MUMBAI: Mentorn Media has been commissioned by BBC Three to make a fast-turnaround special on the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, allegedly shot to death by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius. The programme will be pre-sold by Passion Distribution.

Pistorius, who won two Gold medals and a Silver at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012, is accused of murder, though pleads not guilty.

The one hour special is commissioned by Fiona Campbell of the BBC and the executive producer for Mentorn is Steve Anderson. The producer/director is Nick London and associate producer is Shekhar Bhatia. The presenter is Rick Edwards, who recently made his debut fronting BBC Three?s Free Speech and who presented Paralympics coverage for Channel 4.

Mentorn made BBC Three?s recent fast-turnaround special ?Superstorm Sandy: Caught On Camera? and were also in South Africa to make ?Dispatches: Murder On Honeymoon? on the case of Anni Dewani.

BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said, "BBC Three is never afraid to tackle current affairs and we are committed to showing bold, thought-provoking programmes for 16-34s. Mentorn will be producing this programme at incredible speed, and together with presenter Rick Edwards, I?m sure they will deliver a documentary that will bring a new angle to this ever developing news story."

Anderson said, "The story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp has captured everyone?s attention. It is hugely important and Mentorn has the expertise to deliver it quickly to BBC Three."

MUMBAI: BBC has announced the appointment of Damian Kavanagh as Controller, BBC Daytime.

Reporting into BBC One Controller Danny Cohen, Kavanagh will have responsibility for all daytime commissioning across BBC One and BBC Two, alongside The One Show and 6-7pm on BBC Two.

Kavanagh said, ?It was a very difficult decision to leave Channel 4 but BBC Daytime has a unique range of top quality content, from The One Show to programmes like Father Brown, Pointless and Great Railway Journeys. I really can?t wait to get started.?

Kavanagh replaces former BBC Daytime Controller Liam Keelan, who is now Global Editorial Director .

Cohen said, "Damian has a fantastic blend of editorial and scheduling experience and he?s a team-player. I?m very certain that he will build on the great success of Liam Keelan and the talented Daytime team."

MUMBAI: The incoming BBC DG Tony Hall is building a senior team that is set to define the BBC and public service broadcasting in the UK for the next decade.

In the first in a series of appointments to the BBC?s senior management team, James Purnell, currently a senior producer at Rare Day and adviser to the Boston Consulting Group, has been appointed as Director, Strategy and Digital.

Purnell is a former Secretary of State for Culture, and is on the board of the British Film Institute and the Royal National Theatre. He is returning to the BBC, having been Head of Corporate Planning in the 1990s. He will lead on developing the BBC?s strategy, in the build up to the BBC?s centenary. To that end, his remit will include running the Policy & Strategy, Digital, Public Affairs & Communications, and Marketing & Audiences divisions.

?I?m really excited to be coming back to the BBC, to work on its future with such a great team. Over the last couple of years, producing and developing programmes has rekindled my passion for the career I had before politics. I feel very lucky to have the chance to return to the BBC at such an important time,? says Purnell.

Hall has also announced that following nearly five months as Acting DG, Tim Davie?s new role at BBC Worldwide has been expanded to incorporate a more strategic global perspective. As CEO, BBC Worldwide and Director, Global, Davie will be responsible for developing the BBC?s international brand and editorial strategy.

"I am very pleased to take on the important task of building the BBC brand globally and leading a growing, creative BBC Worldwide," says Davie.

As well as the appointments above, Helen Boaden will be taking up the post of Director, BBC Radio (formerly Director A&M).

Boaden, who is currently Director, BBC News is a former Controller of BBC Radio 4 and had a long track record in radio before joining News. During her time at Radio 4, the network won Sony Radio Academy Station of the Year for two consecutive years in 2003 and 2004.

The BBC will now begin the process of recruiting a new Director, BBC News, and Director, BBC Television. These posts will be advertised shortly.

Says Hall, ?There will be more changes over the coming months and there is a lot of hard work ahead but today?s appointments are the first steps in delivering that vision.

MUMBAI: BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson has set sights on making BBC the hallmark of quality drama and the automatic home for the best talent in the world.

Speaking at an event for writers, actors, industry and press in the UK, Stephenson said that BBC and drama are inseparable. "It is written through the BBC like a stick of rock. No other broadcaster in the world has drama so firmly in its DNA.?

