Apple TV+ Europe Commissioner Tom Williams is stepping down to join BBC Studios Drama Productions

Tom Williams, commissioner of Apple TV+ Europe, is leaving the streamer after a year to join the growing team at BBC Studios Drama Productions.

Williams was part of Jay Hunt’s European client team after moving from Indie Wall to Wall late last year. His departure bucks the trend of recent years in the UK, where executives have largely left indies and networks to join streamers.

Williams will become head of drama development at BBC Studio Drama Productions. His previous credits include Ten percent And The man in the high castle for Prime Video and The English game for Netflix.

He takes up the newly created role less than a week after it was announced that Kate Oates had taken over as Head of Drama Productions at BBC Studios, effectively replacing Priscilla Parish and making her head of Britain’s biggest theater center outside London. The cast also includes Roxanne Harvey, who has been named executive producer of the long-running soap. Victim.

Williams – who will lead BBC Studios Drama Productions’ national development team and BBC Studios’ writing initiatives – will report to Deborah Sathe, who was promoted to creative director last week.

But also through takeover VictimHarvey is developing a range of projects for the UK and international markets.

“It’s an exciting time to welcome such experienced and ambitious creatives as we expand our own line-up of shows,” said Oates. “Both Tom and Roxanne bring a wealth of experience to their new development roles.”

“BBC Studios has a long history of producing some of the UK’s best and most popular programs and around the world, so the opportunity to help shape the creative direction of this exciting new era for the studio was simply a too good an opportunity to pass up,” Williams added.

The BBC Studios Drama Productions list includes EastEnders, Accident Victims, Father Brown, Sister Boniface, River City, Pobol Y Cwm and new comedy-drama Anfamol. The unit also develops projects for the BBC and national and international broadcasters and platforms and houses the BBC Studios casting department.