BBC Children in Need has appointed Tommy Nagra as its new Director of Content, with responsibility for overseeing all content created on multiple platforms and leading programme partnerships across all areas of the BBC.

Tommy will lead the content and storytelling team who share the stories of children and young people supported by BBC Children in Need funding, as well as working with BBC programmes including The One Show, The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, and Countryfile which raise millions of pounds every year to help change young lives throughout the UK. Tommy will join the team based at MediaCity UK in Salford next week ahead of the 39th BBC Children in Need Appeal this November.

Tommy is an award-winning programme maker with significant experience across the BBC and in the independent sector. He is well versed in multi-genre TV production, ranging from specialist factual, documentary and live events through to current affairs, entertainment, lifestyle and features. His previous roles include: Senior Project Director, BBC Radio and Education; Head of Television for BBC Religion & Ethics; Head of Channel Development & Partnerships for BBC Children’s; Head of Business Development, BBC Birmingham; Head of Specialist Factual at Maverick Television; Channel Development Executive for BBC Two; and formerly Head of the Asian Programmes Unit in the 1990’s.

Since 2017, Tommy has been on the prestigious Clore Leadership Programme and graduated as a Clore Fellow, which has taken him to the US to study new business models and innovation in content to reach new audiences via digital platforms. It also involved a secondment with the Mayor of London’s Creative & Cultural Industries team where he devised a Young People’s Leadership Programme for the winning London Borough of Culture.

Tommy succeeds Gareth Hydes who held the position for almost a decade, before being appointed as Commissioning Editor – Radio for BBC Scotland in January 2018.

Speaking of his appointment, Tommy Nagra commented: “I feel privileged and humbled to take on a role with such a clear and defined purpose. I look forward to working with the Content Team and our programme partners to deliver a range of content to inspire audiences and make a difference to the lives of children and young people across the UK.”

Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive of BBC Children in Need said, “I am delighted to welcome Tommy as our new Content Director. He brings wide-ranging experience and expertise as a programme maker, together with the drive and determination to make a difference to disadvantaged young people. This is a crucial leadership role for the charity, responsible for partnerships across all areas of the organisation and ensuring that children and young people are at the heart of the compelling stories we tell across BBC platforms.”