Danny Cohen Tapped as BBC Director of Television

LONDON: The BBC has selected Danny Cohen, the controller of BBC One, as its new director of television.

This makes the final addition to director-general Tony Hall’s senior management team. Cohen will sit on the BBC’s executive and management boards. He will be overseeing BBC One, Two, Three and Four, along with the BBC iPlayer and online content for BBC Television. He also has oversight for the Drama, Entertainment, Knowledge and Comedy genres, alongside BBC Films. He takes on additional responsibility for the BBC Television archive and BBC Productions.

Cohen has served as the controller of BBC One since October 2010. He begins his new role on May 7.

Hall said: “Danny Cohen has been the driving force behind an extremely successful period in BBC One’s history. Key to his success has been an ability to provide viewers with a mixture of high quality programs they enjoy whilst also introducing them to new subjects they might not have considered before. I am looking forward to seeing his impressive mix of creativity and vision being put to great effect across the whole of the BBC Television portfolio.”

Cohen added: “I’m honored to be taking over as director of BBC Television. Our ambition is to be the finest broadcaster and producer in the world and our values will be based on talent, creativity, storytelling and innovation. I’ve had a wonderful time at BBC One and am grateful for the work of all the talented people who have made the channel the most popular in the U.K. in recent years."