BBC4 boss moves to BBC Studios

Cassian Harrison, channel editor at BBC4 in the UK, is moving to a new role at the pubcaster’s commercial and production arm BBC Studios (BBCS).

Cassian Harrison

Harrison will join BBCS as senior VP of commissioning and content, global services, “on a nine month attachment,” the pubcaster announced today.

A BBC spokesman told C21 that Patrick Holland would cover as BBC4 channel editor during Harrison’s attachment, as well as continuing as controller of BBC2. Harrison will return to BBC4 after the nine months.

Harrison’s newly created role combines editorial and strategic development around BBCS’s international consumer-facing outlets.

The exec will work on the creation and distribution of original programming for digital services that BBCS owns and operates around the world. He will report to Paul Dempsey’s Global Distribution Division.

Harrison will begin his new role in this month. Before becoming channel editor of BBC4, he spent five years as commissioning editor for science, history and natural history across BBC1, BBC2 and BBC4.

Prior to that, he spent 15 years in the independent sector, working as a producer and exec producer across a variety of genres including history, documentaries and current affairs.

BBCS runs a number of linear and digital services around the world, including international channel brands BBC Earth, BBC Brit and BBC First and a digital service, BBC Player, in Singapore and Malaysia.

BBCS CEO Tim Davie said: “Cassian’s extensive experience and excellent track record in creating and commissioning great British television will help supercharge our offering to international viewers as we look to take the premium, original content for which the BBC is world renowned to an even wider global audience.”

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC content, added: “Cassian is an original thinker with an insatiable curiosity and creative edge. Under his leadership, BBC4 has flourished and achieved continued success. He has championed a range of brilliantly innovative programmes from Slow TV to The Secret Life of Landfill and British History’s Biggest Fibs to the award-winning Bros documentary [After the Screaming Stops] and Life Drawing Live!.

“His broad range of interests and eclectic taste make him perfectly placed to take on this new global role and I would like to wish him all the best.”

Harrison said: “I’m hugely looking forward to helping BBC Studios shape our offer to global audiences. I’m tremendously proud of BBC4’s continuing success, and it’ll be brilliant to be bringing the BBC’s distinctive voices and unrivalled quality to viewers around the world in similarly original and innovative ways.”