Early Television Career
David Liddiment invited Bea to join BBC Entertainment as Head Of Talk and Specials. This led to re-launching Parkinson and devising a number of event specials – from the 2 hour gala celebrating BBC TV’s 60th Anniversary, TV 60 – Aunties All Time Greats, to BAFTA Awards, to Ruby Wax Meets Madonna, to documentaries series such as the Emmy winning Carrie Fisher on Hollywood (co-production with A&E).
She devised the weekly entertainment show Saturday Night Clive. Following its success on BBC TWO the show was transferred to BBC ONE.
Ballard also produced the majority of Clive James’ other output for the BBC. She devised and produced the award-winning, 8 part - documentary series Fame in the Twentieth a co-production with PBS, shown both in the UK and the US. Ballard also produced the documentary series for BBC ONE in which Clive James profiled various cities around the world - Clive James Postcards…. from Paris; New York; Miami; Paris.
Prior to joining the BBC Ballard worked at LWT in Entertainment where she produced a wide range of entertainment shows, from An Audience With (Peter Ustinov; Billy Connolly), to The Late Clive James, to Michael Aspel and Company, to BAFTA Awards.
Ballard started her television career at the BBC, on John Craven’s Newsround, where she worked as a journalist and assistant producer.
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