BBC Studios Productions Appoints New Head of Comedy

BBC Studios Productions has tapped Josh Cole for the role of head of comedy.

In his new role—which he will assume later this year—Cole will be responsible for leading the BBC Studios comedy team and overseeing its current comedy slate across TV, radio and online, including the BAFTA-winning This Country, Famalam and Inside No.9. He will also be responsible for the development of new, returnable comedy shows, working with creative talent from around the U.K.

Cole joins BBC Studios from Sky, where he has been commissioning editor since 2017, commissioning and executive producing a range of original scripted comedies for Sky One, Sky Atlantic and Sky Arts. His recent credits include this year’s BAFTA-winning Sally4Ever from Julia Davis for Sky Atlantic and HBO, Breeders starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard for Sky One and FX, The Trip To Greece starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, and Two Weeks To Live with Maisie Williams.

Prior to joining Sky, Cole spent five years with Big Talk Productions, where he produced titles including Crashing, written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, for Channel 4 and Netflix; the RTS award-winning Timewasters for ITV2; Cockroaches starring Jack Whitehall for ITV2; and We The Jury for BBC Two. Previously, he held roles at Roughcut TV and the BBC, where he began his career, working on Dick & Dom’s Funny Business and Watson & Oliver, both for BBC Two.

Ralph Lee, director of content at BBC Studios, said: “Josh is an incredible talent with a brilliant future ahead of him and we’re delighted he is joining BBC Studios. We are very proud of both our comedy heritage and of our recent hits—such as the multi-award-winning This Country and Famalam, and I can’t wait to see what new comedy gold will be discovered under his creative leadership.”

Cole said: “I began my career at the BBC, and was lucky enough to sneak in and watch Armando Iannucci shooting The Thick Of It on my first day, so to be joining BBC Studios with their history of iconic shows is hugely exciting. We will work to produce more homegrown, boundary-breaking shows for the global market, from the best creators in the U.K. and beyond. I can’t wait to get started.”