Amy Flanagan Moves Up at Channel 4

LONDON: Channel 4 has elevated Amy Flanagan to deputy head of factual, a newly created position.

In her new role, Flanagan will work directly under Ralph Lee, Channel 4’s deputy chief creative officer and head of factual. She is expected to take the lead on talent management across both documentaries and specialist factual output. She will continue to serve as the lead commissioner for the 9 p.m. docuseries slate overseen by Nick Mirsky, head of documentaries.

Flanagan, an award-winning executive producer, first joined Channel 4 as documentaries commissioning editor in 2014 and was promoted to deputy head of documentaries later that year. She has been responsible for a variety of programming that includes 24 Hours in Police Custody, Muslim Drag Queens and The Romanians Are Coming. She has also established and managed the Cutting Edge Directors Training Scheme.

Lee remarked: “Amy is a brilliant, instinctive commissioner who has helped shape the direction of our documentaries output and develop innovation in form, often working with colleagues from other genres to deliver consistently outstanding programming from Hunted to the BAFTA-winning The Murder Detectives and My Son The Jihadi. This new role will allow her to focus on further identifying, nurturing and developing key program-making talents to ensure a steady supply of groundbreaking ideas.”

Flanagan added: “There is great scope here at Channel 4 to back the most creatively ambitious ideas and I’m excited about working with the U.K.’s best established and up-and-coming talent across our factual output.”

John Hay, Channel 4’s head of specialist factual, and Mirsky will continue to report to Lee, with their roles remaining unchanged.