BBC AMERICA APPOINTS RICKY KELEHAR VICE PRESIDENT, UNSCRIPTED PROGRAMMING

New York - February 12, 2014 - BBC AMERICA has appointed Ricky Kelehar as VP, Unscripted Programming, overseeing the channel's original shows such as Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan and the development of new unscripted formats. Based in New York, he will report to Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide North America, and will work closely with Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, to develop new original content for BBC AMERICA. Kelehar is expected to take up his new post next month.

Kelehar joins from IWC Media where he was Head of Factual Entertainment and US Formats. He recently created the Channel Four series Gadget Man for North One Television and previously worked for the BBC in New York as Executive Editor of Factual Entertainment, where he oversaw production on TLC's Honey We're Killing the Kids.

Perry Simon said: "I'm very pleased to welcome Ricky to the BBC AMERICA team. His experience developing and producing quality non-scripted programming will be a vital contribution to the network as we expand the channel's unscripted slate."

Kelehar added: "I am thrilled to be joining BBC AMERICA at this very exciting time in its development - and look forward to working closely with the best production brains in the UK and North America to re-shape and re-energize its unscripted output."

In his 20 years in television, Kelehar has worked with major talent at a range of production companies including Tiger Aspect, Optomen, Diverse, Twenty Twenty, and ITV Factual and Documentaries.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including two Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.