BBC Studios Establishes Australian Production Arm

BBC Studios is launching a production arm in Australia, where it has landed its first commission for ABC with Stargazing Live 2.

The Stargazing Live multiplatform event is meant to inspire the nation to “look up” and appreciate the unique wonders of space and the cosmos. Stargazing Live 2 will be produced for ABC locally by a team from BBC Studios’ Science Unit in the U.K., including executive producer Helen Thomas and series producer Paul King.

Lisa Opie, managing director of factual at BBC Studios, said: “We’re delighted to be working so closely with ABC on Stargazing Live 2 after the huge success of last year’s program. Stargazing is science programming at its very best and Andrew Cohen and his brilliant team in the Science Unit have enjoyed evolving and developing the format specifically for ABC’s audience.”

Steve Bibb, head of factual at ABC, added: “Stripped over three nights, Stargazing Live was a new kind of event programming for ABC in 2017. It reached an incredible number of Australians right across all our platforms and on social media. Our viewers even discovered a new solar system in a major citizen science project. ABC is thrilled to be working closely with BBC Studios to make Stargazing Live an even bigger and more exciting event this year.”

BBC Studios in Australia will officially launch April 1, with plans to appoint a local director of production. The new director of production will report into the international production division, which will be led Anna Mallett, managing director of production and COO of BBC Studios. The role will also form part of the ANZ executive management team. Jon Penn, managing director of BBC Worldwide ANZ, will continue to lead the company in this territory as it transitions to BBC Studios in April.

Mallett commented: “This commission with ABC is an exciting first step for BBC Studios production in Australia and we look forward to more collaborations as we bring our editorial creativity to new audiences.”

Penn said: “The new BBC Studios has got off to a great start in Australia with the Stargazing Live 2 commission and this new role will spearhead the growth of our Australian production arm. We’re looking forward to producing more of our own formats and programs for local clients, who already broadcast many of the quality shows that our expert BBC production colleagues make.”