BBC Studios Names Sreya Biswas to Lead Its Natural History Unit

BBC Studios has named Sreya Biswas as the new head of its Natural History Unit, the team behind many of the nature programmes viewers know from the BBC. She succeeds Jonny Keeling, who is moving into a new role from early 2027, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Biswas is not new to the unit. She joined BBC Studios in summer 2025 as its Director of Programs. Before that, she was head of commissioning for Natural History at the BBC. Commissioning means deciding which programmes get made, so she has worked on the side of the business that picks the projects.

She will report to Kate Ward, managing director of unscripted at BBC Studios. Unscripted covers factual programmes, such as documentaries, that are not built around a written script. Biswas will also work alongside two creative directors, Jonny Keeling and Mike Gunton. Creative directors guide the look, storytelling and ambition of a unit's output.

The Natural History Unit's teams are based in Bristol, in the south-west of England. Its productions often involve long shoots in remote places, with crews working for months to capture a single animal's behaviour or a single landscape across the seasons.

For the people who make these shows, a change at the top can shape which projects go ahead and how they are planned. For viewers, the day-to-day changes are usually invisible. The programmes still need a budget, a broadcaster and a slot on the schedule before anyone sees them.

Keeling's move takes effect from early 2027, which leaves a period of overlap with Biswas as she settles into the job.