Darke days

Let's hope BBC Studios is a more popular concept with staff than it seems to be with current BBC management. First, Peter Salmon is wooed away by Shine Endemol. Now Wendy Darke, a board member of the nascent enterprise, has decided her future is elsewhere.

Wendy is the first female boss of the BBC's Natural History Unit, in place since 2012. Before that, she'd delivered more than 1,000 hours of programming as an Executive Producer or Series Producer.
The news came to NHU staff in an email from new BBC Studios director Mark Linsey.

The Guardian today speculated that well-connected drama chief Polly Hill may be another to jump ship before the formal creation of BBC Studios as a separate division at the end of this month.

1600 update: The line that Polly Hill is being courted by new ITV boss Kevin Lygo was first adumbrated by Broadcast (paywalled).