| MUMBAI:
The BBC has announced the names of five new appointments to the new Knowledge
Commissioning team and a new head of religion in BBC Radio. Aaqil
Ahmed has been appointed to the new joint role of Head of Religion and Ethics
and commissioning editor for Religion TV. Ahmed
is currently the commissioning editor for Religion and Multicultural at Channel
4. Recent programmes that he has commissioned include Christianity: A History,
The Qur'an and the Saving Africa's Witch Children. And,
as part of a series of measures to strengthen the BBC's Religious programmes,
Christine Morgan has been appointed executive editor and head of Religion Radio.
Christine
Morgan has been the executive producer, BBC Religion and Ethics (Radio) since
2004 and is responsible for all religious programmes on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4.
Mark
Bell becomes commissioning editor for Arts. Currently Specialist Factual, Independents
commissioning editor, Bell ran Late Review and Newsnight Review for BBC Two before
moving into the Music and Arts department. Recent commissions include Ian Hislop's
Changing Of The Bard for BBC Four as part of the BBC Poetry Season and Ian
Hislop Goes Off The Rails. Charlotte
Moore has been appointed commissioning editor for documentaries. Moore is currently
acting in this role and her recent commissions include Desperately Hungry Housewives
(BBC One), Tribal Wives (BBC Two) and Terry Pratchett On Alzheimer's
(BBC Two). BBC
London Factual creative executive producer Kim Shillinglaw becomes commissioning
editor for Science and Natural History. Shillinglaw
is currently overseeing BBC One's new Science Show, BBC Two's Incredible Human
Journey and Blood And Guts for BBC Four. Harry
Lansdown, former Factual Independents executive producer has been appointed commissioning
editor for BBC Three Factual Features and Formats. He has recently commissioned
a series of documentaries for BBC Three including Britain's Missing Top Model.
BBC
Knowledge Commissioning controller George Entwistle says, "I am delighted
to announce these new appointments. We now have a really strong team boasting
some of the best talent and expertise in the business. "Their
vision, creative energy and knowledge of programme makers in the BBC and the independent
community will enable them to commission the very best factual programmes." BBC
Vision director Jana Bennett says, "The specialist territories for which
these jobs commission go to the very heart of the BBC's public purposes. George
Entwistle and Emma Swain have put together a commissioning team with such a high
level of expertise and energy that we will be in a great position to deliver lively
and distinctive factual content across the BBC's whole portfolio of television
channels and online." The
new commissioning editors join Martin Davidson, commissioning editor for History
and Business and Jo Ball, commissioning editor for Features, BBC One and BBC Two,
who were appointed earlier this year. The
team will be run by Emma Swain, Head of Knowledge Commissioning, who was appointed
earlier this year.
The
role of Music and Events commissioning editor has yet to be
filled and will be announced in due course.
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