RDF


UK’s BBC hires Channel 4 commissioner Cal Turner & promotes RDF alum Jasmyn McGuile

The BBC has hired Channel 4 exec Cal Turner as a commissioning editor across its factual output, while RDF West alum Jasmyn McGuile has also been promoted. Turner worked on fact ent shows including Snowflake Mountain, Grand Designs and Undercover Boss for Channel 4, which she joined in 2022. The broadcaster has since all but […]

Banijay closes UK’s RDF Television after three decades of operation

Banijay-owned UK production firm RDF is to close its doors after more than three decades in operation. The prodco was launched by the late David Frank in 1993 and sold to Zodiak in 2010, with Banijay taking ownership of the Wife Swap producer when it acquired Zodiak in 2015. Banijay UK merged RDF and Remarkable […]

Scotland’s STV Studios hires RDF duo Andy Sockanathan & James Smales

Scotland’s STV Studios has appointed Beat The Chasers co-creator Andy Sockanathan as director of development for its entertainment division. Sockanathan joins from RDF, where for the last two years he has headed up development, latterly as head of entertainment at RDF label Fizz (Tipping Point). Prior to that, Sockanathan led quiz and gameshow development at […]

Banijay UK merges RDF & Remarkable, Kitty Walshe departs

Banijay UK labels RDF and Remarkable Factual are to merge, with staff cuts expected and Kitty Walshe, who heads up both labels, to depart. A redundancy consultation is currently underway at the newly combined entity, which will continue under the RDF name, though it is understood that Walshe made her decision to leave before the […]

Big Little Fish hires RDF alum as creative director

UK unscripted indie Big Little Fish TV has appointed former RDF exec Peter Usher as its first creative director. Based at the company’s new West London HQ, Usher will take lead on the company’s talent-fronted projects, with a focus on returnable factual series and factual-entertainment formats. Reporting to Big Little Fish TV CEO Mark Procter, Usher […]

Bandicoot TV hires RDF & Initial alum to lead development

Bandicoot TV, the producer of the UK version of The Masked Singer, has hired former RDF, ITV and Fremantle execs to work across its development, talent and production operations. Kate Stannard joins as the Argonon-owned label’s first head of development, with a remit to identify, create and develop new formats across UK, US and international […]

Definitely founders Jon Green & Rachel Arnold to head up RDF creative team

Kitty Walshe, the incoming managing director of Banijay UK-owned RDF, has appointed Rachel Arnold and Jon Green, co-founders of Banijay stablemate Definitely, to head up its creative team. Taking up their new roles in the New Year, Arnold and Green will serve as creative director and creative director of development, respectively, taking over creative leadership […]

Fizz’s Neale Simpson handed reins to entertainment label

Fizz creative director Neale Simpson is stepping up to head the RDF-backed entertainment label. Simpson will take the reins at the Crystal Maze and Tipping Point business, tasked with growing the prodco’s output. He will lead on all development, production and operations. The nine-year RDF exec founded Fizz five years back and has been central […]

Crystal Maze prodco partners with Ireland’s Nice One

RDF-owned prodco Fizz, the producer of the UK’s Crystal Maze (pictured) format, has partnered with Belfast-based Nice One Productions to create localised formats. The partnership, which received funding from Northern Ireland Screen, will see Fizz work with Nice One to co-develop and co-produce a range of formats for local and national broadcasters. The tie-up responds to […]

30 years of TBI: The TBI 20 (2003)

TBI turns 30 this year, and to celebrate we will be publishing a series of archive articles chronicling the evolving television and entertainment landscape since 1988. In 2003, TBI asked the industry to nominate the top 20 executives in the business at that point, and results brought together some of the biggest names in the […]