BBC Studios Drama Productions Adds to Senior Team

BBC Studios Drama Productions has brought on Roxanne Harvey as the lead for development in Wales and Tom Williams as head of development of drama across the entire unit.

Harvey will develop her own slate of new projects for both the U.K. and international markets and take the helm as executive producer of the long-running drama Casualty. Williams will oversee the national development team and the BBC Studios writing initiatives.

The new hires follow the recent announcement that Kate Oates has been appointed head of drama productions at BBC Studios. She now leads the U.K.’s biggest drama production hub outside of London. In addition, Deborah Sathe has been promoted to creative director, and Siân O’Callaghan as director of production. Williams will report to Sathe.

“We’re thrilled to have both Roxanne and Tom at Drama Productions,” Oates said. “It is an exciting time to welcome such experienced and ambitious creatives as we grow our own slate of shows. Both Tom and Roxanne bring a wealth of experience to their new development roles. For Roxanne, it’s also a warm return to Casualty, where she has already generated multiple award-winning stories and ideas, while we welcome Tom back to the BBC after a successful period at Apple.”

Harvey commented, “Casualty holds a special place in my heart, so it’s an exceptional privilege to be joining Kate, Deborah and the phenomenal team to deliver distinctive, addictive characters alongside ambitious, emotionally epic stories that reflect our modern-day NHS. I’m equally elated to be building upon a remarkable talent base on the show and in Wales to develop fresh, exciting new dramas that will be just as iconic.”

Williams said, “I’m delighted to be joining such a fantastic team of incredibly talented people. BBC Studios has a long history of producing some of the best and most-loved shows in the U.K. and around the world, so the opportunity to play a part in shaping the creative direction of this exciting new era for the studio was simply too good of an opportunity to turn down.”