BBC restructures kids unit

BBC Children’s has restructured its senior management team, creating and expanding roles in production and commissioning.

Sarah Muller (pictured) takes the new role of creative director, scripted animation and coproduction at the CBBC channel.

The pubcaster said the new position had been created as live-action and animated drama becomes increasingly important. The channel has had a number of drama hits in recent times including Wizards vs. Aliens, ZDF copro Wolfblood and interactive series Dixi. It has also ordered several big-ticket shows in the works including Jamillah and Aladdin and The Secret Life of Boys.

In her new role Muller will source scripted talent and ideas for CBBC, and attach the channel to international copros. She will also lead on CBBC animation projects as well as continuing in her previous function, running the CBBC in-house drama development team. She will report to Helen Bullough, head of CBBC Production.

In other changes, Jackie Edwards becomes the head of BBC Children’s acquisitions and independent animation. This hands the exec an expanded role to cover prebuys and acquired animated series. She will report to CBeebies and CBBC channel controllers Kay Benbow and Cheryl Taylor, respectively.

With Edwards taking control of acquisitions, Alison Stewart, head of production at preschool channel CBeebies, will drop that responsibility and focus on growing the channel’s slate of in-house and coproduced projects.

The exec changes are effective from October, and come as debate rages about kids TV funding in the UK. This week a group of producers have reached out to government and the BBC asking for change and kids TV advocacy group the CMF has also reacted.