EXCLUSIVE: The BBC‘s natural history chief is swapping commissioning for program-making by taking up a newly-created role at the fabled BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU).
Sreya Biswas, whose credits include Planet Earth III, Asia and Kingdom, will become NHU Director of Programmes over the summer. She will continue to deliver BBC projects for the next few months and details on her replacement will come in due course.
Reporting into NHU head Jonny Keeling and working closely with vet Creative Director Mike Gunton, she will be tasked with delivering commissioned titles from the NHU slate and developing a portfolio of new shows for the BBC and beyond.
Biswas will join after a three-year stint as Head of Commissioning for Natural History at the BBC, during which time she has worked across blue-chips including Planet Earth III and Blue Planet III, along with lighter-touch fare like Big Cats 24/7 and Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles. She recently chatted with Deadline about drawing inspiration from blockbuster movies and AI for the next generation of natural history shows. She has also been honest of late about market saturation in natural history and the need to innovate in order to get shows commissioned.
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As one of the BBC natural history commissioning team’s most trusted clients, Biswas will be plenty familiar with the NHU, although the BBC Studios unit has made shows for more than just the BBC including Netflix, NBC, Apple TV+ and Nat Geo since BBC Studios became a commercial outfit. Headquartered in Bristol, the NHU is a world-renowned division that is entrusted with the biggest natural history explorations. At a time of American contraction, it is notable that the NHU is expanding its senior team, although last year it did make layoffs.
Keeling called the Biswas hire “incredibly exciting.” “Her role will be pivotal in diversifying the NHU’s slate, winning new business, whilst maintaining our global reputation for much-loved, ambitious, blue-chip programming,” he added.
Biswas said: “The NHU’s long history of world class programming has inspired people around the world. To be part of the evolution of the unit and genre, taking it in new and exciting directions and growing opportunities, while maintaining the amazing heart of the NHU will be a real privilege.”