Ex-BBC head back at corporation

Peter Salmon was in charge of BBC Sport between 2000 and 2005

Former BBC One controller Peter Salmon is returning to the corporation as chief creative officer of its new production division.

Mr Salmon, who left the BBC last year, will take charge of BBC Vision Studios, which employs nearly 5,000 programme-makers.

He ran BBC One between 1997 and 2000, before becoming head of BBC Sport.

Mr Salmon will now be in charge of producing comedy, entertainment, drama, factual and children's programmes.

BBC Vision, which was created as part of a restructuring of the BBC's operations earlier this year, sees the people who commission and produce shows brought together in a single team.

Current drama comissioning head Jane Tranter joins Mr Salmon in the new operation as controller of BBC Fiction, in charge of commissioning and buying drama programmes.

'Unique opportunity'

BBC Vision director Jana Bennett called the pair "formidable", adding: "I'm delighted to have them on board."

Mr Salmon said: "This new job is unparalleled in its scope and range and offers the biggest challenge of my career to date.

"To bring together programme-makers from comedy and entertainment, children's, factual, learning, features, drama and documentary from up and down the UK for the first time as one of the great creative powerhouses of the world is a unique opportunity."

As BBC One head, he took charge of programmes such as Walking with Dinosaurs, Clocking Off and The Royle Family. While he was in charge of BBC Sport, the corporation regained rights to the Derby, the Six Nations, the FA Cup and Premiership highlights.

He left in 2005 to become chief executive of production company The Television Corporation, but decided not to stay on after it was bought by rival firm Tinopolis earlier this year. He is married to actress Sarah Lancashire.