BBC Hires Head of Entertainment

Kalpna Patel-Knight has been tapped to take up the newly created head of entertainment commissioning role at the BBC.

In her new position, Patel-Knight will work closely with Kate Phillips, director of unscripted, to lead the direction of BBC Entertainment and deliver on the commissioning strategy. She will be responsible for commissioning entertainment output on all channels and BBC iPlayer and oversee more than 500 hours of original programs a year.

Shows under Patel-Knight’s remit include Strictly Come Dancing, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, The Apprentice, Top Gear, Wim Hof’s Freeze the Fear, The Hit List, The Graham Norton Show, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, Have I Got News for You and MasterChef. She will also commission such entertainment events as Eurovision, Comic Relief and Children in Need.

Prior to joining the BBC, Patel-Knight was the head of entertainment at Possessed and worked as an executive producer on entertainment shows such as Celebs Go Dating and Surprise Surprise. She joined the BBC Entertainment department five years ago and most recently has been commissioning editor on series including Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, Blankety Blank and Wim Hof’s Freeze the Fear. Patel-Knight set up and is chair of the BBC’s first ever Creative Diversity and Inclusion Panel.

Patel-Knight said: “I’m thrilled to take on this new role. I’m excited to work with an incredible team, top-class talent and suppliers to bring even more sparkle and joy to BBC audiences. Thank you, Kate Phillips, for giving me this opportunity.”

Phillips said: “After a competitive interview process, with an incredibly strong field of candidates, I’m delighted that Kalpna has accepted the role of head of entertainment. With her proven track record in production and commissioning, her vision for the future and her love of entertainment, she will be a great leader, and I look forward to working with her alongside the other heads in unscripted.”