Fremantle Sets Former ‘X-Factor’ EP Andrew Llinares as New Director of Global Entertainment

The original “Britain’s Got Talent” showrunner takes over for Rob Clark, who will retire after 20 years at the company

Fremantle has appointed Andrew Llinares as director of global entertainment, taking over for Rob Clark who will retire at the end of February after 20 years with the company.

Llinares will be based in London and report to Group CEO Jennifer Mullin in the new role, although he’s hardly new to the Fremantle family. Llinares previously served as head of Thames/Syco co-productions in the UK and was the original showrunner for “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent” when the shows first launched in the UK in 2004 and 2007, respectively. He’s been living and working in the US since 2011, and was an EP and showrunner on the US version of “The X Factor” before becoming EP and showrunner on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2018.

“I am thrilled that Andrew has agreed to take on this hugely important role within Fremantle,” Mullin said in a statement. “Our Global Entertainment business has been and always will be, crucial to our success. Andrew is a seasoned producer and a creative executive that has been within our family for many years; he knows our business, our formats, and most importantly our people. Rob Clark has been instrumental in designing our Global Entertainment division and I believe Andrew is well poised to build on that, ensuring that creative and production excellence remain at the heart of our company.”

“I am so excited to be taking on this role at Fremantle, it feels like coming home to me,” Llinares added. “Not only am I returning to the UK, but I am also coming back to a company that has felt like home for a long, long time. I am honored to be taking over from Rob Clark; someone I have loved working with and greatly admire. I cannot wait to get started and work with Jen and the brilliant team at Fremantle.”

In recent years, Fremantle has launched successful new formats including “Too Hot to Handle” (from Fremantle labels Thames and Talkback) for Netflix, which was hailed by the platform as their “biggest competition show ever” and reached its fourth season in 2022. It also has been adapted into local versions in Brazil and Spain, soon to be followed by Poland and Germany.

Fremantle’s entertainment division acquisitions slate also includes “DNA Singer,” “I Can See Your Voice,” “The Masked Singer” and “The Masked Dancer.”

In 2022, Fremantle’s entertainment division produced 456 shows across 67 territories.

Fremantle’s network of entertainment and factual entertainment labels and investments includes Eureka (“Holey Moley,” “The Real Love Boat”), Label 1 (“Five Dates a Week,” “Hospital”), Thames (“Britain’s Got Talent,” “I Can See Your Voice,” “Eating With My Ex”), Talkback (“Too Hot To Handle,” “Never Mind the Buzzcocks,” “QI”), Naked Entertainment (“Grand Designs,” “The Rap Game,” “The Apprentice”) Man Alive Entertainment (“Dolly Parton: Here I Am”) and Full Fat TV (“Shipmates”).

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