Setting out his vision for the genre and looking forward to new horizons, Stephenson?s aim is to build a BBC drama department that has an enormous international reputation. "That means making us more British than ever - it is about applying the Danny Boyle vision to our work - a bold, adventurous, authorial approach that exports because of its Britishness not despite it. A BBC that feels inspiringly creative - where there is a buzz and creativity and anything goes optimism.?

He signalled the dawning of a new era of ambition with the arrival of a new DG. ?Lord Hall and I have had early talks about the BBC as a cultural organisation with an international reputation, one to make us proud and that strengthens our creative muscles. I want to make BBC drama a cultural institution ? a touchstone for quality and modernity with all the excitement and glamour of a curtain going up."

Stephenson announced a range of new commissions. One of them is ?Atlantis?. The city of Atlantis is a mysterious, ancient place; a world of bull leaping, of snake haired goddesses and of palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants.

It?s into this realm that the young Jason arrives and an amazing adventure begins, bringing to life the vast store of Greek myths and legends re-imagined for a new generation in the 13-part series.

The shooting for this series will begin in Wales and Morocco in April.

?Death Comes To Pemberley? is another show lined up for launch. Adapted from P.D James? novel in this 200th anniversary year of the first publication of ?Pride & Prejudice?, P.D James? homage to Austen brings the world to life. Set six years after ?Pride & Prejudice? ends and centering on Austen?s best-known characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, the three-parter combines classic period drama with a highly suspenseful and brilliantly crafted murder mystery plot.

?The Interceptor? is an eight-part series about a top secret, state of the art law enforcement team whose unswerving mission is to hunt down some of Britain?s most dangerous and ruthless criminals. ?Jamaica Inn is a new adaptation of the classic Daphne du Maurier novel, set in 1820 against the foreboding backdrop of windswept Cornish moors, this highly charged, gothic romance follows young Mary Yellan as she becomes entangled in a dangerous criminal world ridden with smuggling and murder, testing her resolve and morality to the very core.

For BBC Four, there is ?Burton And Taylor? which is about volatile ex-lovers in the story of their ill-fated appearance in a 1983 revival of Noel Coward?s stage play, Private Lives. ?Burton and Taylor? is a drama about one of the most fascinating, glamorous and tempestuous relationships of the 20th century, that of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, the two most famous movie stars of their day who played out every high and low of their love affair, their marriages and divorces right in the public eye.

Also as part of the BBC?s blockbuster celebrations to mark the Doctor turning 50, fans will be able to see ?Doctor Who? in 3D! To be broadcast using some of the BBC?s HD capacity, the show?s lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat said, ?It?s about time. Technology has finally caught up with Doctor Who and your television is now bigger on the inside. A whole new dimension of adventure for the Doctor to explore.

MUMBAI: BBC World Service is launching the first ever BBC Urdu TV programme, Sairbeen, which will be broadcast by Express News in Pakistan.

From Monday 11 February, the BBC?s new TV programme in Urdu language will air three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Express News.

?Sairbeen? draws on the strength of the BBC?s international newsgathering operation, which commands levels of trust, relevance and reach unmatched among international news providers. Sairbeen brings Express News viewers the best of the BBC?s journalism, analysis and interviews to get behind the stories on the global news agenda that resonate with Pakistani audiences.

The programme also features regular items covering Pakistan?s latest cultural developments, social-media trends, as well as travel, business and economy.

The new BBC TV programme builds on the longstanding success of the flagship daily BBC Urdu radio programme brand, Sairbeen, which is a household name in Pakistan. The launch of the new TV programme with the same name further strengthens the BBC?s offer to the region and commitment to audiences in Pakistan.

BBC Urdu editor Aamer Ahmed Khan said, "I am excited at what promises to be a very challenging time ahead - both in terms of living the story of this unique region, and doing it on one of the fastest-growing media platforms, television. I am aware of the high expectations our audiences have of BBC, and I am thrilled at the prospect of engaging a newer, younger audience that keenly awaits our TV offer."

Express News director of current affairs Mazhar Abbas said, "For years, millions of people in Pakistan have grown up listening to Sairbeen on BBC Urdu radio. We now look forward to seeing the next generation make the new BBC Urdu programme essential viewing on Express News. By carrying Sairbeen on our channel, we will be able to present something people are currently missing on television in Pakistan - the in-depth and independent analysis from the BBC on national and international issues with leading experts."