Piers Wenger appointed as BBC's 'creative leader'

Doctor Who executive producer Piers Wenger will be giving up his post as Head of Drama for BBC Wales, the corporation have said.

Wenger, who joined BBC Wales as Head of Drama in 2007 and oversaw the recent regeneration of Doctor Who, will be stepping down from the role to take on the "creative leader" post at the BBC.

He will continue to work on a number of BBC shows, including Doctor Who and will focus on Sir Tom Stoppard's adaptation of the Ford Madox Ford novel Parade's End for BBC Two.

Faith Penhale has been named as Wenger's successor. She has previously worked for independent company Kudos, and has produced BBC One's Spooks and ITV1's The Fixer.

She commented: "I am thrilled to be joining such an exciting department with a track record for producing some of the most stand out dramas on British television."

Wenger added: "I am absolutely thrilled for Wales that it has someone as brilliant and experienced as Faith to bring in the next generation of shows."

Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC Drama Commissioning said: "We have big plans for Wales drama - not only do we want to sustain its relationships with Welsh indies but we want to build on the success of the in-house department to make it even more vibrant and exciting.

"I am confident that Faith will be a major player in delivering the ambition of BBC Drama by working with a range of writers on a variety of authentic and original authored drama."

(Source: BBC News)