Kate Phillips

Controller, BBC Entertainment

Kate Phillips is responsible for the entertainment strategy and output of BBC One, BBC Two and all digital entertainment including BBC Three and BBC Four.  

She commissions over 500 hours of original programmes a year, including shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, Top Gear, The Graham Norton Show, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You, Room 101, Masterchef, University Challenge, Dragons’ Den, Robot Wars, All Round to Mrs Browns, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and the BAFTA Film Awards.

Before taking up this role, Phillips was Creative Director of Formats for BBC Worldwide. In this role she oversaw all of BBC Worldwide’s scripted and non-scripted formats, over 200 in total.  She led the Formats team in London and worked closely with Sales and Production teams across all of BBC Worldwide’s Global Territories. 

Prior to this Phillips worked as Channel Executive for BBC One and BBC Three, working closely with the Controllers to oversee all editorial content on both channels, managing early development of commissions and formatting and liaising with scheduling, budgeting, marketing, press, and social media planning and strategy. 

Her extensive TV production experience was garnered through producing numerous comedy and entertainment shows for many broadcasters, as well as being a co-owner and Director of Mast Media, an award winning television formats company which developed multiple shows airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and across the globe.

From here Phillips turned her attention to development, joining the BBC as Head of Development for BBC Children’s, and overseeing the development of multiple BAFTA winning shows for CBBC and CBeebies.  She consequently became Head of Development at BBC Entertainment, increasing production turnover significantly and helping to win multiple commissions for the department

Phillips also created and ran the successful BBC training scheme Future Formats and resided as the BBC Formats Representative on the European Broadcast Union.  In this role she helped devise and establish  the annual Creative Forum in Berlin. 

She has a degree in Politics from Bristol University.