UKTV today announces that Richard Watsham, Chief Creative Officer at UKTV and Global Director of Acquisitions for BBC Studios/UKTV, has decided to step down from his roles in September this year following a successful 14-year tenure in the business.
Richard joined UKTV as a Commissioning Editor in 2011 before being elevated to serve nine years as Director of Commissioning during which time he built and led UKTV’s award-winning commissioning team, spearheading its successful originations strategy.
He was appointed to his current roles in November 2022 to oversee the content pipeline across UKTV’s portfolio of brands and lead content acquisition activity for BBC Studios’ global branded services.
Under his creative leadership, UKTV has transformed over the past decade, from an originator of lifestyle content into a commissioning force across multiple high-value genres including documentary, factual entertainment, comedy entertainment, scripted comedy and now its largest ever drama slate. During this period, the network has almost tripled its commissioning spend with more than three times the volume of original programming hours.
Richard and his team have been responsible for commissioning thousands of hours of original content, generating the highest-ever rating shows throughout the UKTV network, and winning an array of accolades from International Emmy and Rose D’Or, Broadcast and Broadcasting Press Guild awards to UKTV’s first BAFTAs.
Standout hits in entertainment include Taskmaster which Richard helped develop and was the original commissioner of, multi-award winning, ratings juggernaut, Dynamo: Magician Impossible, BAFTA-winning Big Zuu’s Big Eats and the last performance of the Pythons in Monty Python Live (Mostly); Broadcast Award-winning Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Bangers and Cash and Expedition with Steve Backshall in factual entertainment; and Traces, Annika, The Marlow Murder Club and the recent reimagining of Bergerac in drama.
Richard’s acquisitions team, led by the wonderful Melanie Rumani, who tragically passed away two weeks ago, have played a huge part in filling UKTV’s VOD service U with almost 10,000 hours of content from classic British archive to glossy, US studio premieres.
Alongside establishing UKTV as a content powerhouse, Richard has led the broadcaster in taking an active role in initiatives to re-shape the industry. He is the Chair of Action for Freelancers, the pan-industry collaboration set up to address the issues facing the TV freelance community.
He is also Chair of the Creative Diversity Network, whose role in monitoring and promoting representation has helped establish the British TV industry as a global leader in diversity. He will continue in both roles. His advocacy has steered UKTV to lead the industry in deaf, disabled and neurodivergent representation both in front of and behind the camera, as seen in the recent Diamond report.
Richard ensured that UKTV was the first broadcaster to mandate Albert certification on its original programming, the first broadcaster to track climate content in its productions, and has helped pioneer the shift from carbon offsetting to carbon reduction schemes in drama.
Marcus Arthur, CEO, UKTV, said: “Richard’s contribution to UKTV has been immense. His creative vision and leadership have transformed the reputation and scope of UKTV’s content, delivering hits that have delighted and grown our audiences. Alongside this, he has ensured that UKTV has been an advocate for positive change in the industry, driving initiatives in diversity, inclusion and sustainability. We’re incredibly grateful for everything he’s done for the team and the business, and while we understand his decision to seek a new challenge, he will be sorely missed.”
Richard Watsham said: “It is always a difficult decision to leave somewhere you love but there are still so many challenges to take on and opportunities to explore that the time is right. Really, the difficulty comes down to the people though. Our resources are leaner compared to some of our competitors, but we have punched above our weight over and over again due to the passion and brilliant expertise of my colleagues at UKTV. They are second to none in the British TV industry; underestimate them at your peril! I will miss them daily, but I have no doubt our paths will cross again in the future.”
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For more information please contact:
yvette.dore@uktv.co.uk Corporate Communications Manager, UKTV
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, U&eden, U&GOLD and U&alibi - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview, Freesat and Freely; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform. UKTV’s content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV and Virgin Media.
UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. The broadcaster 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.