Horrocks, currently head of current affairs, succeeds Roger Mosey
who has moved to his new role of director of sport. Helen Boaden,
director of news said: “Peter has a superb track record in television
journalism.
“He also has a deep understanding of the television
audience and the competitive pressures we face as technology offers our
audiences more choice of news than ever before.”
Horrocks joined
the BBC in October 1981 as a news trainee and in 1994 became editor of
Newsnight. In 1997 he left Newsnight to edit Panorama. He was appointed
Head of Current Affairs in June 2000.
Since then he has been
executive producer of Brits, True Spies, Smallpox 2002, The Day Britain
Stopped, Dirty War and The Power Of Nightmares. Horrocks won Bafta
awards in 1997 for his editorship of Newsnight and in 2005 for The
Power of Nightmares.
Horrocks said: “I am privileged to be taking
on the leadership of the most respected TV news operation in the world.
“At a time of tumultuous global events, the role of the BBC in giving
all audiences clarity and understanding is paramount.”
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