Docs strand to reduce commissions by a fifth amid global financial pressures
The BBC is to reduce Storyville’s output by a fifth and close three roles as part of a major restructure and repositioning of the international docs strand.
While Storyville’s budget will remain the same, the BBC proposes to cut the number of films it commissions per year from around 24 to around 19 due to “pressures on global financing”, according to an email sent to staff in January from former unscripted director Kate Phillips.
As part of the fewer, bigger, better strategy, Phillips explained that the BBC will “increase our focus and expertise on commercial avenues and partnerships that support the strand.”
She added: “Storyville remains a hugely important part of the BBC’s wider documentaries offer – a curated strand which brings the best international feature films to UK audiences.”
While the BBC did not comment, it is understood that the lead commissioner role, held by Emma Hindley, and the commissioning editor position, held by Lucie Kon, are among the three that will close.
In turn, three new Storyville roles will be created: head of Storyville; assistant commissioner; and team assistant.
A job ad for head of Storyville has been posted today, and the successful candidate will strategically direct the growth of the strand.
The new assistant commissioner will develop ideas and manage the delivery of films, while the team assistant will provide administrative support.
As part of the changes, Storyville will also move into the iPlayer and channels department which, according to Phillips, will help it “capitalise on synergies with the acquisitions team in how we build relationships with distributors and content partners.”
Earlier this year, controller of youth audiences for iPlayer and BBC3 Fiona Campbell took over leaderships of the Storyville team alongside her existing responsibilities. The new head of Storyville will report to Campbell.
Hindley has been lead commissioning editor at the strand since 2023,where she has commissioned and executive produced Welded Together, which has just won the International Competition at the 2025 Sheffield Documentary festival.
Other credits include Khartoum, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the Film Peace award at the Berlin International Film Festival and the BAFTA-nominated Life and Death in Gaza.
Hindley was formerly creative director at Brook Lapping, where she executive produced Gender Wars (Channel 4) and the BAFTA award winning Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley (BBC One) as well as Bowelbabe: In Her Own Words (BBC2) - which was commissioned by Kon for Storyville.
Kon has been Storyville’s commissioning editor since 2022, and has just scooped an Emmy as the commissioner and exec producer of Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again.
Her other recent credits include Mr Nobody Against Putin, which premiered at Sundance this year and won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award, as well as Portrait of a Confused Father (BBC4) and the Bowelbabe film.
Previously she was an executive producer at Panorama with credits including Escaping My Abuser, Britain’s Cancer Crisis and Is The Church Racist?. For Blakeway she exec-ed the Ebola Frontline film for Panorama, which was Bafta-nominated.
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