BBC Studios appoints Chris Sussman as new Head Of Comedy
Mark Freeland, Controller of Fiction and Entertainment, BBC Television, (Director of Scripted, BBC Studios from 1 April 2016) has today appointed Chris Sussman, currently Commissioning Editor for Comedy at the BBC, as Head of Comedy, BBC Studios.
Published: 8 March 2016
Deservedly, Chris has a great reputation in the industry, based on his knowledge and passion for comedy, plus his incredibly trusted editorial eye.
Chris will be taking up the role from the beginning of April.
As Head of Comedy, Chris will be responsible for leading the BBC Studios Comedy team, across the UK - in TV, radio and online. He will manage the existing slate of productions and take the lead in developing new hit shows and working with exciting, diverse comedy writers and performers. Chris joins in-house production as it sets out on a new future. He will be part of the leadership team that delivers that change, with comedy at the heart of its content and talent strategy.
Chris has a wealth of experience in television and radio comedy and entertainment, having written, produced and developed a number of successful shows. As well as writing on series such as Monkey Dust and The Peter Serafinowicz Show, he has developed and produced comedy at independents such as Rough Cut Television, Objective Productions and Silver River, where he ran the development team across comedy and entertainment.
For the last five years, he has been a Commissioning Editor for Comedy at the BBC, where he has been instrumental in bringing a number of popular series to our screens, including Bad Education, Cuckoo, Rev, Not Going Out, Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe and the award-winning People Just Do Nothing and Him & Her: The Wedding, as well as many more.
Mark Freeland, Controller of Fiction and Entertainment, says: "Deservedly, Chris has a great reputation in the industry, based on his knowledge and passion for comedy, plus his incredibly trusted editorial eye. I am really excited to get the chance to work with him, standing up for comedy at the BBC and beyond."
Chris says: "BBC Studios is the biggest comedy production company in the UK, with an incredible history in both TV and radio. Pretty much all of the shows I loved growing up - Hancock, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, Steptoe & Son, Dad's Army, One Foot In The Grave, The Office, etc - had a BBC logo at the end of them, and the current slate includes some of the best and most watched comedies on TV at the moment. I can't wait to get started, and hope I can do justice to this brilliant legacy."
Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning, says: “Chris eats, sleeps and breathes comedy, and his track record demonstrates impeccable taste. I’m gutted to lose him from commissioning as his finger is very much on the comedy pulse, but this is a terrific opportunity at a dynamic time for the powerhouse of BBC In-house comedy as it transitions to the new BBC Studios world. He’s a highly regarded, hardworking and very articulate industry figure.”
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