Next BBC director-general finally revealed – and he’s already shared how he feels about Doctor Who
The BBC is expected to announce Matt Brittin this week.
A former Google executive and Team GB Olympic athlete has reportedly been confirmed as the new director-general for the BBC.
Matt Brittin is expected to be announced this week after he was appointed to the position by the BBC board at a meeting on Thursday, The Times reports.
Current director-general Tim Davie is leaving the position next month, with executive director of the BBC board Rhodri Talfan Davies taking over as interim director-general. It is currently unclear when Brittin will step into the role.
Brittin joined Google in 2007 as its managing director for the UK before leaving his role as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa nearly 20 years later in 2024.
Since then, the 57-year-old has been on a self-professed "gap year", sharing on LinkedIn: "I’ve already grown a beard, bought a single sculling boat and plan to learn scuba diving from my son when he qualifies as an instructor."
His appointment will make him the BBC's 18th general-director – and the first with no direct experience of television journalism.
However, he has previously held board positions at The Guardian and the Media Trust, and previously worked in digital journalism at Trinity Mirror plc, the newspaper group now rebranded as Reach.
Brittin became a leading contender for the BBC role in February after other candidates, including Jay Hunt of Apple TV and former Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon, withdrew.
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He has spoken previously of his love for the heritage BBC show Doctor Who in a speech to the Royal Television Society, where he highlighted the global impact of British television and pointed to the beloved series as an example of the UK’s internationally recognised creative output.
Whilst at University of Cambridge, Brittin represented his alma mater three times in the annual Boat Race against Oxford before joining Team GB.
He competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul as part of the British Olympic rowing team and won a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in 1989.
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
