Darren Childs is chief executive of UKTV. Appointed in 2010, he previously held senior positions at BBC Worldwide, Sony Pictures and Star TV. Starting life in 1992 as a single channel, UKTV is now one of the UK’s largest television companies with more than 100 original shows in production and a 10% share of the commercial TV audience. In this in-depth interview, recorded days before his resignation, Darren discusses the “creative arms race” created by the rise in streaming services, outlines how he has addressed the challenge of staying relevant to younger audiences as they turn their backs on scheduled viewing – and describes why “best mate” channel Dave is such a success.