Category: BBC
Date: 05.09.2006
Printable version
Peter Salmon and Jane Tranter will fill new leadership roles in BBC Vision, the BBC's new multimedia content, commissioning and channels group, Jana Bennett, who will be Director of BBC Vision, announced today.
Peter Salmon joins BBC Vision in October 2006 to take on the new role of Chief Creative Officer, BBC Vision Studios.
He will lead BBC Vision's in-house production studios, the biggest integrated multimedia production group in the world.
With nearly 5,000 programme-makers throughout the UK, across drama, entertainment, comedy and factual, learning and children's programmes, he will spearhead the BBC's in-house drive to create the highest quality content.
Jane Tranter assumes the new role of Controller, BBC Fiction, leading the group which covers Drama Commissioning, Comedy Commissioning, Programme Acquisitions and BBC Film.
She will build connections between comedy and drama and draw up a more cohesive strategy between BBC Films and Programme Acquisitions, making the most of the planned increase in British film investment.
Within the new Fiction commissioning group, Lucy Lumsden, Controller of Comedy Commissioning, will continue to commission the comedy slate.
Jana Bennett said: "Peter and Jane are formidable creative forces and I'm delighted to have them on board.
"Peter brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked in both programme-making and broadcasting across all genres, both inside and outside the BBC.
"He has a tremendous energy and flair, so is the perfect person to shape our BBC Vision Studios and in-house programme-making as we develop the world's largest multimedia content group.
"Jane is an outstanding commissioner who has transformed BBC Drama over the last five years. She has a keen eye for developing range across all channels, nurturing both in-house and independent production, and is the best person to build the BBC's Fiction genres across all platforms."
Peter has a long career as a programme-maker and has held senior roles at Granada, Channel 4, the independent sector and the BBC.
He is returning to the BBC as Chief Creative Officer after deciding not to stay on as Chief Executive at The Television Corporation following a takeover earlier this year.
Peter Salmon said: "I am a passionate supporter of BBC programmes and content.
"This new job is unparalleled in its scope and range and offers the biggest challenge of my career to date.
"To bring together programme-makers from comedy and entertainment, children's, factual, learning, features, drama and documentary from up and down the UK for the first time as one of the great creative powerhouses of the world is a unique opportunity, and I can't wait to get started!"
Jane Tranter, currently the BBC's Controller of Drama Commissioning, has had a distinguished career in drama production and commissioning, both in the BBC and at Carlton Television.
She said: "I am really looking forward to tackling this expanded new role, and to be heading up such an exciting new group of genres.
"To be able to help build Fiction across all platforms and for all BBC audiences is a great privilege, and I am delighted to be working on this with Jana Bennett and such a talented and dynamic team of people in drama, comedy, films and programme acquisitions."
BBC Vision was announced in July as part of the BBC's organisational change to meet the challenges and opportunities of its Creative Future content strategy.
Led by Jana Bennett, BBC Vision will be responsible for in-house multimedia production, commissioning and audio-visual services, including the TV channel portfolio and digital developments such as high definition and interactive television.
Multimedia production under the new Chief Creative Officer role will be more closely aligned to - while physically separate from - the multimedia commissioning teams.
Both Jane and Peter will start their new roles on 1 October, reporting directly to Jana Bennett.
Keith Scholey will continue as Acting Director of Factual and Learning until BBC Vision is up and running and will be a key member of Peter's team.
Three key positions on the BBC Vision Group board are still to be appointed: Controller of Entertainment Commissioning, Controller of Knowledge Commissioning and Controller of Portfolio and Multimedia Services, responsible for developing BBC Vision's portfolio, strategy and scheduling.
Biographies
Peter Salmon has a long and distinguished track record as a programme-maker and executive.
As Controller of BBC ONE from 1997 to 2000, he commissioned projects as diverse as Clocking Off, Waking The Dead, Holby City, Dinnerladies, My Family, Wives and Daughters, MacIntyre Undercover and Walking With Beasts.
Then, as Director of Sport and a member of the BBC's Executive Board, he oversaw BBC coverage of the 2002 Athens Olympics, plus successive World Cup and European football campaigns.
He pioneered sport interactive television at Wimbledon and The Manchester Commonwealth Games as well as the development of BBC Sport online.
He also regained a number of key contracts for the BBC, notably The Derby and Premiership highlights for Match Of The Day.
He left the BBC in 2005 to become Chief Executive at The Television Corporation, but quit following a takeover earlier this year.
Peter started at the BBC as a General Trainee in 1981 and rose to be BBC Bristol's Head of Features.
He signed Wallace and Gromit animator Nick Park and executive produced his Oscar-winning The Wrong Trousers.
Peter left the BBC for the commercial sector in the early Nineties and worked as Director of Programmes at Granada in Manchester and Controller of Factual Programmes for Channel 4.
Since being appointed Controller, Drama Commissioning in 2000, Jane Tranter has revived the BBC's reputation for delivering modern, unique and distinctive programmes.
She oversees an ambitious drama slate - from the bold innovations of Bleak House, Life on Mars, State of Play and some strikingly contemporary takes on Chaucer and Shakespeare - to successful returning series Waking the Dead, Spooks and Silent Witness, and popular continuing dramas series EastEnders, Casualty and Holby City.
In 2005 she led the regeneration of Doctor Who, perhaps her most outstanding achievement to date.
With Jane's support and encouragement, leading writing talents - Andrew Davies, Stephen Poliakoff, Russell T Davies, Paul Abbot, Jimmy McGovern and Tony Marchant - have delivered some of their best work for BBC audiences.
Before 2000, Jane was the Head of Drama Serials, with credits including Care, Warriors, The Way We Live Now and Babyfather.
Jane worked her way up from her first job as a secretary in BBC Radio Drama in 1985.
At Carlton Television from 1995 to 1997, Jane was the Executive Producer on Wilderness and Bramwell and Carlton's first soap, London Bridge.
She re-joined the BBC in 1997 as an executive producer in films and single drama.
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