Roles and responsibilities
- As Chief Content Officer, Kate is the senior Executive responsible for all the BBC’s network TV and Radio output
- She oversees commissioning for all the national TV Channels and BBC iPlayer, as well as commissioning and production for all 10 national radio networks and for BBC Sounds. She also oversees commissioning and production for all Children’s and Education content
- The role is the creative lead for all of the BBC’s key genres and portfolios, developing and delivering a strategy across all platforms, as well as identifying and developing new content and setting an editorial strategy that reflects the diversity of the BBC’s audiences.
Biography
Kate Phillips was appointed Director of Unscripted in May 2022. She is responsible for the overall commissioning strategy for the full range of unscripted content, encompassing Entertainment, Documentaries, Specialist Factual, Arts & Classical Music, Factual Entertainment & Events and Daytime & Early-Peak.
This newly created role enables the BBC to keep pace with changing audience behaviour and unlock new creative opportunities, ensuring the ongoing strength of our unique specialisms and driving more value from new collaborations between genres and with Nations commissioning teams.
Kate is accountable for the overall performance and editorial strategy of the Unscripted commissioning division, empowering each of the respective Heads of Commissioning whilst ensuring the portfolio aligns to the agreed audience and supply objectives.
During the pandemic Kate was Acting Controller of BBC One, overseeing a vast array of programmes, working and commissioning with many genres including all of Factual, Current Affairs, Sport, Comedy, Drama and Entertainment.
Previously, Kate was Controller, Entertainment where she oversaw the entertainment strategy across BBC television and iPlayer. She commissioned more than 500 hours of original programmes a year, including shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK, The Apprentice, The Graham Norton Show, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, Eurovision, The Hit List, Picture Slam, The Weakest Link, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie to You, Masterchef, Dragons’ Den, Comic Relief, Children in Need, the BAFTAS, Gladiators and The Traitors.
Before taking up this role, Kate was Creative Director of Formats for BBC Worldwide. In this role Kate 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 Kate 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.
Kate’s 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.
Kate 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. Kate has a degree in Politics from Bristol University.
Annual remuneration (as at July 2025)
- £310,000 - £314,999
Expenses and central bookings
Expenses are costs incurred by BBC staff on behalf of the BBC and claimed through the BBC's expenses system.
Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the BBC and booked through the BBC's central bookings system.
Expenses and central bookings for the 2024/25 financial year onwards are available to view here.
Downloads
- Kate Phillips had no expenses in Q4 2023-24
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q4 2023-24
- Kate Phillips' expenses Q2 2023-24
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q2 2023-24
- Kate Phillips' expenses Q1 2023-24
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q1 2023-24
- Kate Phillips' expenses Q4 2022-23
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q4 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no expenses in Q3 2022-23
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q3 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no expenses in Q2 2022-23
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q2 2022-23
- Kate Phillips' expenses Q1 2022-23
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q1 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no expenses Q4 2021-22
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q4 2021-22
- Kate Phillips' expenses Q3 2021-22
- Kate Phillips' central bookings Q3 2021-22
- Kate Phillips had no expenses paid in Q2 2021-22
- Kate Phillips' central bookings in Q2 2021-22
- Kate Phillips' expenses Q1 2021-22
- Kate Phillips had no central bookings in Q1 2021-22
Gifts and Hospitality Register
Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with BBC policy.
Downloads
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2023-24
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2023-24
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2023-24
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2023-24
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2022-23
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2021-22
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2021-22
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2021-22
- Kate Phillips had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2021-22
Declaration of personal interests
Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.
A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.
This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.