Biographies

Controller, English Regions

David Holdsworth is the Controller, BBC English Regions.

David is responsible for the BBC's local output and newsgathering across England, which includes 12 television operations, 40 radio stations and 45 websites.

Born in Bradford, David's early career was in local newspapers and commercial radio where he was a reporter and news editor.

He joined the BBC in 1985 and was in the launch team for two new BBC local radio stations, in Shropshire and Hereford and Worcester.

He worked in regional television first as a producer in Birmingham and then the Editor of News and Current Affairs in the East of England, before becoming Head of Region for the North West in 1997.

He subsequently ran the East and then the West Midlands regions before being appointed Controller in December 2008.

In his current role he is in charge of around 3,000 staff working on TV, on radio and online.

David ran the BBC's local TV news pilot in the West Midlands in 2005 and has also led the development of the BBC's strategy to improve local services to licence fee payers.

David is a member of the RAJAR Board (Radio Joint Audience Research).