Jonny Richards to join Lindsay Salt’s team in the summer

The BBC is beefing up its scripted commissioner team with the hire of Disney+ exec Jonny Richards.

Richards will join Lindsay Salt’s drama commissioning team as commissioning editor in the summer, moving from his role as director of scripted originals at the streaming giant.

It is understood he is not directly replacing anyone on the team, which oversees shows including upcoming tentpoles Richard Gadd’s Half Man (Mam Tor) and Michaela Coel’s First Day on Earth (VAL), and the returner The Capture (Heyday Television).

In his five years at Disney+ he oversaw dramas including the second series of Rivals (Happy Prince), A Thousand Blows (The Story Collective), Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes (Etta Pictures) and Shardlake (The Forge/Runaway Fridge).

Prior to joining Disney in 2021, he held head of development roles at Element Pictures and Longboat Pictures, and before that was a drama commissioning executive at Channel 4, where he oversaw series including No Offence (AbbottVision), Humans (Kudos/AMC Studios), and Brexit: The Uncivil War (House Productions).

Director of BBC drama Lindsay Salt said: “We feel incredibly lucky to have Jonny joining the BBC. Highly respected across the industry and with a wealth of experience and credits under his belt, Jonny knows what makes world class drama and will be a fantastic addition to our team.”

Richards added: “It’s a real privilege to be joining Lindsay and the brilliant team at the BBC – an organisation whose breadth and quality of drama has had a lasting influence on me.

“I have loved my time at Disney and feel incredibly lucky to have worked with such wonderful colleagues, led by Angela and Lee.

“I’m excited to collaborate with our industry’s outstanding community of writers and producers at the BBC, to find stories and voices which resonate with, and entertain, audiences across the UK.”