DLT Entertainment Adds Two to Development Team

LONDON: Seasoned U.K. TV execs Darren Smith and Jack Cheshire have been appointed to the development team of producer/distributor DLT Entertainment, effective this month.

Smith and Cheshire, who join on a part-time basis, are responsible for increasing the company's comedy production through the development of scripted and unscripted content and format adaptations. They will also develop new entertainment programming for U.K. and international broadcasters. They will work out of London under Don Taffner, Jr., the president of DLT.

Smith previously served as the head of entertainment at Twofour Broadcast and exec producer for ITV's Splash. Earlier in his career, he was commissioning editor of entertainment and comedy at Channel 4.

Cheshire, a specialist in comedy writing and production, used to be the BBC's head of new comedy. He also exec produced Three at the Fringe (BBC Three) and Big Babies (CBBC), and created/produced BBC Three's The Wrong Door.

Taffner, Jr. noted: "Jack and Darren have a wealth of experience in the comedy and entertainment genres, having worked on both the production and commissioning side. They both have an impressive list of credits to their name—having brought some of the U.K.'s most successful shows to the screen in recent years—and working with the best talent on and off screen. We're thrilled to welcome them to DLT at a time when we are looking to expand our original content output."