Category: BBC
Date: 14.02.2005
Printable version
Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of BBC ONE, is to leave the corporation
to become Chief Executive of Talkback Thames.
She has been Controller of BBC ONE for five years.
BBC Chairman, Michael Grade, said: "Lorraine Heggessey will be
a very tough act to follow.
"Controller of BBC ONE is one of the most demanding jobs at the
BBC and achieving the widest reach of audiences through the widest range
of programmes isn't easy.
"Lorraine has done a very tough job very well and all of us on
the Board offer our thanks to her for delivering a first class public
service through the schedules of BBC ONE."
The BBC's Director of Television, Jana Bennett, said: "Lorraine has been a human dynamo in her successful effort to make BBC ONE the nation's favourite channel.
"She has been determined to be ambitious on behalf of the audience - her passionate conviction has been that there was no subject that BBC ONE could not cover - while being equally determined to give the audience some of the most popular programmes of recent years.
"The list is long but Blue Planet, Spooks, Imagine, State of Play, Pyramid, Lost Prince, Strictly Come Dancing, My Family and The Secret Policeman are all part of the indelible thumbprint she has left on the channel and we'll continue to see her legacy for some time to come.
"Lorraine is a true champion of public service broadcasting, consistently backing talent and creativity. She has the capacity to make all that she does great fun, and teams love working with her because she throws herself into everything."
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said: "I said when I appointed her five years ago that Lorraine was a programme maker through and through; someone who had a great knack of recognising an original idea and making it work on screen.
"During her time at BBC ONE she has proved that over and over again. Her shoes may be small, but they'll be hard to fill."
