Background
Lesley Douglas was born in Longbenton, North Tyneside in 1963, where she grew up.
controller producer radio executive
Lesley Douglas was born in Longbenton, North Tyneside in 1963, where she grew up.
University of Manchester.
She was the Controller of British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 2 and 6 Music from early 2004 until her resignation in October 2008 over The Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row. Having an ambition to be a journalist, she choose to study English at the University of Manchester in order to be closer to the vibrant 1980s Manchester scene. On graduation, Douglas joined the British Broadcasting Corporation as a production assistant in 1986, and began at the David Jacobs Show, later joining the promotions department.
In 1988, she worked as a producer on programmes such as the Gloria Hunniford Show and Brian Matthew"s Round Midnight.
In 1990, she returned to the Promotions department, then in 1993, she was promoted to be Editor of Radio 2 Presentation and Planning. She became Managing Editor of Radio 2, then became Head of Programmes in 2000.
Douglas was appointed Controller of both stations on 10 October 2003 and began on 5 January 2004, succeeding James Moir. She oversaw Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley leaving Radio 1 in April 2004 and joining her two networks later that year.
The controversial appointment of Chris Evans as Drivetime presenter on 18 April 2006.
And appointing equally controversial Russell Brand to 6 Music in April 2006 and overseeing his move to Radio 2 in November 2006. She was a trustee of British Broadcasting Corporation Children in Need and sat on the Radio Times Advisory Panel. Controversy
On 29 October 2008, Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were suspended by the British Broadcasting Corporation, after they made a series of obscene phone calls to the actor Andrew Sachs in a pre-recorded edition of The Russell Brand Show.
Brand later resigned from the British Broadcasting Corporation. On 30 October 2008, Director General Mark Thompson met with the British Broadcasting Corporation Trust to discuss reaction to the incident, and Douglas"s resignation was announced.
On the same day, Jonathan Ross was suspended by the British Broadcasting Corporation without pay for 12 weeks. lieutenant subsequently emerged that Douglas had allowed the offending segment to be broadcast without having listened to lieutenant
Douglas had caused controversy earlier in 2008 with remarks, made in defence of the appointment of George Lamb to the 10am-1pm slot on 6Music, which were seen as pandering to outdated stereotypes. An article in The Guardian quoted her as saying:
There were existing problems with her siding with another of her signings Russell Brand against a series of producers as revealed in an interview with Paul Gambaccini by Nicky Campbell on The Breakfast Show on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 5Live.
In November 2008, Douglas joined the board of trustees at The Sage Gateshead.
The following month, she began a new job as the Director of Programming and Business Development at the British subsidiary of Universal Music Group.