Two new commissioners announced

BBC comedy commissioner Simon Wilson has quit the corporation to join Bwark, the makers of The Inbeweeners.

Wilson, who as senior executive editor across all the BBC TV channels worked on Rev, Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show and Not Going Out, will be creative director with Bwark.

He will work alongside founders Iain Morris and Damon Beesley on new projects, which have not yet been announced.

The BBC has appointed two new comedy commissioners to replace him: Chris Sussman and Gregor Sharp.

Cheryl Taylor, the corporation’s controller of comedy comissioning, said: ‘Simon has made a huge contribution to the quality and diversity of our output over the past five years and we will all miss his dry sense of humour and dedication to the genre

‘He’s a tough act to follow but I’m delighted to be welcoming Chris Sussman and Gregor Sharp who, between them, bring a wealth of comedy and  entertainment experience to the table and will be huge asset to the BBC comedy commissioning team.’

Sussman has a background in entertainment, working on shows including Strictly Come Dancing and World's Craziest Fools. He has also written on a number of comedy shows, including Monkey Dust, Man Stroke Woman and The Peter Serafinowicz Show.

Sharp previously developed comedy shows at BBC Scotland, where productions include Life Of Riley, The Old Guys and How Not To Live Your Life. He said: ‘I am thrilled to be joining Cheryl and her team at an exciting time for comedy production in the UK.’

Published: 29 Sep 2011