Peter Salmon (born 1956 in Burnley, Lancashire, UK) is a British television producer and executive.
He studied at Warwick University and graduated in 1977 with a degree in English & European Literature. He initially worked as a local newspaper reporter in Kent, before becoming a government press officer and then a teacher in the Voluntary Service Overseas.
In the early 1980s he joined the BBC and became a Producer of factual programmes, including such high-profile shows as Crimewatch UK. He later became a series Editor and was then made Head of Features at BBC Bristol .
He left the BBC to become the Head of Factual Programmes at Channel 4, and then later joined Granada Television as its Director of Programmes, making him responsible for the programming of one of the biggest companies in the ITV network, providing much of the nationally networked programming.
From 1997 to 2000 he was the Controller of BBC One, the oldest television channel in the UK, before being moved to the Head of Sport position. Although his move to Head of Sport was technically a promotion in terms of the BBC's internal structure, in real teams it was seen as a demotion as his time in charge of BBC One was not generally regarded as a success and it was speculated in the media that the Corporation had been keen to move him out of his post. Indeed, his original appointment as a channel Controller had come as something of a surprise, being necessitated by Michael Jackson's sudden move to Channel 4 after just a year in charge.
In April 2005, it was announced that Salmon was leaving the BBC to join independent production company The Television Corporation as its Chief Executive.
He is married to the actress Sarah Lancashire .
Last updated: 05-06-2005 14:36:16
