Biographies

Controller, BBC Two

Janice Hadlow is the Controller of BBC Two, taking up her position on 10 November 2008.

Janice had been the Controller of BBC Four since July 2004. During this time BBC Four grew significantly in reach and share, whilst at the same time establishing a reputation as an originator of high-quality, distinctive programming, proving it was possible to be both unashamedly intelligent yet stimulatingly pleasurable.

The channel's achievements have been recognised with awards for Non-terrestrial Channel of the Year (Broadcast 2008, MGEITF 2006).

During Janice's tenure, BBC Four has created cut through with high-profile themed seasons which have transformed the impact of factual. Drama has grown into one of the key treasures of the schedule and music programming has reached new heights of popularity.

Critical successes have included Lost Decade, Inside The Medieval Mind, Edwardians, Atom, Parallel Lives, Blood And Guts, Art Of Eternity, Art Of Spain, Genius Of Photography, California Dreaming, Folk Britannia, Vivaldi's Women, Fantabulosa, The Chatterley Affair, Fear Of Fanny, The Curse Of Comedy, The Long Walk To Finchley, The Thick Of It, Lead Balloon and Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe.

In 2007 Janice was invited to be the Murdoch Visiting Professor of Media at the University of Oxford. In the same year she took a short sabbatical from BBC Four to write a book, The Strangest Family, about George III and his children and which she continues to work on in her spare time.

Before BBC Four, Janice was Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4 Television, where she commissioned highly successful and award-winning programmes from most factual genres including history, science, arts and religion, including David Starkey's Six Wives and Elizabeth, The 1940s House, The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off, Testing God, The Art Show, Operatunity and Death Of Klinghoffer (which won an Emmy).

Before Channel 4, Janice worked for the BBC, joining as a production trainee in 1986. From 1987 to 1989 she was a BBC Radio 4 producer and worked on programmes such as Woman's Hour, Start The Week and The World Tonight.

In 1989 Janice moved to television where she was producer and executive producer for influential arts strand The Late Show, and was appointed Editor in 1992.

As Deputy Head of the BBC's Music and Arts department as well as Head, Late Show Productions from 1993 to 1995, Janice originated Home Front and edited the first two series, as well as making one-off arts specials such as Walking The Wall and series including Decisive Moments.

In 1995 Janice was appointed Joint Head of the BBC's History department where she devised A History Of Britain, edited three series of Reputations and made Decisive Weapons, one of the first series to popularise intelligent military history. She also made the successful documentary-drama, Royal Scandal, for BBC One, starring Richard E Grant as George IV.

In 1999 Janice was appointed Head of History, Art and Religion at Channel 4. She was appointed Head of Specialist Factual in 2002.