Jack Bayles produced Catastrophe

Channel 4 has announced that Catastrophe producer Jack Bayles will be its new commissioning editor for comedy. 

He was appointed by Fiona McDermott, who is taking over as head of comedy following the departure of Phil Clarke. 

She said: 'There are few people as qualified as Jack to bring his editorial eye to C4 comedy. It’s nothing short of a coup to get him to jump sides and work with us.' 

Bayles begun his career making tea for Frank Skinner before cutting his teeth on shows such as Friday Night With Jonathan Ross and Baddiel & Skinner’s Fantasy Football. 

In 2006 he was introduced to the then MTV presenter Russell Brand and for the next five years they collaborated across stand up, radio and television, including two series of the Bafta-nominated Ponderland, Russell’s Comedy Central special Live in New York, the infamous Russell Brand radio show and the subsequent stand-up tour, Scandalous. 

In 2011, Jack began developing shows with newcomers Morgana Robinson and Terry Mynott,  producing the satirical impression show Very Important People, two series of The Mimic and the recent BBC Two show show Morgana Robinson’s The Agency.

Bayles will join the channel in April and said said: 'Channel 4 has a wonderful heritage of original comedy and I’m extremely proud to become part of their future. In Fiona they have an incredibly astute and creative new head of department. It’s an exciting time and I’m very much looking forward to working alongside her and the rest of the team.'

His appointment still leaves one vacancy for a commissioning editor, which has yet to be filled.

Channel 4's comedy department is undergoing a shake-up after Clarke announced that he is to step down to set up a production company with Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. His deputy Nerys Evans is also quitting to go back to production.

• SKY VISION, the broadcaster's production and distribution arm, has announced that Jason Simms will become its new director of drama and comedy. He currently oversees acquisitions for the Fox networks.

Published: 17 Feb 2017