Bedell appointment completes line-up for BBC's Factual Commissioning team

Elaine Bedell, currently the BBC's Independent Executive, has been appointed Commissioning Editor for Features and Factual Entertainment and completes the line up of the BBC Factual Commissioning team.
Announcing the appointment, Glenwyn Benson, Controller of Factual Commissioning, said: "Elaine has a wealth of knowledge, gained both inside and outside the BBC, together with a strong track record in delivering a range of quality, popular television.
"She has been extremely effective in building relationships with the creative community and will be tenacious in getting the best ideas on screen as quickly and effectively and possible."
Commenting on her appointment Bedell said: "My heart is in programmes and I'm incredibly excited about getting closer to the content again.
"This job gives me a wonderful opportunity to explore a variety of new ideas across four television channels, and beyond that into the multi media world."
Elaine joins Emma Swain (Specialist Factual), Adam Kemp (Arts and Religion), Richard Klein (Documentaries) and Peter Horrocks (Current Affairs) in the new factual commissioning team working to Glenwyn Benson.
All five commissioning editors will now commission programmes from both in-house and independent suppliers, and are part of the BBC's new commissioning structure which is designed to speed up and simplify the commissioning process.
An announcement is expected shortly about the plans to take forward Bedell's role as Commissioning Editor Features and Factual Entertainment.
In her role as BBC Independent Executive, she has been instrumental in helping to deliver a more effective working relationship with the independent sector, recently reinforced by the new terms of trade and the proposed introduction of the 'window of creative competition'.
A Bafta and a British Comedy Award winner Bedell has been responsible for a wide range of entertainment and factual programmes both as a BBC in-house producer and as an independent.
She joined the BBC as a trainee and produced programmes for radio and television.
She left the BBC to become Head of Factual Entertainment at Tiger Aspect where she produced 'It's Just a Ride with Bill Hicks' (Channel 4) and 'Paul Merton's Life of Comedy' (BBC).
She set up her own independent production company, Watchmaker, which produced several factual entertainment series for the main terrestrial channels.
(SP)