James Stirling, outgoing BBC Music Executive Editor. He is a white man with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. He wears a blue suit and polka dot, blue and white shirt.
Changing Faces

Stirling to leave BBC Music

Arts Professional
1 min read

BBC Music’s Executive Editor JAMES STIRLING is to leave the corporation at the end of May. 

A content producer and commissioner, Stirling has held leadership roles in music and across the creative industries. 

Before joining the BBC, Stirling was Executive Producer at Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where he worked across radio, television and digital.

Appointed to the BBC in 2009 as Editor, Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music, he was promoted to Head of Radio 6 Music in 2012. In the role, Stirling created the 6 Music Festival. 

In 2014, Stirling became the first Head of BBC Music & BBC Music Introducing, commissioning for TV, audio and digital platforms, and running live events. He led the team's  BBC's Glastonbury coverage, and co-created London's BBC Music Introducing Live event.

More recently, he led the planning and delivery of BBC’s Centenary, celebrated in 2022, and the its cultural programming for the Commonwealth Games Birmingham and Festival UK 2022.

On LinkedIn, Stirling posted: "There have been so many memorable moments and I’m delighted to say that I’m going out on a high, as part of the BBC’s Eurovision 2023 team."