MUMBAI: BBC has appointed Leon Wilde to the In-House Entertainment Department as Editor, Format Entertainment. He will take up his position in January.

Since 2009, Leon has been Executive Producer at Shine TV, where among other programmes he was the joint creator of ?The Magicians? (BBC One); ?Got To Dance? (Sky) and ?As Seen On TV? (BBC1).

Prior to this, he was Hat Trick Productions head of entertainment, creating shows such as ?What?s The Problem with Anne Robinson? (BBC One) and ?He?s Having A Baby? (BBC One and BBC Three).

Before this, he was at Granada, where he co-created shows including ?Saturday Night Takeaway? (ITV1); ?Brainiac: Science Abuse? (Sky One); ?Fight School? (Sky1) and ?Pop Stars the Rivals? (ITV1).

He said, "After a long time working in the independent sector I?m delighted to be bringing my enthusiasm for fun and inclusive prime time formats to the BBC, where I hope to build on their already impressive roster of joyful and triumphant entertainment programmes."

BBC controller entertainment and events Katie Taylor said, "Leon lives and breathes entertainment formats, so I look forward to seeing what he can conjure up for BBC audiences."