New exec has more power

The BBC has reorganised the way it orders comedy programmes for TV, with the appointment of a new controller of comedy commissioning.

The move means comedy and entertainment programmes are divorced for the first time in the BBC’s hierarchy, putting a stronger emphasis on comedy as a genre in its own right.

The new role has gone to Lucy Lumsden, a BBC executive who has worked on The Catherine Tate Show, Monkey Dust and Nighty Night.

She said: ‘These are exciting times for comedy and I'm passionate about maintaining quality, risk-taking and aiming high with ideas to serve our audiences across all four channels.

‘I'm really looking forward to pushing comedy forward into uncharted waters.’

She will report directly to the BBC’s director of television, Jana Bennett, who said the appointment reflected the importance of comedy to the corporation, describing it as a ‘unique genre and key to the BBC's future’.

Lumsden started her career at the BBC in 1992 on The Comic Strip before working on a number of dramas and documentaries.

Since 1998 she has worked with the independent comedy team on shows including Human Remains, Look Around You, The Lenny Henry Show and Big Impression.

Her appointment as head of commissioning comes after fellow comedy exec Jon Plowman was given a more clear role as head of the BBC's in-house comedy team.

Published: 10 Nov 2005