New BBC director-general Matt Brittin is set to speak at the Edinburgh TV Festival, marking his first major industry appearance since taking the helm. The 57-year-old former Google executive will participate in an In Conversation event on August 27, where he will “reflect on his first few months leading the BBC,” according to festival organizers.
Critical Moment for the BBC
Edinburgh TV Festival chairwoman Fatima Salaria emphasized the significance of Brittin’s appearance. “Matt Brittin arrives in Edinburgh at a critical moment for the BBC, with charter renewal ahead and a whole industry waiting to hear what the next chapter for the corporation will look and feel like,” she said. “The fact Matt has chosen Edinburgh for his first major industry appearance matters. We are delighted to welcome him for a conversation which will be lively, serious and central to the future of British television.”
Brittin is expected to introduce himself to the television industry and outline what he brings to the BBC as an outsider. He is the first director-general since Greg Dyke in 2000 to take on the role without prior experience at the corporation.
Call for Change
Last month, Brittin called for the BBC to “move faster and change to adapt to the world around us” while speaking to the Press Association after being made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle. He stated: “At the BBC, we’re concerned about making sure that audiences get incredible quality journalism and creative storytelling that’s homegrown in the UK. We tell the story of Britain to the world, so the World Service reaches half a billion people every week. We have great journalists, and in this world of misinformation it’s important that people can find the truth, and at the BBC we try to provide that with no agenda.”
Festival Highlights
The Edinburgh TV Festival will run from August 22 to 28. It was also announced that actor Sir Gary Oldman will receive the global icon award at the festival, an honor he said he was “deeply flattered” by.
