Richard Henry Klein (born 12 October 1958) is a British television executive who is the former controller of

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

. He became controller in 2008, taking over from Janice Hadlow, who became Controller of

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

Early life

He was born in Burwash Common in Sussex (now in

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

) to Hans Klein and Bernadine Thorne. He attended Prior Park College, a Roman Catholic independent school near

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in Somerset. From the University of Aberdeen he gained an MA i
English
in 1983, and from City University London, he gained a

Diploma of Journalism A Diploma of Journalism (or Diploma in Journalism) is an academic qualification in journalism issued by a university or college. Overview The diploma is generally issued after one year of study. As is common with diplomas in general, diplomas in ...

in 1985.

Career

He was a director on '' Weekend World'' on LWT from 1987 to 1990.

BBC

He joined the BBC in 1996 as a current affairs producer director, having worked as a freelancer for some years before. From 2005 to 2007 he was a commissioning editor for documentaries; most output of BBC Four comprises documentaries. He was succeeded by Charlotte Moore. From 2007 to 2008, he was Head of Independent Commissioning for Factual TV, of the BBC. He became Controller of BBC Four in December 2008. In November 2009, his salary was revealed by the BBC to be £195,000.

ITV

Following his departure from BBC Four, he was Head of Factual commissioning for ITV and is now on the executive board of the independent production company Plimsoll Productions.

Personal life

Klein has one daughter and is divorced.

References

External links

BBC Press Office biography

Video clips

Meet the controller

Future of BBC4

Northern Film Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Richard 1958 births Living people Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of the University of Aberdeen BBC executives BBC Four controllers British television executives People educated at Prior Park College People from Burwash