BBC Taps Netflix’s Lindsay Salt to Head Drama

Lindsay Salt is exiting Netflix’s U.K. commissioning team to become the director of drama at the BBC.

“My time at Netflix under the generous and visionary leadership of Anne Mensah has been a total joy,” Salt said. “However, the opportunity to join the BBC was too special to ignore. Its drama programming is revered around the globe and I can’t wait to get started with the world-class team, who empower talent and producers to create iconic shows that stand the test of time. What a privilege to build upon that legacy and find and nurture the storytelling that’ll lead us into the next pivotal phase of the BBC.”

Announcing Salt’s appointment, which is effective this fall, Charlotte Moore, chief content officer at the BBC, noted, “Lindsay’s appointment heralds an exciting new era for BBC Drama. She has been responsible for an impressive breadth of shows and her track record as a commissioner underlines her passion for creating big hits and developing new and diverse voices. She’s an inspiring creative leader with a sophisticated understanding of British audience tastes, which makes her perfectly placed to lead the genre into the future with work that will continue to push the boundaries and disrupt the mainstream. BBC Drama is in outstanding form and she has ambitious plans to evolve the creative strategy and build her own distinctive slate that is unique to the BBC and feels especially relevant to audiences across the UK in a fiercely competitive global landscape.”

Salt has been part of the Netflix team since 2019. She was previously head of development for the Sky drama team in the U.K. Salt started her media career at Left Bank Pictures. Until she joins the BBC, reporting to Moore, Ben Irving will continue to serve as acting drama director.