BBC Studios raids Matchbox for Oz chief

BBC Studios (BBCS) has appointed the director of unscripted at Australia’s Matchbox Pictures to head its new production hub in the country.

Kylie Washington

Kylie Washington is to join BBCS as its first director of production in Australia, with a remit to launch and manage the growth of the company’s TV production arm.

BBCS, the UK broadcaster’s global production arm that now includes the commercial division formerly known as BBC Worldwide, unveiled plans to launch in Australia in February.

It has already secured its first commission down under, with a local version of multiplatform event format Stargazing Live 2 set to broadcast on ABC and ABC iView from May 22 to 24.

Washington has worked across an array of programming including the Real Housewives brand for Foxtel, Australian Spartan for the Seven Network and Room 101 for SBS.

She has also developed original formats, including Formal Wars for Seven and Everyone’s A Critic for the ABC.

Her responsibilities include exploiting BBCS’s format catalogue, driving the creation of new IP and building creative partnerships between BBCS’s editorial teams in the UK and Australian broadcasters and digital platforms.

She will join over the next few months and will report to the international production division led by Anna Mallett, MD of production and chief operating officer for BBCS.

She will also work closely with Jon Penn, MD of BBCS Australia and New Zealand, and his executive leadership team.

Washington said: “It’s an exciting time of change in the Australian media and I look forward to joining a company that I have admired for many years. The BBC has such a wonderful, rich history of content and I look forward to continuing that legacy within the Australian market.”

Penn described Washington as “a talented creative who combines a strong track record in television production with insight into the entertainment experiences that our customers and their audiences are looking for. I’m looking forward to welcoming her into the business.”

BBCS unveiled plans to merge with commercial arm BBC Worldwide late last year. Channel 4 became the first third-party UK broadcaster to order from the BBC’s new commercial production arm this month, following a commission for The Red List from Discovery Channel in the US.

BBCS makes more than 2,000 hours of programming each year across all genres, including Strictly Come Dancing in the UK, sci-fi drama Doctor Who and motoring show Top Gear.