London – Following more than three decades at the BBC and BBC Worldwide, Colin Jarvis has announced he is to step down as Director of International Formats. Jarvis is one of BBC Worldwide’s longest serving directors and has been instrumental in building the company’s formats and local production activity around the world. Most recently he led the roll-out of the company’s international production network, with bases and partnerships established in Australia, India, North and South America and Europe. Jarvis built up BBC Worldwide’s international formats business from scratch, establishing the Formats Unit in 1993. He struck BBC Worldwide’s first ever deal with a major US network when he licensed Weakest Link to NBC in 2000 and was part of the team that saw ABC in the US take on Dancing with the Stars. Both went on to become two of Britain’s most successful television exports ever. Jarvis’ BBC career began in the Copyright Department in 1970 before joining the BBC’s commercial arm (then BBC Enterprises) in 1977. He worked through a variety of roles in library sales, sports rights and programme sales across Europe, Canada and Australia before taking up his global role. Jarvis left for seven years in 1986 to become international sales manager for London Weekend Television and returned in 1993 when BBC Worldwide was first established. He leaves the company in July.