Sky fills non-scripted role

UK satcaster BSkyB has merged the roles of head of factual and head of entertainment and promoted one of its executives to take up the new position.

Celia Taylor, who was Sky’s head of factual, becomes head of non-scripted commissioning for entertainment with immediate effect, with a remit to oversee orders for all factual and entertainment shows.

Taylor has previously been behind shows including An Idiot Abroad, David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive and Pineapple Dance Studios.

The reshuffle follows previous head of entertainment Phil Edgar-Jones moving to the satcaster’s culture-based channel Sky Arts as director following the exit of James Hunt in March.

Taylor will report to Stuart Murphy, Sky’s director of entertainment, who said the move would help the broadcaster meet audience demand for cross-genre shows.

Murphy said: “While there are clear differences between serious docs at one end and studio entertainment at the other, there is also an increasing number of shows in the middle that cross both genres, and I want us to be in a place to capitalise on that.”

Taylor will work alongside the broadcaster’s other genre heads, including head of comedy Lucy Lumsden and acting head of drama Cameron Roach, who is currently standing in for Anne Mensah while she is on a sabbatical.