Sandy Smith to oversee 'The One Show'

The BBC has announced that Panorama executive editor Sandy Smith will oversee The One Show from the New Year.

During his time at Panorama, Smith has guided the programme to a primetime slot on BBC One, fronted by Jeremy Vine. Prior to that, he worked on various productions for the BBC and acted as editor of Watchdog.

From 2010, Smith will become executive editor of BBC One magazine programme The One Show, which is presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley.

In doing so, he will take over from previous executive editor Tessa Finch, who is moving to become head of development at BBC Vision Productions.

"The One Show is a brilliant fixture in the schedule and a family favourite," said Smith. "It is an enormous privilege to be asked to lead such a talented team and to work with the channel to ensure The One Show's success going forward."

BBC Daytime controller Liam Keelan added: "The One Show is an incredibly important programme for BBC One - Sandy's experience will be the ideal fit as we look to continue the show's great success."

The One Show, which regularly attracts five million viewers, was recently extended to a one-hour format for its Friday broadcasts.