BBC seeks seven new assistant commissioners across UK to widen base

UK pubcaster the BBC has created seven new assistant commissioner roles across the UK, which it is seeking people to fill.

Dawn Beresford

The new roles aim to increase representation from the nations and regions and individuals who are deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent.

Five of the assistant commissioner roles will be in the nations and English regions and will aim to further strengthen the BBC’s commissioning footprint outside London. Four of those roles will be in factual, co-funded by the nations, and one will be in children’s and education, specialising in animation.

The four factual roles will be employed by both the network and nations’ commissioning teams, working across both slates as well as on co-commissions. The aim is to have one role per nation.

The children’s animation role will report to Kate Morton, head of BBC Children’s commissioning and acquisitions for 0-6s, and will be based in Northern Ireland.

The remaining two assistant commissioner roles will be based in London and will broaden the pipeline from deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent TV talent. One of the roles will be in unscripted, with the other in scripted.

Dawn Beresford, director of talent, commissioning, said: “These fresh, new voices from the nations and regions and deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent talent pool will strengthen the BBC’s commissioning talent pipeline. We want to find and nurture talent from a wider base and to create exciting opportunities within commissioning across BBC content.”