Danny Cohen appointed BBC director of television

BBC One controller Danny Cohen has been appointed director of BBC Television.

Since October 2010, Cohen has been in control of the UK’s most watched channel and has introduced the nation to The Voice UK, Call The Midwife and The Syndicate. He will sit on the BBC’s Executive and Management Boards in which he will oversee BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four along with other BBC departments.

The hiring, which had been speculated over the past week, is the final addition to the new director general Tony Hall’s senior management team. Hall was appointed director general in the wake of the Savile and Newsnight scandal last year.

The BBC has confirmed that he will be paid £327,800 and will begin his new role on 7th May. Cohen says that he is “honoured” to be taking over the role of director of BBC Television.

“I’m honoured to be taking over as Director of BBC Television. Our ambition is to be the finest broadcaster and producer in the world and our values will be based on talent, creativity, storytelling and innovation.

I’ve had a wonderful time at BBC One and am grateful for the work of all the talented people who have made the channel the most popular in the UK in recent years.” – Danny Cohen

Tony Hall added, “I am looking forward to seeing his impressive mix of creativity and vision being put to great effect across the whole of the BBC Television portfolio.”