BBC STUDIOS HIRES CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR ITS HISTORY AND ARTS DIVISION

BBC Studios Productions has appointed former commissioner Abigail Priddle as Creative Director for the history and arts division of its Documentary Unit. Priddle will take up her new role in September, and although she will be based in London, she will spend time across the UK, managing productions in London and Glasgow.

Priddle will provide creative leadership to production teams and assist developing the strategy for history and arts as well as executive producing titles. She will also oversee a portfolio of projects for clients in the United Kingdom, the United States and beyond.

The executive has worked in commissioning for the BBC for more than five years and has been behind shows such as “The Yorkshire Ripper Files: A Very British Crime Story,” “The Trump Show” and “What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery?,” among numerous others. Her appointment comes nine months after the arrival of Kirsty Cunningham into the docs unit, who joined as part of a major restructuring at the company’s factual production operations.

“Abigail has shown extraordinary range in commissioning; championing indies big and small, nurturing onscreen talent and supporting new directors. She’s also passionate about quality and delivery – traits that are incredibly important for our content – so we feel very lucky she’s joining BBC Studios and know she’ll have an enormous impact in the Documentary Unit,”  commented Tom McDonald, MD of BBC Studios Productions Factual.