Skillset's Fiona Chesterton Awarded RTS Fellowship

On June 5, at a glittering event at BAFTA, Fiona Chesterton, Director of Television for Skillset, was awarded a RTS Fellowship.
The Fellowship reflects the work that Fiona has performed for the RTS as the Education and Training representative on the Advisory Council and her outstanding contribution to the television industry.
Fiona has worked in the television and broadcast industry for more than 30 years. She was C4's first dedicated Commissioning Editor for Daytime, where she overhauled the schedule, commissioning programmes like 'Light Lunch', 'Pet Rescue' and 'Watercolour Challenge'. She became Controller of Adult Learning at the BBC, commissioning both factual and entertainment programmes as well as multi media social action campaigns. Programmes she gave Education's backing, ranged from Simon Schama's 'History of Britain' to 'Birding with Bill Oddie'. She also pioneered 360-degree commissioning with interactive learning through BBC Online supporting landmark TV series like the Blue Planet.
She started her career in News and Current Affairs at the BBC, where she worked for several years on the Nationwide programme as a Producer and Programme Editor. Indeed, she was the first and only woman to edit editions of this iconic daily programme.
In her early years at Lime Grove, where she worked for a decade from the mid-70s - she produced everything from interviews with Abba and the Sex Pistols in a feature slot aimed at the under 25s called 'Young Nation' to a Panorama investigation into the illnesses suffered by Army veterans who had witnessed the Christmas Island Nuclear Tests in the 1950s. She was also a stalwart of many marathon General Election and Budget programmes, as well as becoming a Senior Producer on the 'BBC Six O Clock News'.
In the late 1980s, she became Editor of the then BBC News and Current Affairs programme for the South East, London Plus, reinventing it in a new home in Elstree as Newsroom South East. From there, she took her first Commissioning role as Deputy Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel Four, where she worked with David Lloyd on DISPATCHES, Channel Four News and a wide range of other award-winning output.
Throughout her career Fiona has been a strong supporter of growing TV talent in the Nations and Regions of the UK. For several years, she managed the Regional Development Fund at Channel Four, and now in her latest role at Skillset, is supporting the growth of the skills infrastructure in the North of England particularly, with the BBC's planned move to Salford.
Dinah Caine, CEO of Skillset, commended Fiona and said: "We are absolutely delighted for Fiona, and the well deserved recognition of her services to the television industry."
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media, which comprises TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging and publishing. Further information is available at: www.skillset.org.
(KMcA/NS)