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Press Releases
George Entwistle named Controller, Knowledge Commissioning
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George Entwistle has been named as the new ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Controller of Knowledge
Commissioning.
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In this role he will be responsible for delivering the
recently launched Knowledge Building strategy across the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ on TV and
on the web, from landmark series to documentaries; across specialisms
from arts to history, natural history, business, science and religion;
to consumer journalism and contemporary factual.
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He will head ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ
Vision's Knowledge and Learning commissioning teams who commission
programmes and multiplatform content from Vision Productions and the
independent sector, which together produce over 1,600 hours of output a
year.
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Jana Bennett, Director of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Vision, said: "As a programme maker and a
creative leader, George has an impressive track record across a wide
range of genres including current affairs, arts and science.
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"This gives
him a deep understanding of how to deliver great factual programmes for
all audiences.
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"He has been an outstanding member of the factual
commissioning team and has also had real success leading the creative
renewal in current affairs and during his time running ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four.
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"Knowledge building is a cornerstone of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's future and this is an
opportunity to bring the knowledge story together more powerfully across
all channels, the web and other platforms, building on the foundations
laid by Glenwyn Benson."
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George Entwistle said: "The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's knowledge output – on TV and every
other platform – is right at the heart of our public purposes.
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"I am
delighted to be given the opportunity to play my part in taking forward
our new Knowledge Strategy – in partnership with the exceptional talent
across the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and the independent sector – to deliver factual content
our audiences will find outstandingly valuable, compelling and
enriching."
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George Entwistle's career has embraced a broad range of factual programme-making.
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In 1999, after ten years in current affairs, he joined the
science department as Deputy Editor of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One's flagship science show
Tomorrow's World.
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He went from there to become Deputy Editor and, in 2001, Editor of
Newsnight – which won five RTS awards during his editorship.
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In 2004 he moved to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Arts to become Executive Editor of Topical Arts.
There he launched The Culture Show for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two.
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He also spent several
months as Chair of the Knowledge Building workgroup on Mark Thompson's
Creative Future strategy review.
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In late 2005, he was appointed Head and Commissioning Editor of TV
Current Affairs and joined ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Television's factual commissioning team.
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With Peter Fincham, then Controller of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One, Entwistle engineered the
return of Panorama to a weekday peak time.
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He commissioned a wide
variety of Current Affairs documentary series for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two, including The
Conspiracy Files, Blair: The Inside Story, Alastair Campbell's Diaries –
plus the Falklands War drama-doc Sea Of Fire and the forthcoming series
Tropic Of Capricorn with Simon Reeve.
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In April 2007, he became Acting Controller of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four and has led a
team which has delivered the channel's most successful ever period for
audience share and reach.
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George Entwistle's commissions for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four have
included the season of documentary programming around the recent drama hit Fanny Hill; plus the high-rating Archaeology and Emmylou Harris Nights.
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Forthcoming commissions for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four include Andrew Graham-Dixon's three part Art Of Spain and a series looking at children's
illustration in Britain since World War Two.
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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Press Office
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