BBC Studios Bolsters Top Gear Crew

BBC Studios has made a number of key promotions and hires for Top Gear in preparation for the show’s move to Bristol.

Long-running executive producer Clare Pizey will now be Top Gear’s editorial director. She will oversee the main show and the brand’s increased digital content productions. Her previous co-executive producer Alex Renton will become the series’ sole executive producer.

Helena Berglund is joining BBC Studios Factual Entertainment Productions Bristol as Top Gear’s new production executive. She will lead the series’ production operations from idea to distribution and develop the production management team in Bristol. Berglund was previously the head of production at True to Nature.

Chris Payne has also been brought on as development producer. He will work alongside Pizey and Renton to develop Top Gear’s big challenge films and Christmas specials, with particular attention to those that require proof of concept before going into production. Previously, Payne was a development executive and producer at RDF and North One Television.

In addition, Hamish Summers recently joined the team as series producer. For the last five years, he has series produced BBC Studios’ DIY SOS: The Big Build from Bristol, securing multiple guest visits from the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex for the Manchester veterans and Grenfell Tower episodes.

Pizey said: “There’s no one better placed to steer Top Gear into the future than Alex—he has worked on the show for years alongside every single presenter. His vision, tenacity and ambition for the show know no boundaries, and the future looks very bright with him overseeing the show. Chris joining the show is a real coup, and the wide creative experience he brings from the motoring and gadget world will only help take and create ideas like the Top Gear tribute to Eddie Kidd and Car Bungee to the next level. Hamish arrived in January and was straight on a plane for a huge shoot in Miami and hasn’t stopped since.”

Katie Brewer, director of production at BBC Studios Factual Entertainment & Events, said: “I couldn’t be more delighted that Helena is joining our team. Last year highlighted what I have always known: that having outstanding production management is key to the success of a production, and we are lucky to have her join our flagship production, Top Gear. I look forward to working with her and the wider team in Bristol as we grow the factual-entertainment base.”

Berglund commented: “I’m thrilled to be coming back to BBC Studios at such an exciting time. I’m looking forward to working with the team to continue to grow on its recent success and, to be overseeing the move of one of the BBC’s flagship titles—Top Gear—from London to Bristol.”

Payne added: “Top Gear was always the program that made me want to work in television. The show’s level of creative ambition and visual spectacle throughout the years has been unparalleled. From bungee-jumping cars to racing RAF fighter jets, the opportunity to help develop unmissable television moments like these is an opportunity and a challenge I can’t wait to be a part of.”