ITVS-owned The Garden appoints Channel 4 commissioning editor

Nicola Brown

ITV Studios-owned UK producer The Garden has appointed Channel 4 commissioning editor Nicola Brown as its director of programmes.

Brown, who previously worked at The Garden almost a decade ago, takes up her new role in March and will help to expand the company’s slate, which includes Channel 4 shows 24 Hours In A&E and 24 Hours In Police Custody. The latter is also being adapted in the US by The Garden, with Channel 4 and Discovery onboard.

She was most recently a commissioning editor for C4’s specialist factual team, overseeing SAS: Who Dares Wins and Meat The Family, as well as the channel’s new factual digital strand True Stories.

Ninder Billing

Prior to C4, Brown was head of documentaries at Shine and executive producer on Hunted and The Island With Bear Grylls. Other credits include RDF’s Secret Life Of 4, 5 And 6-Year-Olds, Educating Cardiff for Twofour and 24 Hours In A&E during a first stint with The Garden.

In related news, Ninder Billing has been appointed as head of specialist factual. Billing has been an executive producer at the company for the past two years, overseeing projects including Operation Live on Channel 5 and ITV’s Police Tapes.

The Garden CEO, Magnus Temple, described Brown as “the perfect addition to the senior team. Already known and respected by many at The Garden, she has a stellar track record, having worked on some of the most memorable Channel 4 factual hits of recent years, and so we’re very lucky to be able to benefit from her creative and production firepower.

“I’m also delighted that Ninder has agreed to lead the charge on our expanding specialist factual slate, building on the success of the brilliant Operation Live.”