Five confirms Gale appointment
BBC exec named director of programs
The job, vacant since early December, is to go, as expected, to rising star Ben Gale, the BBC’s commissioning editor for features and formats.
Initially working for U.K. shingle Wall To Wall and latterly at the BBC, Gale has proved his ability in nurturing successful factual formats thanks to fare like “Who Do You Think You Are?,” recently sold to NBC, and the BAFTA award-winning reality skein “The Choir.”
He succeeds Jay Hunt, who is returning to the pubcaster as controller of BBC1, following a short stint at Five, which is owned by pan-European RTL.
Gale joined the BBC just over three years ago. His other credits there include teen parenting show “Baby Borrowers,” “The Real Hustle” and food shows such as “Nigella Express,” fronted by U.K. celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.
Prior to that he worked at Wall To Wall, where he was series editor on the first season of the celebrity genealogy program, “Who Do You Think You Are?”
Gale’s early career was spent at U.K. shingle Lion TV making factual entertainment series for both British and U.S. networks.
He joins Five, whose schedule is highly dependent on U.S. imports, as it has begun to improve its ratings performance following a difficult 2007.
This is thanks, in part, to poaching Oz teen soap “Neighbours” from the BBC and promising figures for its recently re-launched evening news show.
