BBC Four


BBC Four buys Spanish drama

Spanish drama I Know Who You Are is headed for culture-themed UK network BBC Four. The acquisition of the 10x70mins series marks the first time the BBC has acquired a Spanish-produced drama, though its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, did coproduce The Refugees with Atresmedia in 2014. I Know Who You Are (aka Sé Quién Eres) comes […]

BBC rejigs factual unit under McDonald

UK pubcaster the BBC has restructured its specialist factual and natural history units team, handing execs new roles and creating new positions. Tom McDonald will remain at the helm of the natural history and specialist factual departments, but now as overall strategy for television and digital. His post covers natural history, science, religion and ethics […]

BBC Four plants Roots with A+E

UK pubcaster the BBC is among the latest to buy A+E Networks’ reworking of the Alex Haley novel of the same name. BBC Four will play the show, which launched at MIPCOM last year and was for History in the US, along with new buyers Numero 23 in France, DBS YES in Israel, Showmax pan-Africa […]

Nick Fraser exiting BBC for SVOD service

Long-serving BBC factual commissioner Nick Fraser is leaving the UK pubcaster to launch a new subscription VOD service. Fraser (pictured) has edited the acclaimed Storyville documentary strand since its inception 17 years ago, and been involved in more than 340 films over the course of his career. He is now joining doc-focused SVOD service Yaddo, […]

Ex-BBC, ITV factual chief joins Banijay prodco

Richard Klein has resurfaced at Banijay Group-owned unscripted producer IWC Media. The former BBC Four controller and ITV director of factual has been named creative director the London- and Glasgow-based company, which created factual series such as Africa with Griff Rhys Jones for ITV and Britain’s Benefit Tenants for Channel 4. Klein (pictured) left ITV […]

BBC Three investigates LGBT hate crimes

Online UK broadcaster BBC Three is lining up a 3x50mins doc series investigating hate crimes in the US, as the country reels from a mass killing in a Florida gay club. Love and Hate Crime will comprise three separate films exploring hate crimes – one about a transgender woman murdered by her boyfriend, another about […]

BBC snaps up French drama

The BBC has acquired French drama series The Disappearance for its BBC Four channel. The series, which follows the story of a family trying to find their missing daughter, was made for pubcaster France Télévisions, where it went out as Disparue on France 2, performing strongly in the ratings. Zodiak Rights sells it internationally and […]

ITV factual boss exiting

ITV’s director of factual, Richard Klein, is leaving the UK commercial broadcaster. Klein joined ITV from digital arts and culture channel BBC Four, where he was controller, in 2013. His departure follows Kevin Lygo replacing Peter Fincham as director of television at ITV, amid several executive changes. “It has been a great thrill to run […]

Shillinglaw exits in BBC channels rejig

BBC Two and Four controller Kim Shillinglaw (pictured) is to leave the UK pubcaster, as part of a wider restructure that sees Charlotte Moore take over all channels and the iPlayer. Moore (below, right) has been named controller, TV channels and iPlayer for the BBC following an internal recruitment process, which was designed to create […]

BBC plays down BBC Four closure threat

The BBC’s director of strategy has said the corporation does not have plans to close BBC Four, despite the arts network being touted as one of a number of services that could be cut to save money. Speaking on BBC Radio4’s The World at One show yesterday, James Purnell said “we’re not ruling anything in […]