MUMBAI: BBC has announced the appointment of Damian Kavanagh as CBBC controller.

Kavanagh will start later this year on an initial year's attachment. He replaces Anne Gilchrist, who, after three years of running the department, is joining the BBC in-house Comedy department as Creative & Business Director.

Damian will oversee all programmes and multiplatform commissioning for the CBBC channel and the two dedicated blocks on BBC One and BBC Two.

Programmes due to be shown later over the next year include the return of Tracy Beaker in Beaker's Back; a second series of Richard Hammond's Blast Lab; The Sarah Jane Adventures and Simon Nye's adaptation of Just William.

Damian joins from Daytime where he is currently head of planning and scheduling and an executive producer working on shows including Escape To The Country, Hospital Heroes and The Unsellables.

He has previously worked as an independent commissioning executive – working on, amongst others, Hider In The House, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and The Underdog Show – and as head of scheduling at BBC Children's.