BBC Studios’ Forsyth to exit

BBC Studios’ director of factual entertainment and entertainment is to leave the organisation later this year as part of a wider restructure.

Tracy Forsyth

Tracy Forsyth, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities, has been in the role since 2014 and has worked on shows including Stupid Man Smart Phone and Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes?.

Last year she appointed two execs to create investment partnerships and develop IP for broadcasters, streamers and social media services, as first reported by C21.

More recently she added an NBCUniversal exec to expand BBC Studios’ formats output, having cut back on ordering originals for the BBC Brit and BBC Earth networks last year.

The rejig comes after the UK pubcaster merged production arm BBC Studios with sales-focused BBC Worldwide (BBCWW) under the former’s name in April, prompting an overhaul of its senior management team.

In January, then BBCWW chief content officer Helen Jackson revealed she would be leaving the company after more than 30 years, with the content division now focused on scripted and unscripted, led by Liam Keelan and Mark Reynolds respectively.

Reynolds, who effectively takes over Forsyth’s remit, is responsible for all unscripted content development and financing strategies. He also oversees acquisition and production partnership deals, including factual entertainment programming and formats.

The restructure also sees Sumi Connock, creative director of formats and the international central formats production team, moving over to the global production arm of BBC Studios.

Her team will now concentrate on production relationships with international broadcasters/productions on the ground.