Ex-BBC, ITV factual chief joins Banijay prodco

Richard Klein has resurfaced at Banijay Group-owned unscripted producer IWC Media.

The former BBC Four controller and ITV director of factual has been named creative director the London- and Glasgow-based company, which created factual series such as Africa with Griff Rhys Jones for ITV and Britain’s Benefit Tenants for Channel 4.

Klein (pictured) left ITV earlier this year as new director of television Kevin Lygo, who had replaced Peter Fincham, built his own executive programming team.

His commissions included Long Lost Family, The Mafia with Trevor McDonald and celebrity sheepdog series Flockstars.

He had joined the commercial network from the BBC in 2013, having run BBC Four for five years. He had worked at the BBC since 1996, initially as a current affairs producer and later as a documentaries commissioner.

IWC sees his hire as an opportunity to grow its factual content in the UK and overseas.

“I’ve known Richard for many years and we have worked together on many of IWC’s biggest shows,” said IWC managing director Hamish Barbour. “I’m thrilled he’s joining us, he’s a huge talent and it will be a privilege and great fun to work alongside him. He’ll be a great asset to IWC, I look forward to the next step on the company’s journey and can’t wait to get started.”

Barbour said Klein’s “energy, creativity and passion are second to none” and said it was an “honour to get the chance to work alongside him”.

IWC is housed within Banijay UK, one of the divisions created when Banijay Group merged with Zodiak Media.