The BBC has been hit by two more high-profile exits, with the corporation’s director of drama and its director of film departing in May.
Piers Wenger, who commissioned shows such as Bodyguard and A Very British Scandal, and Rose Garnett, whose credits include Small Axe and Judy, are both leaving to join US entertainment company A24 – the outfit behind hits such as HBO’s teen drama Euphoria.
The losses come as the BBC faces a £285m funding gap and squeeze in its budgets after the announcement in January that its licence fee is being frozen, plus deep-pocketed competition from global streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney+.
The departures of Wenger and Garnett are part of the shifting landscape of the UK television industry as the power and money moves from the traditional broadcasters to big US companies and independent production companies.
Recently the corporation has suffered a number of losses to commercial competitors. Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel recently announced they are leaving to join LBC owner, the media group Global, while Emma Barnett has moved from Newsnight to an interview show on Bloomberg, although she remains as a presenter on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Other household names that have also left include Andrew Marr, Andrew Neil and Simon McCoy.
Behind the scenes, the BBC also lost another key player in December when Patrick Holland, its director of factual, arts and classical music, joined independent production giant Banijay, the makers of shows including Peaky Blinders and MasterChef.
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “Piers Wenger has been an outstanding director of drama over the last six years at the BBC.
“Under his inspirational leadership, BBC Drama has flourished and at a time of intense competition, he has cemented the BBC’s reputation as the home of creative risk-taking and the most original, fearless and ambitious British storytelling.”
Wenger said: “After a decade as a drama commissioner, it is high time I gave someone else a go. The last six years working for Charlotte and the BBC have been more creatively challenging, more emboldening and more fun than anyone has the right to in the name of work.”
Garnett said: “The BBC is unparalleled as a place to make great work. Under the inspiring and generous leadership of Charlotte Moore, myself and the film team have been able to discover, support and celebrate voices and stories from across the UK and beyond.”