Press Releases Liam Keelan announced as Controller, BBC Daytime

Category: Daytime TV; BBC
Date: 12.07.2007
Printable version

Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision, today named Liam Keelan as Controller, BBC Daytime.

He will report to Peter Fincham, Controller, BBC One, and is a member of Jana's senior Vision management team. Liam will join later this year.

Jana Bennett said: "I'm delighted that Liam will be leading BBC Daytime – he really understands the daytime audience and is passionate about being ambitious about the programmes we offer across BBC One and BBC Two daytime in all genres, all of which give the BBC the leading edge in daytime."

Peter Fincham said: "I can't think of anybody better to take on the challenge of BBC Daytime. It's great to have Liam back at his natural home, the BBC."

Liam Keelan said: "I've had a great time working at ITV and being part of the changes Simon Shaps and the team have brought about. The opportunity to take on this role at the BBC was too good to pass up, though. It's a very exciting time to be developing the strategy for daytime and I'm really looking forward to getting started."

Liam was appointed as Controller, Daytime, at ITV in April 2006. During this period he commissioned Golden Balls with Jasper Carrott, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Daily Cooks.

Previously he was Head of Scheduling and Planning for BBC One between 2002 and 2006 where he was part of the team who developed the strategy to reinvent Saturday nights with the launches of Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing.

Prior to this he was at UKTV where he was Head of UK Horizons and developed the concept for UKTV History. He started his career at the BBC in audience research before becoming Deputy Scheduler for BBC Two in 1998, taking over as Head of Scheduling for the channel in 1999.

Notes to Editors

BBC Vision is the biggest integrated multimedia broadcast and production group of its kind in the world.

BBC Vision – so named because it makes BBC content that people watch – is led by Jana Bennett, Director, BBC Vision, and comprises Vision Studios led by Peter Salmon; Vision Operations led by Bal Samra; Multiplatform Commissioning; and the channels and services BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies, Vision's Learning and other content on bbc.co.uk sites.

BBC Press Office