Soaps

EastEnders boss Kate Oates lands HUGE promotion at BBC

The director of content called her "an exceptional talent"

Soap producer Kate Oates has landed a promotion at the BBC.

The EastEnders boss was named the senior executive producer for the BBC One soap, Casualty and Holby City in August, and she has now been appointed head of continuing drama at BBC Studios, which means she is also in charge of BBC daytime soap Doctors, and BBC Scotland’s River City.

Kate’s remit also includes Welsh language soap Pobol y Cwm, which is produced by BBC Studios but is broadcast on S4C.

Credit: Rocky/WENN.com
Kate Oates is now the head of continuing drama at the BBC (Credit: WENN)

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She said in a statement: “Continuing drama is a cornerstone of British television, and the biggest challenge is keeping audiences consistently engaged with brilliant stories that feel fresh and exciting.

“I love working with all the talent at EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty, and can’t wait to get working creatively with the teams at Pobol y Cwm, Doctors and River City.”

Ralph Lee, director of content at BBC Studios, added: “Kate is an exceptional talent and I’m delighted she is taking on this important role for BBC Studios.”

In August, Kate was delighted to have landed the senior executive producer role, admitting it is an “amazing opportunity”.

Kate previously worked on Emmerdale and Corrie before moving to EastEnders (Credit: SplashNews)

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She said: “Working across EastEnders, Casualty and Holby City is an amazing opportunity for me to have creative input into three of the UK’s leading dramas.

“I’m excited about meeting the teams and talent behind each show and can’t wait to get stuck in and tell some unmissable stories.”

Kate took over EastEnders from temporary boss John Yorke.

Kate has been described as “an exceptional talent” (Credit: SplashNews)

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Mark Linsey, CCO at BBC Studios, said at the time: “Kate is a dynamic, passionate and creative storyteller and I couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s joining BBC Studios to work with our fantastic teams at EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty.

“At EastEnders, she will be taking the baton from John Yorke, who stepped in to run the show on a temporary basis in June 2017.

“I’d like to personally thank him for the great job he’s done during this interim period. John will continue to work together with Kate to ensure a smooth handover until the end of the year, and we will be announcing his next role with us in the coming weeks.”

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