Biographies

Controller, BBC Four

Richard Klein became the Controller of BBC Four in December 2008.

BBC Four offers audiences the delight of finding things out and the satisfaction of entertaining discourse with some of the world's most brilliant and interesting experts – who all have something to say, an opinion – across a wide range of subjects from all over the world, always applying a new lens to our artistic and cultural landscape.

In that sense, it is the channel of distinction for people who love to think, appealing to those parts of the brain that other television channels don't reach.

Since he has been at the channel, Richard has overseen BBC Four's highest-rating programme, Gracie! (1.5m) – which was part of the Women We Loved season of dramas. Other successes include the topical On Expenses drama (0.83m); Chemistry – A Volatile History (0.66m); Paul Merton Looks At Alfred Hitchcock (0.51m); The Art Of Russia (series average 0.4m); A History Of Christianity (series average 0.44m); and Newswipe With Charlie Brooker, which recently won the RTS award for best Entertainment programme.

Richard joined the BBC in 1996 as a series producer and moved into commissioning to become a commissioning executive. From there he became a senior commissioning executive and then the Commissioning Editor for Documentaries, in March 2005.

In 2008, Richard became the BBC's Head of Independent Commissioning, Knowledge. In this role he oversaw all commissioning from independent production companies across features, arts, music, religion, specialist factual and documentaries.

He has been responsible for commissioning programmes including: The White Season; Stephen Fry – The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive; Wonderland; Amazon and The Fallen for BBC Two; The Childhood Season, Bulgaria's Abandoned Children, National Trust and Travellers' Century for BBC Four; Mountain, Britain From Above and Heart Of Thomas Hardy for BBC One; and Blood Sweat And T-shirts, Filthy Rich And Homeless and Mischief for BBC Four.

He has commissioned factual dramas for BBC Two including Maxwell; The Thieving Headmistress; Sex, The City and Me; and the documentary feature film Man On Wire, which won Best Documentary Feature Academy Award at the 2009 Oscars.

Richard has also taken an innovative approach to multi-platform, with rich online offerings for Britain From Above, Amazon and The Long Way Down.

Richard has commissioned and executive produced a number of award-winning shows, including four Baftas for Best Documentary and Best Documentary Series (Orphans Of Nkandla, The Choir, Evicted and National Trust); six Royal Television Society Awards for Best Documentary; four Griersons; and three One World Awards.

Maxwell has just won an International Emmy for David Suchet's performance in the lead role.

Richard studied English at Aberdeen University and his background is in print journalism, before he moved into television. His family come from Germany and Britain, he is divorced with a child and he lives in London with his partner and daughter.