Sky MD Zai Bennett is heading to BBC Studios.
The Comcast-owned content chief will run BBC Studios Productions, a job that has been vacant for several months and one of the most talked about in the British industry.
Bennett will oversee a production arm that spans all genres, making the likes of Planet Earth, Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who. BBC Studios Productions also owns a wealth of indies including Clerkenwell Films, Lookout Point and Voltage TV. He will join BBC Studios in November, while he will also be on the exec committee.
At Sky, Bennett has overseen the likes of Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Patrick Melrose. Past employers include Channel 5, ITV and BBC Three.
BBC Studio CEO Tom Fussell said: “Zai’s risk-taking creative hit-rate speaks for itself. He has impact and gravitas and can propel BBC Studios Productions even faster forward without losing the deeply engrained BBC ethos all who work here share. His deep genre experience in scripted comedy and drama through to factual entertainment, documentaries, film and kids, coupled with the relationships he’s cultivated with the very best creative talent, will complement our production business growth plans and take us to the next level domestically and globally. I can’t wait for him to start.”
Bennett said he is “incredibly excited” to be joining the “powerhouse that is BBC Studios Productions.”
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