CRAIG HENDERSON

BROADCAST ASSOCIATE

Craig has acted as both a television commissioner and designer of programme formats in his time as senior manager and programme maker within the BBC’s English Regions. He has years of experience and possesses a keen understanding of how stories are commissioned for television and radio both locally and nationally.

He led the launch of the regional current affairs series Inside Out, now the most watched current affairs programme in the UK. He also launched the regional football magazine Late Kick Off, regional politics format The Politics Show and has worked with many internal and external partners such as the BBC’s Natural History Unit, BBC Sport (Olympics) and on major BBC moments such as Children in Need, Comic Relief, and the RHS Flower shows. Most recently Craig led cross-platform projects linked to the 100th anniversary of WW1, and Shakespeare.

His work involves making contacts with people right across the BBC genres – from arts to current affairs and politics. He still maintains contacts with a number of high audience television strands and is currently working on a project involving Greenham Common.  

As the former Head of Programmes for the BBC regions Craig has excellent contacts across local and regional services in BBC Local Radio and regional television (News and Current Affairs). Head of Programmes is a role which also involved linking the regions into national news and programming, hence Craig has good links with a range of major programmes right across the BBC (TV and Radio) and also commercial output too. He has recently worked with The One Show, Countryfile, Arts programmes, News strands, Songs of Praise and major BBC Learning projects.

Craig has worked on partnerships involving communities and major institutions such as Imperial War Museums, the British Library, Royal Shakespeare Company and the British Museum. He recently led a project capturing people’s recollections of the home front of World War One while working with the BBC, where he also commissioned regional programmes and acted as an important link between the regions and national radio and television.  

He has worked on arts projects, most recently a street theatre event involving local theatre groups, the National Theatre and artist Jeremy Deller. Craig also worked on heritage programmes such as Restoration and was Chairman of the Trustees for the BBC Restoration Fund. He now works as a freelance director of his own company specialising in creating cross-platform impact with programmes - via broadcast, community events and in education.

Throughout his career Craig has prided himself on keeping close to programme-making, while also maintaining strong links with broadcast teams and partners.