BBC Studios Productions has hailed Zai Bennett’s “risk-taking creative hit rate” as it appoints the Sky exec as its chief executive and chief creative officer.
Bennett is stepping down as Sky’s managing director of content for UK & Ireland to succeed Ralph Lee at the head of BBCS’ UK and international production divisions from November.
The organisation includes BBC Studios divisions including Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Science and the Natural History Unit, as well as indies including Baby Cow, Clerkenwell Films, Lookout Point and Voltage TV.
Bennett’s role includes building quality content and IP, overseeing key brands, major events coverage, returning series and new commissions for the BBC and other broadcasters and streamers, and growing its format development pipeline across the world.
BBC Studios chief executive Tom Fussell hailed Bennett as an exec with “impact and gravitas” who can “propel BBC Studios Productions even faster forward without losing the deeply engrained BBC ethos all who work here share”.
Fussell added: “His deep genre experience in scripted comedy and drama through to factual entertainment, documentaries, film, and kids, coupled with the relationships he’s cultivated with the very best creative talent, will complement our production business growth plans and take us to the next level domestically and globally.”
In a decade at Sky, Bennett helped to launch Sky Atlantic with its first premium drama Fortitude, going on to order flagship shows from Chernobyl and Gangs of London to Brassic.
He was also a driving force behind taking Sky Arts free-to-air and oversaw the launch of Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime and Sky Nature.
Bennett previously worked for Channel 5, where he scheduled the launch night; ITV, where he spearheaded ITV2’s original slate including The Only Way is Essex and Secret Diary of a Call Girl; and for BBC3, where as controller, he launched People Just Do Nothing, My Murder and Life on Death Row.
