John Whiston to head up ITV Productions

ITV plc has announced today that John Whiston has been appointed to the role of Director, ITV Productions.
He will be responsible for the creative, financial and commercial aspects of the business.
ITV Productions is the in-house production arm of ITV Plc, which made more than £450 million worth of programming in 2004. It is the UK’s largest commercial production house, employing more than 3000 people on a number of sites throughout the UK and producing more than 3,500 hours of network television a year for ITV and other broadcasters, across all genres.
Last year it made six of the UK’s top 10 shows including some of the Nation’s favourites such as ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Emmerdale’, and ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!’ It also made the multi-award winning ‘Sex Traffic’ for Channel 4.
Whiston will report directly to Charles Allen, Chief Executive of ITV Plc. Charles Allen said: “John Whiston is one of the most talented people working in this industry. I am delighted that he is taking one of the most important jobs in television today. It was vital that we got the right person with the right skills to lead this team so that they keep making the kind of television that gets the nation talking. John has all of these skills.
“ITV enjoys a unique position in the UK’s commercial broadcasting environment as we produce a large percentage of our programmes in-house. Ensuring that we make content that can be used on a variety of platforms will be an important part of the role. This is a key appointment and I am confident that after a thorough search of the market we have the very best person for the job.”
Whiston was previously director of Drama, Arts and Kids at Granada. Granada was renamed ITV Productions earlier this year although it continues to make programming for other broadcasters under the Granada brand.
John Whiston said: “Some of the best programmes and a lot of the best people in TV are at ITV Productions so I’m excited about being asked to do this job. And when you think who has led this creative community in the past you realise that the job is an honour, a responsibility and a treat.”
Whiston will continue to be based in the North of England where a large proportion of programming is made out of the large production bases in Leeds and Manchester. He will be appointing his senior team early in the New Year.
(GB)