BBC to merge TV and audio commissioning teams from January 2027

The BBC will merge its TV and audio commissioning teams across comedy, arts and classical music starting in January 2027, the corporation announced on October 22, 2026. The plan also includes closing around 100 roles across its content unit by the end of the current financial year.

BBC content chief Kate Phillips announced the merger in an internal memo earlier this week, according to Deadline.

Under the new structure, comedy chief Chris Sussman will oversee comedy across TV and radio, with Radio 4 comedy and entertainment commissioning editor Julia McKenzie joining his team. Suzy Klein, head of arts and classical music TV, will oversee audio and video commissioning for arts, with Radio 4 arts commissioning editor Matthew Dodd joining her team. Sam Jackson, controller of BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, will oversee audio and video commissioning for classical music.

The changes are part of the BBC's plans to save £500 million ($669 million).

Earlier cuts across the content unit

In an earlier announcement, the BBC's content unit said it would contribute £100 million of savings to the corporation's overall £500 million goal. Those savings include cutting commissioning spend by £80 million and reducing 100-150 hours of original TV shows and 350-400 hours of audio by March 2028.

Earlier this week, the BBC confirmed that BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra would close as television services by spring next year. The BBC had previously announced that RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live At The Apollo were casualties of the cuts.