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Veteran BBC executives Bal Samra and Jonty Claypole have both left the organisation.

Samra, who joined the corporation 30 years ago, has held the position of group commercial director for the past decade, overseeing the rise of iPlayer and the BBC’s involvement with launching PSB on-demand site BritBox.

The former managing director of BBC television also chairs Freesat and is a Comic Relief non-executive and a trustee of the National Film & Television School.

Meanwhile, Claypole, BBC director of arts since 2014, said he had stood down to “support the arts in new ways and let others bring a different perspective”.

Claypole will leave in March, one year on from launching the BBC’s Culture in Quarantine strand. The arts chief recently commissioned Civilisations follow-up The Making of Us and previously produced arts shows for the corporation.

A chair of the board of trustees at Manchester arts organisation Home, he is also writing a book about diversity in speech and communication.

Claypole said he “will continue to champion the irreplaceable role the BBC plays in the arts and culture of this country wherever I am”.

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