Former Panorama exec promoted with a brief to expand beyond news and light factual
The BBC has signed former Panorama exec Aisling O’Connor as the inaugural head of TV commissioning for BBC England.
O’Connor will oversee BBC England’s non-news TV portfolio while working across the corporation to develop more ideas for TV and online content specific to English audiences.
She has been promoted into the new role as part of a wider restructure of the regional division.
BBC England director Helen Thomas said the role had been developed to “find opportunities to create more content for people in England across a broader range of genres”.
Currently, the only BBC shows exclusively available to viewers in England are current affairs or light factual programmes like Inside Out.
Thomas added: “With her huge network of contacts and excellent relationships with senior people across the industry, Aisling brings a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and innovation that will help deliver content that appeals to English audiences and reflects communities right across the country.”
O’Connor joins from her role as senior editorial policy adviser for BBC News and Current Affairs, having previously worked as an exec on long-running BBC1 format Panorama for three years.
She was previously a commissioning editor for daytime and early peak in the BBC’s daytime department and also worked briefly in the music and arts division.
BBC England’s “radical revamp” took place earlier this year with a remit to commission more local content and streamline its layer of senior managers, which has dipped from 11 to eight.
Thomas was appointed in June when the controller of BBC English regions role, occupied by David Holdsworth for 10 years, was abolished.
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