The Documentary Unit at BBC Studios is the home of high quality, thought-provoking and award-winning factual television.
Powerful storytelling is at the heart of what we do - and this helps us take…
KEY TITLES
Our Team
Tom McDonald
Managing Director, Factual
Tom oversees the Factual portfolio and is responsible for the Documentary, Science & Natural History... units. Between them, they have over 70 titles currently in production for 18 different platforms. Previously he was in BBC commissioning as Head of Specialist Factual where his department's commissions included BAFTA winners Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II, Yorkshire Ripper Files, Muslims Like Us and returners such as Inside The Factory, Surgeons and A House Through Time.
Alan Holland
Head of the Documentary Unit
Alan is Head of the Documentary Unit, spanning five bases in London, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Salford and ...Cardiff. As an experienced Executive Producer he has produced programmes across a wide range of genres, from specialist factual (What’s the Matter With Tony Slattery?, People’s History of the NHS), to consumer and crime (Watchdog, Crimewatch) and live events (Stargazing Live, The Pride of Britain Awards, D-Day 75).
Kirsty Cunningham
Creative Director, Documentaries
Kirsty oversees the delivery of programming for Documentaries. Kirsty has joined from 72 Films, her ...executive producer credits include the BAFTA-winning Ambulance, Our Cops in the North, and award-winning Girls on the Edge. Prior to this she’s worked as a director and producer on a wide range of documentaries and formats including A Killing in My Family, Protecting Our Foster Kids, Big Ballet and 24 Hours in A&E.
Abigail Priddle
Creative Director, History & Arts
Abigail brings 4 years of experience as a BBC Commissioning Editor to her role as Creative Director ...for History & Arts. Her previous credits include BAFTA-winning The Yorkshire Ripper Files, Chris Packham: Asperger’s & Me, Princess Margaret: Rebel Royal, and My Family The Holocaust & Me with Robert Rinder. Prior to this, Abigail was a Director making a wide range of factual programming from acclaimed documentaries including The Met and 24 Hours in A&E, to popular returners including Back in Time… and Hunted.
Danny Yasruddin
Head of Production, London & Cardiff
Danny oversees the Unit’s production management teams in London and Cardiff. Previously, Danny worke...d as a production executive for the BBC’s in-house documentaries and consumer teams, producing everything from the BAFTA award-winning single drama Don’t Take My Baby to primetime consumer series Watchdog and The One Show.
Sue Malone
Head of Production, Scotland & Salford
With a background in documentary programming and extensive experience in leading production manageme...nt teams, Sue runs all business and logistics across our Scotland and Salford teams. Previous credits include everything from established strands (Rip Off Britain), religious programming (Carols from Kings) and investigative journalism (Food: Truth or Scare).
Cate Hall
Creative Director of Development, The Documentary Unit
Cate leads development across the Documentary Unit. As a programme maker she has worked across all f...actual genres and has developed many of the series she has gone on to produce. These include The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty for 72 Films, Blitz: The Bombs That Changed Britain and The Victorian Slum for Wall to Wall.
Emma Ong
Head of Commercial & Business Development, Science & Documentaries
Emma has held a variety of commercial and business development roles at the BBC, most recently overs...eeing the Factual production pipeline from Beijing as Head of Business Development. In her current role, Emma manages the end-to-end deal pipeline for The Science and Documentary Units, whilst continuing to oversee the China pipeline.