Mark Linsey appoints Suzy Lamb to Genre Director, Entertainment & Music, BBC Studios

BBC Studios produces shows including Strictly Come Dancing, A Question of Sport, Later… With Jools Holland, Children In Need night of TV and The Proms. Lamb will oversee the creative, commercial, and operational strategy of the business, and will sit on the BBC Studios’ Executive Committee. 

In July, Mark revealed that the BBC Studios’ Entertainment department would be split into two divisions, and last month announced that Hannah Wyatt would join to run the Factual Entertainment & Events division.

Mark Linsey says: “Suzy Lamb is an award-winning, class act whose experience and expertise in the field of entertainment and music production is incredibly impressive. I am beyond thrilled that she is coming over to BBC Studios to run our entertainment and music production division.”

Suzy Lamb says: “The BBC has a very special place in my heart. To be returning after 11 years in the independent sector to be part of BBC Studios’ future, making world class entertainment and music shows is hugely exciting. I am looking forward to working with the teams to build on the success of the existing brands and also to create some fantastic new ones.” 

With a vast knowledge and experience of all genres of entertainment - quiz, game, music performance, comedy panel, live events, awards, reality and dating, Suzy joined talkbackThames  in 2008 and became Head of Entertainment in 2010. She launched Take Me Out (ITV) and is currently overseeing the tenth series. She also co-created and developed its successful spin off show Take Me Out: The Gossip (ITV2) and has executive produced all six series. Suzy has been responsible for reviving the forthcoming Christmas special of The Price Is Right with Alan Carr for Channel 4 and in 2016 revived Blankety Blank with David Walliams for ITV. She also oversaw two series of Rebound (ITV Daytime). She has previously executive produced 11 series of All Star Family Fortunes, the sporting series Let’s Get Gold, game show Bang On The Money and the music special The ABBA Christmas Party, all for ITV.  Suzy was instrumental in launching Thames’ first venture into Lottery programming with The National Lottery: Break The Safe. She took Andrew Lloyd Webber’s live musical extravaganza Over The Rainbow to Thames and executive produced the celebrity physical game show Hole In The Wall (BBC One); Simon Bird’s comedy panel show, The King Is Dead (BBC Three) as well as 1001 Things You Should Know (Channel 4) and, for Sky, the revival of Blockbusters.

For BBC One, Suzy executive produced I’d Do Anything, Any Dream Will Do and the RTS, Broadcast and International Emmy award-winning series, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? She also spent two years as show runner on NBC shows Clash Of The Choirs (BBC Worldwide), Phenomenon, (Granada America), and Grease: You’re The One That I Want (BBC Worldwide ).

Suzy began her career as a production secretary at the BBC working on legendary classic entertainment shows including Top Of The Pops, Wogan, The Royal Variety Performance, Comic Relief, Russ Abbot, The Les Dennis Laughter Show, The Paul Daniels Magic Show and the ground breaking The Mary Whitehouse Experience. She moved on to become a researcher on programmes including Big Break, The National Lottery Big Ticket, Jim Davidson’s Generation Game, Bruce Forsyth’s Generation Game and the BAFTA award-winning Noel’s House Party before becoming an assistant producer on shows including The Royal Variety Performance, Dale’s All Stars, Two Ronnies’ Theme Night and both the BAFTA TV and Film Awards. Suzy rose through the ranks to become series producer and series editor on many of the UK’s most popular and highest rated entertainment shows including The X Factor: Battle Of The Stars, The Chair with John McEnroe, The National Lottery Stars, Strictly Dance Fever, TV Moments With Jonathan Ross and launched The National Lottery Jet Set.

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios is the BBC’s main TV production arm, producing bold, British, creative content across a range of genres and specialisms. From Planet Earth II, Strictly Come Dancing, The Proms and Doctor Who, to One Love Manchester, Good Omens, W1A, Horizon and Murdered by My Father, its programmes are renowned for their quality and loved by audiences in the UK and around the world. With bases all over the country, BBC Studios reflects and represents diverse voices and creative talent from across the UK. BBC Studios launched as a commercial business in April 2017, able to make programmes for other broadcasters as well as the BBC, supporting the BBC’s public service mission and generating financial returns for licence fee payer.

KT