Emile Nawagamuwa
8 June 2021
UKTV has appointed Emile Nawagamuwa as commissioning executive to support and grow the multi-channel broadcaster's factual and factual entertainment slate for W, Yesterday, Dave and Gold.
Emile starts on 21 June and will report to Hilary Rosen who is the deputy director of commissioning and head of factual & factual entertainment. He will be joining the team behind Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, a UKTV Original series voted best popular factual two years in a row at the Broadcast Digital Awards, BAFTA & RTS-award nominated Big Zuu's Big Eats, and Bangers & Cash, Yesterday's highest ever rating show.
Hilary said:
I'm thrilled that Emile is joining UKTV. His track record in delivering high-end documentaries, coupled with his experience in scripted comedy, makes him the perfect fit for our team as we continue to grow our slate of UKTV Originals.
Emile is a series producer and Grierson-nominated director with over 15 years' experience making documentaries and prime time factual programmes for both UK and US networks. Most recently he has produced the last two series of BBC Two's BAFTA-nominated observational documentary Hospital, filmed in 2020-2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Emile has also series produced My Brave Face for Discovery, charting the journeys of six people undergoing life-changing facial surgery, and Homestead Rescue which follows families facing life or death scenarios in the American wilderness. As a director he is responsible for more than 30 hours of critically acclaimed factual programmes including Phil Spencer: History of Britain in 100 Homes, Rich House, Poor House and Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun.
Emile said:
I'm looking forward to joining Hilary's highly-respected team at UKTV. The creative challenge of working across such a dynamic range of programmes at one of Britain's biggest multi-channel broadcasters is very exciting and full of endless possibilities.
Big Zuu's Big Eats is currently airing on Dave on Monday evenings throughout June, July and August. The series sees grime artist and self-taught chef Big Zuu serving up a fresh menu to a star-studded line-up of guests. Secrets of the London Underground, a brand-new UKTV Original exploring the secret stories of abandoned stations, tunnels, bunkers and staircases on the London Underground starts next month on Yesterday. And French and Saunders: Funny Women is coming soon to Gold. Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over has just concluded on W with an average series audience of 205k viewers*. UKTV has also just announced five short-form comedy series for YouTube and Facebook.
All UKTV's commissioning briefs can be found here and its channel summaries are here.
For more information, please contact:
Ali Laurie, Senior Publicist, UKTV
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.