Commissioner had been in role since 2020 overseeing original content for Sky Docs, Sky Nature, Sky Crime and Sky History
Sky’s factual chief Poppy Dixon has stepped down from her role at the pay-TV giant, Broadcast has learned.
Dixon led factual since Sky launched its channels in 2020, joining from Arrow Pictures as director of documentaries and factual commissioning, and overseeing original content for Sky Docs, Sky Nature, Sky Crime and Sky History.
The news was revealed to staff this morning in an internal memo from Cécile Frot-Coutaz, chief exec of Sky Studios and chief content officer for Sky.
Sky will look to recruit a head of documentaries reporting into unscripted executive director Phil Edgar-Jones, Frot-Coutaz said, although the company will not be directly replacing the director of documentaries and factual position that Dixon had held.
During her tenure, Dixon oversaw the expansion of Sky’s original factual programming, with tentpoles including Bafta-winning Libby are You Home Yet?, Lockerbie and Otto Baxter: Not a F**king Horror Story. She was also behind ratings smash and Broadcast Digital Awards 2025 best documentaries series winner Boyzone: No Matter What and Tell Them You Love Me.
Other hits include true-crime titles Liverpool Narcos, Ibiza Narcos, The Essex Murders and Hunting the Couchsurfing Predator.
She also introduced a £500,000 documentary shorts initiative and a fund aimed at supporting diverse-owned and diverse-led indies to develop programming for Sky channels.
“As you will all know, Poppy has made a huge contribution since she joined the business in 2020, scaling the factual department and commissioning some of our biggest documentaries,” Frot-Coutaz wrote.
“Highlights include Bafta winners Libby are You Home Yet? Lockerbie and Otto Baxter: Not a F**king Horror Story, and ratings hits such as The Boy Who Lived and Boyzone: No Matter What, which has been our highest-rated Sky original documentary to date.
“Poppy has handled each project with the greatest integrity and care, helping to shape a distinctive and ambitious factual strategy with multiple successes.
“Sky Documentaries continues to be a key part of our Sky Entertainment offering. Following Poppy’s departure, we will now look to recruit a head of documentaries, who will work with him [Edgar-Jones] to deliver our ambitious plans for Sky Documentaries.”
Dixon said: “I’m immensely proud of the Sky Documentaries brand we’ve built over the past 5 years, and the range of award-winning, risk-taking and creatively striking work we’ve commissioned, working with the best talent in our brilliant industry.
“It’s been particularly rewarding to commission titles that have been hugely popular with audiences, while also achieving significant awards recognition, including multiple Bafta, Emmy, Grierson, RTS and Broadcast nominations and wins.
“I’m confident I leave the department in the hands of a fantastic and talented team, and look forward to following their continued success. For myself, I am excited to see where my next chapter takes me.”
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