The BBC has appointed a new director responsible for its regional output across England.

Helen Thomas has taken up the role as director of BBC England, a new position created in place of the role of controller of BBC English Regions, previously held by David Holdsworth.

The creation of the post brings England into line with the other nations of the UK, which are all led by BBC directors.

Helen, pictured, has most recently been leading work designed to “reinvent” BBC local radio, and was in charge of regional and local programming in Yorkshire prior to that.

She said: “I feel very lucky to be given this exciting new role to lead the BBC’s work in England. It’s so important that we serve and reflect all of the country’s diverse communities.

“England is a complex, changing place and the BBC needs to evolve our offer to ensure we are providing the best services possible to people across the country.

“In the last year, I’ve been focusing on how to reinvent local radio so that it better reflects our communities, nurtures new talent and brings people together through new partnerships and engaging content.

“This work will continue and I hope to extend it right across everything the BBC does in England. I’m looking forward to making creative, compelling content that entertains and informs all our audiences.”

David, who oversaw the launch of the Local Democracy Reporting scheme run in association with the regional press industry, announced last year he would be leaving the BBC.