Roles and responsibilities
- Alison Kirkham oversees the Factual commissioning team - the biggest commissioning team in the BBC, comprising three Heads of Commissioning as well as Commissioning Editors and Assistant Commissioners.
- She creates and implements the editorial strategy for Factual programmes across each channel and genre - from natural history, science, history and religion to documentaries and factual entertainment.
- Under Alison's leadership, the Factual department has delivered a wide range of highly acclaimed and successful content and recently won eight Baftas for programmes including Planet Earth 2, Exodus: Our Journey To Europe, Hillsborough, Muslims Like Us and Who Do You Think You Are?
- She ensures the Factual slate of programmes deliver on budget, on time, and are editorially compliant and deliver against nations and regions quotas
- She manages all talent relationships - suppliers, off screen production talent, as well as onscreen presenters and experts.
Biography
Last updated July 2018
Alison Kirkham became Controller of Factual Commissioning in 2015. Since then, the Factual department has garnered immense critical acclaim and many awards, including BAFTAs for Blue Planet II, Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum And Dad and Murdered For Being Different; RTS Programme Awards for Hospital; Exodus, Elizabeth I's Secret Agents and World War One Remembered: Passchendale - For The Fallen; and Grierson Awards for Muslims Like Us and Forces Of Nature With Brian Cox.
Alison’s commissions include the the Bafta award-winning documentary, Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum And Dad, and she was the Commissioning Executive Producer on the BBC's coverage of the recent Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and secured their exclusive engagement interview.
Prior to her current role, Alison was Head of Commissioning, Formats and Features for BBC One and BBC Two for five years.
Other commissions from the department include Back In Time For Dinner, Eat Well For Less; Countryfile; DIY SOS; Antiques Roadshow; Mortimer And Whitehouse: Gone Fishing; and 'the Watches' (Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Winterwatch).
Alison joined the BBC in 2005 as an executive producer of daytime programming and spent six months as acting Controller of BBC Daytime in 2006.
Before 2005 Alison worked in ITV Current Affairs on Tonight With Trevor McDonald. While there she worked as a producer/director on ITV’s 9/11 and Iraq war coverage. As well as working in current affairs at ITV she worked as a producer on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and This Morning. Her first job in broadcasting was on Radio 4’s Today.
Remuneration received in 2019/20
- £220,000-£224,999
(as per Annual Report and Accounts disclosure)
Expenses and central bookings
Expenses are costs incurred by BBC staff on behalf of the BBC and claimed through the BBC's expenses system.
Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the BBC and booked through the BBC's central bookings system. Both expenses and central bookings are published every three months.
Downloads
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q1 2022-23
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q1 2022-23
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q4 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q4 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q3 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q3 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q2 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q2 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q1 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q1 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q4 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q4 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q3 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q3 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q2 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q2 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q1 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q1 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q4 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham had no central bookings in Q4 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q3 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q3 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q2 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q2 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q1 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q1 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q4 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q4 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q3 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q3 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q2 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q2 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q1 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q1 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q4 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q4 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q3 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q3 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham had no expenses paid in Q2 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q2 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q1 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q1 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q4 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q4 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q3 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q3 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q2 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q2 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's expenses Q1 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's central bookings Q1 2016-17
Gifts and Hospitality Register
Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with BBC policy. Information about gifts and hospitality is published every three months.
Downloads
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2022-23
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2021-22
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2020-21
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's Gifts and Hospitality Register Q3 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham's Gifts and Hospitality Register Q2 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2019-20
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in 2018-19
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2017-18
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham's Gifts and Hospitality Register Q2 2016-17
- Alison Kirkham had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2016-17
Declaration of personal interests
Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.
A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.
This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.
