The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is to be headed by a woman for the first time after naming Hilary Bevan Jones as its chairwoman-elect.

The Girl in the Café and Red Dwarf producer will serve one year as deputy before, as Bafta tradition dictates, moving up to become chairwoman.

Each chair serves for two years before then returning to the post of deputy for a final year.

Naming Ms Bevan Jones as his future successor, the current Bafta chairman, Four Weddings and a Funeral producer Duncan Kenworthy, said: "This is very good news for the future of the academy. Hilary is a major figure in the British independent TV industry, and a key member of our council. I'm particularly delighted that in a year's time the academy will almost certainly be chaired by a woman for the first time in its 60-year history."

Ms Bevan Jones said: "I am honoured and thrilled to have been selected as deputy chairman of Bafta. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has been a major part of my life for the last six years, and I look forward to furthering my involvement with the academy through my new role."

In addition to setting up independent company Tightrope Pictures with State of Play writer Paul Abbott, she has also worked on some of the most successful TV programmes over the last few years.

Her credits include To the Ends of the Earth, BBC2's sea trilogy based on the classic novels by William Golding, Cracker, Frank Stubbs Promotes and Not the Nine O'Clock News.

She has also worked on the hit comedy Blackadder, Blue Peter and Top of the Pops.

Her most recent project has been producing The Girl in the Café, written by Richard Curtis and directed by David Yates, which is due to be screened on BBC1 and HBO in the US on June 25.

· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 7239 9857

· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".