British Comedy Guide

Jack Bayles appointed Head of Comedy at Various Artists Limited

Wednesday 15th June 2022, 9:07am

  • Jack Bayles is the new Head Of Comedy at TV production company Various Artists Limited
  • He joins the company after five years as a commissioning editor at Channel 4
  • He says: "The team at VAL have a wonderful philosophy and have excelled with their productions so far"
Jack Bayles

TV production company Various Artists Limited have appointed former Channel 4 commissioning editor Jack Bayles as their Head of Comedy.

The London based company was founded in 2017 by Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong with producers and ex Channel 4 commissioners Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni. The company has previously made series including Sally4Ever and Dead Pixels, and is currently working on, amongst other things, Mawaan Rizwan's BBC Three series Juice.

Jack Bayles produced Channel 4's multi award winning hit comedy Catastrophe with Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, and in 2017 was appointed Commissioning Editor for the channel. During his five year tenure he's been responsible for all three series of the BAFTA winning Stath Lets Flats, two series of the multi award winning Derry Girls, two series of Aisling Bea's critically acclaimed This Way Up, along with Mitchell & Webb's Back, The Curse, Hullraisers and the much anticipated Don't Hug Me I'm Scared.

Various Artists Limited explains: "Jack is taking up a new role from August and will be based in London and Brighton. Responsible for overseeing VAL's comedy slate as well as developing new projects, Jack will provide creative leadership and artistic vision to the role. He comes to VAL with over twenty years' experience in comedy and will report into Phil Clarke."

Bayles comments: "Channel 4 comedy is a vital and precious voice in British comedy, and I've loved my time there. The team at VAL have a wonderful philosophy and have excelled with their productions so far. I'm thrilled to be joining them at such an exciting time."

Managing director Phil Clarke says: "I'm delighted that Jack is joining us as Head of Comedy after an illustrious career both as an award-winning producer and comedy commissioner. He is a fantastic addition to the creative team and we're looking forward to the future."

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