BBC director general Tony Hall has appointed Jonty Claypole as director of arts and Bob Shennan as head of music at the corporation, working to join up the BBC's television, radio and online content.

Claypole joined BBC Arts in 2003, becoming executive producer for factual in 2010, focusing particularly on arts programmes for BBC Four.

Shennan is controller at BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Asian Network and will continue in those roles.

Hall said: "I want BBC Arts – and BBC Music – to sit proudly alongside BBC News. The arts are for everyone – and, from now on, BBC Arts will be at the very heart of what we do. We’ll be joining up arts on the BBC like never before – across television, radio and digital. And, we’ll be working more closely with our country’s great artists, performers and cultural institutions."