BBC Studios Hires ITV Vet for Entertainment North

BBC Studios has appointed Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway Executive Producer Pete Ogden to the position of creative director of entertainment North.

Based in Salford and reporting into Suzy Lamb, managing director of entertainment and music production, Ogden will drive the entertainment growth in the North, overseeing the development and delivery of new commissions for the BBC and other U.K. and global broadcasters and platforms. He will also be expanding on a slate of shows already based in the North including A Question of Sport, Sport Relief and new daytime series like Home Is Where the Art Is.

Ogden joins from ITV Studios in early May and has produced some of ITV’s biggest entertainment shows, including multi-award-winning Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, as well as launching the Australian version Chris and Julia’s Sunday Night Takeaway for Channel 10, I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! And The X Factor. He recently executively produced In For A Penny for ITV, as well as headed up the team on the multi-award-winning This Morning.

Lamb said: “The North is a major priority for us and I’m delighted Pete is joining BBC Studios and relocating to the North to take on this exciting challenge to grow our business in Salford. He’s a highly versatile creative, incredible with talent and will be a brilliant asset to our team.

Ogden added: “Being from Blackpool originally I am delighted to be returning to the north to join BBC Studios in Salford. I’ve loved my eight years at ITV Studios. I’ve worked with some of the most incredible talent on and off screen but I am now looking forward to the new exciting opportunities that lie ahead.”