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.
Amy Flanagan
Head of the Documentary Unit
Amy is responsible for all of BBC Studios’ documentary, history and arts output. Prior to joining BB...C Studios, her production credits included BAFTA-winning programmes Bedlam and Feltham Sings among others. Whilst as Channel 4’s Deputy Head of Factual, she commissioned several award-winning documentaries and series like The Murder Detectives and Hunted.
Kirsty Cunningham
Creative Director, London & Cardiff
Kirsty oversees the delivery of all documentary programming at our London and Cardiff bases. Kirsty ...joined BBC Studios from 72 Films, where 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.
Alan Holland
Creative Director, Scotland & Salford
Alan is Creative Director for the Documentary Unit’s Scotland and Salford bases. As an experienced e...xecutive producer he has created 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).
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.
Amanda Robinson
Senior Commercial and Business Development Manager
As the Commercial and Business Development Manager for the Documentary Unit, Amanda’s focus is on m...aximising the commercial opportunities for our world class documentary content across global Broadcasters, SVODs, AVODs and distributors. Additionally, Amanda collaborates closely with creatives and commissioners across Digital and Audio to grow the Unit’s online and audio pipeline.