As Creative Director and Head of Editorial for BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment, I led the creative strategy for a portfolio of interactive products based on some of television's most recognizable global brands, including Doctor Who, Top Gear, and Torchwood.
My role extended well beyond visual design. I worked across product strategy, creative direction, editorial vision, UX, licensing, and cross-functional leadership to ensure every experience reflected the integrity of the BBC brand while engaging audiences across rapidly evolving mobile platforms.
During my tenure, I directed the development of twelve commercially released mobile titles, including Top Gear Stunt School, which became the BBC's most-downloaded commercial app at the time of its release.
The Challenge
The rapid growth of smartphones and explosion of casual social media gaming created a new opportunity for the BBC to extend its television franchises beyond broadcast and into interactive entertainment.
The challenge wasn't simply to build mobile apps: Each product had to capture the personality of globally recognized franchises while meeting commercial goals, satisfying licensing requirements, and delivering experiences audiences would return to repeatedly.
Every project required balancing creative innovation with the responsibility of stewarding some of the BBC's most valuable intellectual property.
My Role
Creative Director / Head of Editorial
I led the creative vision for BBC Worldwide's digital entertainment portfolio.
My responsibilities included:
- Defining creative strategy across multiple franchises
- Establishing editorial direction that aligned gameplay with each property's unique voice
- Directing external multidisciplinary creative teams
- Guiding UX and interaction design
- Partnering with producers, developers, licensors, and executive stakeholders
- Maintaining franchise authenticity across every product
- Reviewing creative quality throughout production
Key Initiatives
Re-imagining Television Franchises as Interactive Experiences
Every franchise presented a different creative challenge. Rather than applying a single design formula, we developed experiences that reflected the identity of each property.
- For Top Gear, the emphasis was fast-paced action and accessible gameplay, leaning in to the humor and ridiculous challenges.
- For Doctor Who, the experience focused on narrative, world-building, and long-term progression - becoming the Doctor's new companion.
- For Torchwood, interaction was designed to complement the tone and mystery of the television series, with episodic gaming that released each week alongside televised episodes.
This franchise-first approach helped ensure that each product felt like a natural extension of its source material rather than a licensed adaptation.
Building the BBC's Most Downloaded Commercial App
One of our most significant achievements was Top Gear Stunt School.
Working closely with internal stakeholders and development teams, we created an experience that captured the humor, energy, and personality that made Top Gear one of the BBC's most successful global properties.
The application became the BBC's most-downloaded commercial mobile app at the time of its release, demonstrating how thoughtful creative direction could successfully translate a beloved television brand into an engaging interactive product.
Establishing Creative Consistency Across a Growing Portfolio
Managing a portfolio of multiple franchises required more than producing individual products. It required creating a repeatable creative process.
I developed creative frameworks that enabled teams to work across different brands while maintaining a consistently high standard of design quality, usability, and brand fidelity.
These processes improved collaboration between creative, production, engineering, and licensing teams while helping projects move efficiently from concept through launch.
Results
- Directed creative across 12 commercially released mobile titles
- Led development of Top Gear Stunt School, the BBC's most-downloaded commercial app at launch
- Expanded globally recognized television brands into successful interactive products
- Established creative processes that supported multiple simultaneous productions
- Delivered cohesive user experiences while maintaining strict franchise authenticity
Executive Takeaway
Working with globally recognized entertainment franchises taught me that every creative decision either strengthens or weakens a brand.
Strong creative leadership isn't about imposing a personal style. It's about understanding what makes a brand meaningful to its audience and ensuring every new experience expands that relationship rather than distracting from it.
The best creative work feels as though it always belonged within the world of the brand.
