BBC Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt has emerged as a contender for the job of controller of Children's BBC.
BBC Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt has emerged as a contender for the job of controller of Children's BBC.

Parfitt helped investigate the future of kids TV for one of the corporation's Creative Futures projects and has been tipped for the role, left vacant since November.

Other contenders are believed to include Anne Gilchrist, CBBC's executive editor, independents and events and ITV's off-peak controller Steven Andrew. Final interviews are expected to be held next week with a decision shortly after.

The position was left vacant when previous controller Alison Sharman left in November to join ITV as director of factual and daytime after just six months in the CBBC job. It is being caretaken by Richard Deverell, the chief operating officer of CBBC appointed by Sharman in June.

Whoever takes on the role will oversee the move of Saturday morning children's programming to BBC2. The corporation's schedulers have decided to switch the output with BBC1's shows from Saturday 7 January, to prevent kids' schedules being interrupted by live events such as the Pope's funeral and the Royal Wedding.

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