Channel 4 appoint Duncan

Andy Duncan has been appointed as chief executive of Channel 4, following Mark Thompson's departure to the BBC.

The decision was a surprise to media watchers, since Duncan has no experience of programme-making. His background is with Unilever and he has spent the last three years as director of marketing, communication and audiences at the BBC, during which time he spearheaded the launch of Freeview and the BBC's digital channels.

Channel 4 Chairman, former Pizza Express boss Luke Johnson, said that: "Having a brand specialist like Andy at the helm will offer us a competitive advantage in such a noisy and over-crowded marketplace."