BBC creates seven new Assistant Commissioner roles across the UK

The BBC has announced the next phase of its Assistant Commissioner programme with the creation of seven new roles – with a focus on increasing representation from the Nations and Regions and candidates who are deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. 

Five new Assistant Commissioner roles in the Nations & English Regions will further strengthen the BBC’s commissioning footprint outside London, growing the next generation of commissioners where they live. Four of the roles will be in Factual, co-funded by the Nations, and one will be in Children’s & Education, specializing in animation. In addition, two new London-based Assistant Commissioner roles will broaden the pipeline from deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent TV talent. One of the roles will be in Unscripted, and one will be in Scripted.

“These new roles demonstrate our commitment to growing and developing new talent and enhancing our representation across the UK. They will play an important role in spotting and nurturing ideas that will bring viewers high impact stories that reflect their lives wherever they live,”  commented Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted at BBC.

The four Factual roles will be employed by both Network and Nations commissioning teams, and work across both slates as well as on co-commissions, with the aim of having one role per nation. Meanwhile, the Children’s animation role will report into Kate Morton, Head of BBC Children’s Commissioning & Acquisitions 0-6, and will be based in Northern Ireland.

Dawn Beresford, Director of Talent, Commissioning at BBC, declared: “These fresh, new voices from the Nations & Regions and deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent talent pool will strengthen the BBC’s commissioning talent pipeline. We want to find and nurture talent from a wider base and to create exciting opportunities within commissioning across BBC content.”

Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s & Education at BBC, concluded: “We’re really happy that the BBC Children’s & Education department is involved in the Assistant Commissioner programme and that we can offer an opportunity for a talented individual from Northern Ireland to join our team. With animation a key part of our strategy and an exciting animation community from Northern Ireland, this is a great role for someone to come in and have real impact on our output.”

BBC TV has already increased the number of network commissioners based in the Nations & Regions by seven since the launch of the BBC’s Across The UK strategy, bringing the current total to 24, so these seven roles will be in addition.