Suzy Klein will lead the BBC’s world-class arts and classical music output on TV, driving audience reach and impact across the country and maintaining the BBC’s position as the UK’s biggest creator, investor, and broadcaster of original Arts and Classical Music content.“Suzy combines deep subject knowledge with a proselytizing passion for great arts and classical music broadcasting," Patrick Holland, Director BBC Factual, Arts & Classical Music, said. "Her vision for the future development of the genres on television and iPlayer made her the stand-out candidate for this most important of roles."
Klein will work to support British creativity by supporting the wider arts and music sectors, to showcase the best of UK talent, and deliver a range of distinctive high-quality, and impactful Arts and Classical Music content. Whilst her remit focuses on TV, iPlayer, and Arts Digital, she’ll be collaborating with radio and BBC Sounds to make the most of the BBC’s arts and classical content for all audiences.
The position was created to see Arts and Classical Music TV commissioning fully integrated into BBC Content, as part of a new commissioning powerhouse under the leadership of Patrick Holland (Director of Factual, Arts & Classical Music). The restructuring of TV Arts and Music commissioning aims to bring specialist depth, modern storytelling, and enhanced ambition to the genres and bring new opportunities for collaboration and programming of scale to help grow BBC iPlayer, build the BBC’s vital role in British Arts and Classical Music sectors, and deliver outstanding content for all licence-fee payers.
Klein is well known as a journalist and broadcaster and has spent her career championing culture and classical music – as a producer in BBC TV and radio production and latterly as a writer and presenter working across the UK’s cultural sector. "She is an unrivaled communicator with brilliant relationships across the Arts and Classical Music sectors and has a strong track record in production. She will be leading an exceptional team of commissioners in the genre, and we can’t wait for her to start.”
She began her professional career as a presenter on radio and TV with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She then returned to the UK to work in production on Radio 4 programs, including Start The Week and Loose Ends, before moving to television as a director and producer. Her production credits range from live events, such as BBC Proms, to producing drama documentaries on Mozart and Beethoven and making documentary films on Ted Hughes, Martin Amis, Steve Reich, and John Adams. “I could not be more thrilled to be taking on this exciting new role, flying the flag for the best of arts, culture, and classical music at the BBC,” Klein said.
Klein began presenting in 2005, when she was named as one of The Guardian’s 25 Up-And-Coming Cultural Figures, and has since become a familiar face and voice on BBC TV, hosting BBC Proms, The Culture Show, and BBC Young Musician Of The Year. She has written and presented several critically acclaimed BBC television series. From October 2021, Klein will move aside from presenting to focus on her new senior leadership role. "If my appointment represents something, it is a long-term commitment to the transformative power, inspiration, and joy that the arts bring,” Klein said. “That’s something I can’t wait to share with my brilliant commissioning team, as we work together to create the most compelling, unmissable programs for audiences across the UK."