New appointments in comedy

Broadcasters have this morning announced a reshuffle of comedy executives.

ITV has poached Yonderland commissioner Saskia Schuster from Sky to be its new comedy commissioning editor.

She will join the broadcaster this summer to replace Myfanwy Moore, who jumped ship to the BBC earlier this year.

Schuster said: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining the ITV family. ITV is leading the field across genres so when you throw into the mix passion and ambition for comedy growth, it’s the most exciting place to be.’

Lucy Lumsden, Sky’s head of comedy, added: ‘It has been a pleasure working with Saskia at Sky. Her time here has seen her commission and oversee a rich array of shows including Psychobitches, Little Crackers and Yonderland of which she can be very proud.’

As Schuster leaves Sky, the broadcaster has promoted Ben Boyer from his current job as head of comedy development to become a commissioning editor.

He has been with the broadcaster for almost two years, most recently commissioning and executive producing The Dog Thrower, written by Jon Ronson and starring Matthew Perry, for the Playhouse Presents strand. He has also represented Sky on the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Awards jury for the past two years.

Boyer said: ‘Getting to commission for such a wide-ranging portfolio of channels is an incredible opportunity for a comedy fan with many and varied tastes.’

And Lumsden added: ‘Ben Boyer has a fantastic talent for seeking out new, fresh, different and diverse shows which is key for a role working across our range of channels. He’s a great member of my team and it gives me great pleasure to announce his promotion today.’

Meanwhile, at Channel 4 commissioning editor Fiona McDermott has been promoted to acting deputy head of comedy after Nerys Evans went on maternity leave earlier this month.

As Chortle reported last week, Liz Lewin, who produced London Irish and Beaver Falls at independent production house Company Pictures, will fill McDermott’s job for the duration.

And commissioning editor Rachel Springett has been taken on permanently after joining Channel 4 on a temporary basis in November 2012.

• McDermott is one of the commissioners taking part in the Chortle Conference in London on June 13. Details.

Published: 29 May 2014