BBC ONE
FATHER BROWN
BBC ONE
SILENT WITNESS
UKTV
SISTER BONIFACE MYSTERIES
BBC ONE
EASTENDERS
BBC Studios Drama Productions is the biggest drama production hub outside of London with bases in England, Scotland and Wales and is focussed on producing ambitious, commercially optimised and returnable drama series for a global audience. Our award-winning dramas bring audiences together week after week from EastEnders, Silent Witness, Father Brown, Sister Boniface and Shakespeare & Hathaway to Casualty, River City, Pobol y Cwm and comedy-drama Anfamol, our programmes remain a constant source of gripping entertainment for both UK and international audiences.
With our proven track record of delivering entertaining drama, we look forward to creating new dramas and original creative hits for both the UK and international audiences. Embarking on an ambitious growth strategy, we have a slate of fresh and exciting new shows in development for both the BBC and domestic and international channels and platforms, to exist alongside our already iconic brands to support and champion the best in British storytelling.
Our dramas are a powerhouse of diverse new creative talent where we develop the next generation of writers, directors and actors that represent the best of British creativity. Our expertise in identifying, nurturing and developing a pipeline of creative talent has informed our bold new training strategy for Scripted TV: launching innovative training opportunities and initiatives that we believe will benefit our industry. Click here to find out more about our training. ...
DRAMA PRODUCTIONS
SOAPS
OUR TEAM
KATE OATES
HEAD OF DRAMA
Kate Oates joined BBC Studios in 2018 as a Senior Executive Producer, and in 2019 took on the role of Head of Continuing Drama. Kate produced ITV’s Coronation Street between 2016-2018, and Emmerdale from 2013-2016, making her the only person to helm all three of the UK’s top continuing dramas. She previously produced the BBC Radio 4’s The Archers. ...
DEBORAH SATHE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Deborah started her career as a theatre director and producer before moving to the BBC to set up the Asian Network’s soap opera Silver Street. From radio Deborah moved to BBC television as diversity producer setting up and running three series of the award winning EastEnders E20 before becoming Story producer for EastEnders. Deborah moved into the world of feature films as Head of Talent Development and Production for Film London, delivering domestic and international film training as well as running feature film funds. Deborah moved from Film London to Cinestaan International Film Studios, making and selling feature films for both the international and domestic markets including Bollywood smash hit Gully Boy, Oscar nominated Cold War, and critically acclaimed animation Bombay Rose. Deborah returned to BBC studios in November 2019 where she is now the Creative Director, overseeing the soaps, medical shows and cosy crimes, as well as a slate of new productions in various stages of development. Deborah also oversees training for scripted at BBC Studios. ...
SIÂN O’CALLAGHAN
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
As Director of Production, Siân leads the production of BBC Studios Drama across the UK. Siân is responsible for the production of some of the BBC’s biggest drama brands including EastEnders, Silent Witness and Casualty, as well as continuing drama series in the Nations and a number of cosy crime shows, including Father Brown. Siân began her BBC career as a broadcast journalist in 1998. During her 25 year career, she has held a range of senior editorial and production roles in News, Current Affairs and Factual Entertainment, at a National and Network level. Siân also led the transformational change programme to a new broadcast HQ for the BBC in Wales. In 2020, she joined BBC Studios as a Director of Production Operations, before taking the Head of Production role in Continuing Drama. Now, as Director of Production, Drama, she leads the strategic and business planning of all shows. ...
TOM WILLIAMS
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT
Tom began his career at the BBC where he worked across story and script for the likes EastEnders and Doctors, before going on to script edit the first series of The Man in the High Castle for Amazon. He worked in a number a development roles for the likes of 42 and Wall to Wall, contributing to productions such as Julian Fellowes’ The English Game for Netflix. More recently, he worked on Amazon’s Ten Percent for Bron/Headline, before becoming a Drama commissioner for Apple. ...
KRIS GREEN
TRAINING EXECUTIVE
Kris joined EastEnders in 2010 as a storyliner, before moving to the Script team where he became Senior Script Producer. He went on to produce two episodes of Casualty, before joining the Drama team as Training Executive. Kris is responsible for the training strategy for all on and off-screen talent across the portfolio. ...
