Big Comedy Conference video: Industry update
Here is the video recording of the session from Big Comedy Conference 2024 in which a group of top executives discussed the current comedy landscape. The topics include current commissioning briefs and the current challenges and opportunities within television and radio for comedy creatives.
Hosted by broadcaster Georgy Jamieson, the panellists are Charlie Perkins (Channel 4), Josh Cole (BBC Studios), Julia McKenzie (BBC Radio) and Nana Hughes (ITV). Their full biographies are below.
Charlie Perkins
Charlie is Head of Comedy at Channel 4. She joined the multi-award-winning department from Blink Industries where she was Head of Comedy, co-producing cult comedy series Don't Hug Me I'm Scared. Beginning her career working on shows such as French & Saunders and Mock The Week, she became a producer at infamous alternative comedy venue The Invisible Dot, for BBC radio comedy and at Cave Bear Productions. Founder of the Bristol Revunions and The Paddock comedy collective, she is a co-founder of the Live Comedy Association and founder of the Free-Free Movement.
Josh Cole
Josh is head of comedy at BBC Studios Productions and executive producer of multi-award-winning programmes including Good Omens, Inside No. 9 and Trying. Further recent shows include Black Ops, Here We Go, A Whole Lifetime With Jamie Demetriou and Two Doors Down. Previously Josh was a commissioner at Sky responsible for commissions including Sally4Ever and Breeders.
Julia McKenzie
Julia is Commissioning Editor of Comedy and Entertainment at BBC Radio 4, as such she commissions dozens of comedy shows on a yearly basis which are a range of formats from sitcoms and comedy drama to sketch, satire, stand-up and panel. Recent critically acclaimed hits include the sitcom Call Jonathan Pie, One Person Found This Helpful (Frank Skinner hosting) and Icklewick FM.
Nana Hughes
Nana is Head of Comedy at ITV. A BAFTA, RTS & Broadcast award-winning comedy executive producer, prior to joining ITV she was Head of Comedy at Talkback and Head of Development at Retort, where she exec produced Chewing Gum. Her projects for ITV and ITVX include: award-winning Changing Ends, Deep Fake Neighbour Wars, Count Abdulla, Ruby Speaking, Significant Other, The Family Pile, Plebs: The War and, most recently, G'wed.
Georgy Jamieson (host)
Georgy is a broadcaster, podcaster, and event host. She writes for British Comedy Guide, is one of the directors of The British Comedy Society and has appeared on radio and TV as a comedy historian. Her recent interviews on stage include An Evening with John Cleese and An Afternoon with Steven Berkoff.
