Jane Lush

Who is Jane Lush?

Jane Lush left the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2006, after a career spanning over 35 years. Having started at the age of 18 as a trainee secretary, she worked her way up the company, with jobs including heading the BBC's daytime department and later becoming the Entertainment commissioner for the BBC, giving her control of all the BBC's comedy, format and factual entertainment output.

She has never been far from controversy in her time at the BBC, having been at the centre of the infamous row over fake guests on the Vannessa Show and later oversaw the firing of Angus Deayton as host of Have I Got News For You. She was also a close personal friend of murdered television presenter Jill Dando. In 2008 former BBC newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky told how she felt Lush and her junior managers had intimidated her into participating in the BBC's high profile Strictly Come Dancing entertainment programme in 2003. After 6 months of refusing to participate, the matter was escalated to the BBC One Controller, Lorraine Heggessey and when that approach failed, Lush, Head of Entertainment took Kaplinsky aside and told her "I'm sure you're not going to be penalised for not doing it".