BBC strengthens drama team with Disney's Jonny Richards hire
The BBC has hired Jonny Richards to join its drama commissioning team this summer. He moves from Disney, where he served as Director of Scripted Originals in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). His arrival follows the recent departure of two key commissioning editors.
Richards spent nearly five years at Disney, most recently overseeing scripted projects across the EMEA region. His credits there include A Thousand Blows, Rivals, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, and the upcoming Shardlake. Before Disney, he worked at Element Pictures and Channel 4.
His appointment comes weeks after the death of *Peaky Blinders* commissioning editor Danielle Scott-Haughton. Another departure, Tanya Qureshi, left the BBC to lead Margot Robbie's production company LuckyChap. Richards will not directly replace either role but will instead join Lindsay Salt's team. Lindsay Salt, who has overseen dramas like *The Night Manager* and *Lord of the Flies*, welcomed the hire. She described the team as 'incredibly lucky' to bring Richards on board. At Disney, Richards was promoted as part of a push to expand European originals under content chief Angela Jain. His move to the BBC marks a shift back to UK-focused drama production.
Richards will begin his new role in the coming months, adding to a team responsible for some of the BBC's most high-profile dramas. His experience in European scripted content is expected to contribute to the broadcaster's future projects. The BBC has not yet announced specific titles he will oversee.
