BBC Controller Heads to ITV

LONDON, December 2: Elaine
Bedell is
leaving her post as the BBC's controller of entertainment commissioning to take
on the role of director of entertainment and comedy at ITV.

According to reports,
Bedell will replace Paul Jackson, who is leaving ITV at the end of the year. In
her time with the
BBC, Bedell was responsible for commissioning shows such as Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Strictly Come Dancing, Have I Got News For You? and Top Gear.
Previously, she served as the BBC's commissioning editor for features and
factual entertainment.

Also
at ITV, Michael Jermey, the broadcaster's director of regional broadcasting
operation, has been promoted to director of news, regional news and current
affairs. Jermey takes over responsibility for ITV's network news operation from
Mark Sharman, the director of news and sport, who is also leaving at the end of
the year. Jermey joined ITV in 2004 as the first editor of ITV regional news.
He oversaw the restructuring of the operation to bring it within the united ITV
News Group. Before joining ITV, Jermey was at ITN, where he managed program
teams and commercial ventures.

Both
Bedell and Jermey will report to Peter Fincham, the ITV director of television,
channels and online.

Fincham
said: "Elaine has been a highly successful controller of entertainment at
the BBC and has embraced the challenge of commissioning across a range of
platforms to reach new and elusive viewers beyond the traditional TV audiences,
something we are absolutely committed to at ITV.

"Michael
has done a great job in reviewing our regional news services and was an obvious
choice for director of news, regional news and current affairs which brings
together all of ITV's journalistic output under one commissioning
director."

—By
Kristin Brzoznowski