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BBC Studios expands docs unit

BBC Studios has reorganised and expanded its Documentary Unit, making a number of new appointments, under BBC Studios Productions factual director Tom McDonald.

Tom McDonald

McDonald swapped from the broadcast to the production side of the UK pubcaster in 2019 and has today announced the merger of Factual Salford, which has expertise in consumer, topical, access and live programming, with the Documentary Unit.

This means BBC Studios’ factual setup now comprises three distinct genre areas: the Documentary Unit, the Natural History Unit and the Science Unit.

Amy Flanagan will continue to work as head of the Documentary Unit and has, along with McDonald, made a number of appointments to the reorganised team.

Cate Hall, who joined BBC Studios Productions earlier this year, will take on the role of creative director, development. Flanagan and Hall have already teamed on feature documentary Britain vs Coronavirus (working title) for BBC1 and history format In Ten Pictures (w/t) for BBC2.

Alan Holland, currently creative director at Factual Salford, will take on an expanded role as creative director, Scotland and Salford, driving new business and overseeing the Glasgow, Aberdeen and Salford hubs. Glasgow-born Holland will assume the role immediately ahead of relocating to Scotland next year.

Kirsty Cunningham has been appointed as head of programmes, London and Cardiff, overseeing programming from those creative bases. Cunningham joins from 72 Films, will be based in London and will take up her post in January.

In addition, there are three further people joining the Documentary Unit. Joe Mather, exec producer, and Juliet Piper, producer, will both join from BBC Studios Factual Entertainment, where they will build on their roster of crime programming from Cardiff. Joining in January on attachment from BBC Public Service is Carl Doran, who has been named exec producer of sport.

Outside of the Documentary Unit, McDonald has also bolstered the digital team at BBC Studios’ factual arm. The digital team works collaboratively across the genre units to win commissions from digital and audio platforms.

Reporting to creative lead Georgia Moseley, Molly Milton has been hired as exec producer of on-screen talent, while Arif Zaman, based in San Francisco, will join as exec producer of originals, partnerships and talent.

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