BBC Studios Documentary Unit Makes Three Appointments

BBC Studios Documentary Unit has named Beth Ambrose as head of production, Sonia Sohal as head of development and James W. Newton as senior executive producer.

Ambrose started her career in the indie sector at Fremantle and then joined the BBC, amassing the credits The One Show, Imagine, Planet Dinosaur and more. She has also served on feature-length dramas such as The Whale and spent time at BBC Comedy.

Sohal joins the unit from Story Films, where she was brought in to drive the new popular factual side of documentaries at the company. Prior to joining Story Films, she served at start-up indie Great Scott Media and Raw.

Newton’s recent work includes Evacuation for Channel 4, telling the inside story of the British military operation to evacuate Kabul airport in 2021. Newton has also executive produced Super Surgeons: A Chance at Life, now in its second season.

Ambrose said: “I am thrilled to be joining such an ambitious, hard-working and creative team. The work of the Documentary Unit is so wide-ranging and embraces such a wealth of expertise in developing and making complex, hard-hitting and inspiring content. I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of its future.”

Sohal commented: “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to join the new-look unit with the creative aspiration to generate new and innovative content through a range of documentary forms. I’m incredibly excited about building a diverse and ambitious slate with some brilliantly talented people.”

Newton said: “It is a privilege working with amazing people because the films we make are a product of the teams we build. The best projects come when we work together to create a vision for original storytelling. Through extraordinary characters, we can then shed new light on our increasingly complex world. I’m incredibly excited to be working on long-term access at the Docs Unit and to be a part of their brave new strategy.”