BBC Studios Productions has hired Channel 4’s former head of youth and digital Karl Warner to establish and lead a new creative unit within its recently formed Global Entertainment business that will target premium longform and digital formats for the UK and international markets. Taking up his new role in November As Executive Vice President of UK Entertainment and Digital Development, Warner’s new team will be tasked with creating new IP and formats for the BBC as well as other UK and global platforms. His unit will also partner with BBC Studios Global Entertainment teams around the world, particularly in the U.S., to reimagine international ideas for the UK market that will be produced by the new Entertainment production business led by Suzy Lamb, MD for UK Entertainment. He will report to Global Entertainment Managing Director, Matt Forde.
Warner’s remit will also include overseeing the creation of new labels and creatively supporting existing labels such as the recently launched Rebel Rebel Pictures, to support their growth and establish and expand BBC Studios’ content portfolio, ensuring it continues to produce and retain developed IP for the BBC Group.
With over 15 years of senior industry leadership experience Warner has held commissioning roles at the BBC and Channel 4 as well as founding his own production company, Electric Ray, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. He joined Channel 4 in 2018 as the new controller of E4, as well as overseeing Channel 4’s entertainment department, brokering deals for hit shows, Taskmaster, and I Literally Just Told You. He was behind the successful brand strategy of Married at First Sight UK, making it E4's highest rated show in the history of the channel and Channel 4's number 1 streaming brand of all time. He also extended the global hit franchise, First Dates with four seasons of Teen First Dates, a version of the format he helped devise.
He previously held roles at NBC’s Monkey Kingdom and at Endemol where he was a Senior Producer on Big Brother – and he was also part of the BBC in-house team that helped develop Strictly Come Dancing’s first season. He was the BBC’s youngest ever commissioning editor at 26,helping to create brands like Russell Howard’s Good News and Junior Doctors for BBC Three, as well as Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and John Bishop’s Britain for BBC One.
Matt Forde, Global Entertainment MD, BBC Studios, said: “I’m delighted that someone of Karl’s experience and inventiveness has joined BBC Studios to help us supercharge our ambitions. Establishing a flexible hub of creative talent to develop UK hit shows across multiple platforms with an innovative, global, and future-looking approach for audiences has been a priority since setting up Global Entertainment. I can’t wait to see what he and the new team working across the UK and world create.”
Karl Warner commented: "After over a decade, I’m thrilled to be back at the BBC with a new global perspective and joining BBC Studios in a creative leadership role at such an exciting time. With its huge scale, rich catalogue of IP and second to none Talent relationships, I can’t think of a better place to be, creating new ideas that speak to the next generation of audiences, alongside Suzy and the amazing teams in the group.”
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