Former Doctor Who executive producer, Piers Wenger, has been appointed the BBC’s new drama chief, one of the most powerful jobs in broadcasting.
Wenger, who is currently Channel 4’s head of drama, will succeed Polly Hill, who left the BBC to join ITV earlier this year.
Wenger’s other BBC credits include the award-winning Parade’s End, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall, and Eric and Ernie starring the late Victoria Wood, with whom he was a close friend and long-term creative collaborator.
His recent Channel 4 shows include Humans and Indian Summers.
In his new role Wenger will be responsible for commissioning across the whole of the BBC, overseeing more than 450 hours of drama a year.
Wenger, who will take up his new role in the autumn, said: “I have had an unforgettable and brilliant time at Channel 4 and it is with real sadness that I am saying goodbye.
“But the scope and scale of BBC drama make this an irresistible challenge and I could not be more excited about joining the talented team there and for the new relationships and creative adventures which lie ahead of me at the BBC.”
BBC drama has been acclaimed in recent years, with shows such as BBC1’s The Night Manager and Poldark, and Wolf Hall and Line of Duty on BBC2, benefitting from a boost to its budget at a time when other areas of the corporation have been cut back.
Charlotte Moore, BBC controller of TV channels and iPlayer, said: “Piers is a brilliant creative leader with great taste and a passion for writing. He has a breadth of experience and knowledge of the global industry, as well as a real understanding of audiences.”
Before joining Channel 4 Wenger was head of drama at BBC Wales and was executive producer of Doctor Who when Matt Smith was in the lead role.
The outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has described Wenger as “incredibly brilliant and sharp”, and a very effective manager of creative talent.
“He makes you feel clever all the time when it’s actually probably him,” said Moffat. “You go out with a flattering sense of your own brilliance when in fact what you are doing is what he wanted you to do in the first place.”
Wenger was a close friend and collaborator of Wood, who died in April this year.
He met her after writing her a fan letter while he was working at ITV, where he began as a trainee script editor in 2000. “To my great amazement she replied,” he told the Guardian in an interview four years ago.
“I was a massive fan to an almost embarrassing degree. I could quote big swaths of her sketch shows. She understands characters’ emotions and lives in a way that no one else does. She has a very thin skin which allows her to absorb and have insights into other people’s emotional lives that audiences find a ring of truth around.”
Wenger began his career as a journalist on Just 17, but in his late 20s he took nine months out of journalism after his father was paralysed in a serious car accident.
“I found myself watching lots of television drama and the depths and intellectual challenge of working in drama started to appeal,” he remembered.
Wenger has been head of drama at Channel 4 since 2012, commissioning dramas for both Channel 4. He will be replaced at Channel 4 by his deputy, Beth Willis.
Wenger has boosted the broadcaster’s homegrown drama slate with shows such as Humans, currently filming a second series, and Paul Abbott’s acclaimed No Offence, which will also return.
Indian Summers was another high profile drama and began with the highest overnight audience for a Channel 4 drama for 20 years. But it subsequently struggled to find an audience in a competitive Sunday night slot and will not be back for a third run.
His other Channel 4 dramas include the Bafta winning This is England 90 and Southcliffe, with Jack Thorne’s National Treasure and Peter Kosminsky’s Isis drama currently in the works.
Channel 4’s chief creative officer, Jay Hun, has appointed Beth Willis as Wenger’s replacment.
But with Willis due to go on maternity leave in the summer, Channel 4’s comedy chief Phil Clarke will take up the role on an acting basis.
Hunt said: “I’ve loved working with Piers. He’s been an exceptional head of drama, delivering award winning shows with record breaking audiences. It’s a fitting tribute to what he has achieved at 4 that he has been poached for the biggest job in drama commissioning.
“Beth is a passionate programme maker and a superlative commissioner. She has played a critical part in Channel 4’s success and I am looking forward to working with her on the next phase of great drama at 4”
