Helen Bullough has been appointed as Head of CBBC Production with responsibility for all in house production for CBBC in MediaCityUK.

She’ll lead a team of over 200 staff, creating shows such as Blue Peter, Newsround, Tracy Beaker Returns, Legend Of Dick And Dom and Serious Explorers.

Helen is currently Head of Entertainment Production North in Manchester and Head of Vision North. She is responsible for a team of 130 staff in Manchester that produce key network shows including Mastermind, Question Of Sport, Dragon’s Den and Antiques Master. For the last two years Helen has also been Head of Vision North, leading the Manchester-based Vision departments through the migration to MediaCityUK.

Director of BBC Children’s, Joe Godwin, says: “Helen brings a wealth of experience across many genres and will be a brilliant leader for CBBC’s in-house production team and a fabulous addition to Children’s senior management team.”

Helen joined the BBC in 1991 as a Broadcast Journalist Trainee in News, moving to Manchester in 1993 to work on the Daytime and Features slate. She has worked in the North ever since on a wide range of output ranging from religious documentaries to Rough Guides; Fred Dibnah to Dragon’s Den. She ran the Manchester Entertainment development team for three years and has developed and executive produced shows for BBC One, Two, Three and Four plus multiplatform and Red Button output.

She says: “I’m thrilled! I’ve always had a brilliant time in Manchester working with the teams here. Now this is a fantastic creative opportunity to join talented inhouse colleagues at CBBC in MediaCity UK, helping to deliver the next generation of content to the next generation of BBC audiences — inspired by the North and delighting young viewers everywhere.”

Helen lives with her family on the edge of the Peak District.

Chris Arrant

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