Meet the BBC Network Factual Commissioners

TIME & LOCATION

Wednesday 12 November, 4:00 pm

End Time: 5:00 pm

Downstairs Theatre

About

Join us for a dynamic session where we will hear from key figures from BBC Factual Commissioning who will set out their current thinking and opportunities.

Carl Callam will outline his Dept’s vision for high-impact docs that goes beyond the traditional precincts of crime and crisis, diving into untold stories and new approaches.

Simon Young will share his agenda for innovative history content for the Specialist Factual slate, digging into storytelling with big ambition, high production values and contemporary resonances.

Rob Unsworth will reveal how the BBC has re-imagined daytime and early peak, bridging mainstream with brave ideas, format innovation and the best of storytelling from these islands.

Simon Young will share his agenda for innovative history content for the Specialist Factual slate, digging into storytelling with big ambition, high production values and contemporary resonances.

Rob Unsworth will reveal how the BBC has re-imagined daytime and early peak, bridging mainstream with brave ideas, format innovation and the best of storytelling from these islands.

Chair

Eddie Doyle

SPONSOR

Panel

Simon Young

Head of History, Factual Commissioning
Simon Young is currently the Head of History at the BBC, overseeing programmes ranging from forthcoming series Titanic Sinks Tonight and the critically acclaimed sports-documentary Linford, to box-set series such as D-Day: The Unheard Tapes and The Zelensky Story, and returning series such as A House Through Time and Who Do You Think You Are?

Carl Callan

BBC Commissioning Editor, Documentaries
I have a strong track record of commissioning high quality and innovative factual programmes. I currently commission across BBC1, BBC2 and BBC3. Credits include Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home (BBC1). The BAFTA and RTS award-winning series Uprising (BBC1). The RTS award winning Anton Ferdinand: Football Racism and Me (BBC1). The BAFTA and Emmy nominated, and RTS award winning Hell Jumper (BBC2). Commissions on BBC3 include singles such as P Diddy: The Rise and Fall. The award-winning Leigh Anne: Race Pop and Power, and the Broadcast Award winning documentary Krept and Konan: We Are England. And series, including the Grierson nominated Glow Up. I’m currently working with a range of production companies on compelling, timely, high impact projects. These include high profile single films. As well as boxset series and innovative formats

Rob Unsworth

Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning
Rob leads the BBC’s Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning team, responsible for 1500 hours of output on BBC One, Two and iPlayer. Prior to that he ran The One Show, and launched Morning Live, after several years as Head of the BBC Studios Factual team in Salford, where he exec’ed a number of award-winning docs and popular factual series. In his time at the BBC he has also been Editor of Watchdog, and a Senior Adviser in Editorial Policy.

Eddie Doyle (Chair)

Eddie Doyle – Senior Head of Content Commissioning
Eddie is responsible for BBC Northern Ireland’s Commissioning Department. Since taking on this role in 2020, he has commissioned a range of content for Network and local audiences, across multiple genres. These include documentaries Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, On Drugs, Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland's Mafia, Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher, and Jailed: Inside Maghaberry Prison, and scripted content, Leonard & Hungry Paul, Dead & Buried, That They May Face the Rising Sun, Hope Street, Crá and Funboys. Previously, at RTÉ, he launched and ran the investigative documentary strand Prime Time Investigates, before moving into commissioning across genres - documentaries A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot, Maurice McCabe: Whistleblower, and The Man Who Wanted to Fly and comedy The Young Offenders, Mrs Browns Boys, The Republic of Telly, The Savage Eye, Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope and The Tommy Tiernan Show. Eddie is from Belfast. He joined BBC NI in February 2018, to run in-house production, before moving into his current role in commissioning. He studied Law at Trinity College Dublin, has a Masters in Journalism from Dublin City University, and Diplomas in Strategy & Innovation from the Irish Management Institute. He has worked in print journalism, TV production and commissioning in the UK and Ireland, and received Ireland’s TV Journalist of the Year Award in 2001 for his work in Afghanistan.