Sir Peter Bazalgette

Sir Peter Bazalgette, a media consultant specialising in television and digital entertainment, has been appointed as Chairman of Arts Council England to succeed Dame Liz Forgan, whose four-year term of office is controversially not being renewed. Bazalgette is also Chair of English National Opera, President of the Royal Television Society and a non-executive Director of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; but Wikipedia attributes his high profile to his “commercial firepower” and impact on the development of reality television through TV shows including Big Brother and Deal Or No Deal. He takes up his new role in February next year.