and Happy Birthday, Canada! With Alan Thicke (1992).  Following production of this 1992 Canada Day Special, Ken danced with the then-future one and only female Prime Minister of Canada, Kim Campbell.

With the formation of the Employee Assistance Program at CBC Vancouver in 1986, Ken became an active member of the Committee, spearheading publication of the Stationbreak staff newsletter and liaising with the CBC 20 Year Association Board for contributions from its members.  When the newsletter publication was suspended by the EAP Committee, Ken – aided with the technical support of Bill Morris – created the Stationbreak.ca website funded by CBC Vancouver and operated under the auspices of the CBC 20 Year Association (now the CBC/SRC Association).  From its inception until recent months, Ken wrote weekly movie and DVD reviews for the site and compiled the bi-monthly Magazine segment.  He conceived many of the sections within Stationbreak.ca including Flashback, Scrapbook, Colleagues Photo Gallery, TV Treasures and Travel Trips, as well as initiating a photo presence on Flickr.  He was passionate about maintaining the connection between present and past co-workers via Stationbreak and was constantly looking for ways to keep the site fresh and interesting.

From 1995 to 1997, Ken produced another television series – Du Maurier Concert Stage – hosted by John McDermott. 

Ken retired at the conclusion of that series in 1997 and enjoyed the next 25+ years travelling to enjoy theatre and music in London particularly as well as the scenery and cultures of countries around the world, and hosting friends in his beautiful Point Grey home.  In 2012 Ken decided he didn’t want to miss the fun of a Wake to remember him after his demise – he wanted to be a participant – and so he hosted two “rehearsals”, one with CBC colleagues and one with those from other parts of his life, that summer. Ken was in his element as a superb host and having the time of his life surrounded by friends.

Doug Bonde advised friends of Ken’s final moments, saying, “He remained Ken Gibson until the end. …. I want everyone to know that Ken passed with dignity, humor, and substantial courage.”

Ken was predeceased by his parents Harold and Martha Gibson and by his sister-in-law Katharine (Kattie) Gibson. He is survived by his brother Sir Peter Gibson, niece Annabel and nephews Richard and Nick.

As per Ken’s wishes there will be no funeral service.