'Comedy is tattooed on my soul' says Charlie Perkins

Channel 4 has appointed Charlie Perkins as its new head of comedy.

She previously had the same job at Blink Industries, and was previously a live comedy producer at London venue The Invisible Dot.

At Blink she oversaw the forthcoming Channel 4 series Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, which started life as a cult web series, and she previously worked on shows such as Little Britain, French & Saunders, Benidorm and Mock the Week.

Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz said: ‘Channel 4 comedy has always been about betting on brilliant and iconoclastic new talent and Charlie is squarely in that tradition. She has an unerring ear for funny, has nurtured and collaborated with some of Britain’s most exciting and distinctive comedy talent and had an ambitious and original vision for the future of Channel 4 comedy.’

He also praised Perkins’s predecessor, Fiona McDermott, who earlier this year announced she was leaving for  Apple TV+.

Katz added: ‘With a succession of wonderful shows from Derry Girls to We are Lady Parts and Big Boys, Fiona McDermott has delivered a purple patch for Channel 4 comedy… I’m convinced that Charlie will continue that success.’

Perkins said: ‘Creating platforms and opportunities for people to develop and thrive in their work has been the primary focus of my career to date - prioritising creative freedom, originality, tenacity and passion.

‘I'm unbelievably honoured to now get to do this at scale at Channel 4; the place where all of our favourite comedy shows come from, a place which has vitality, risk-taking and art at its very core. Comedy is tattooed on my soul and I cannot wait to get started.’

While a student in 2009, Perkins founded the Bristol Revunions comedy troupe, whose alumni during her time included Jamie Demetriou, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellie White and Joe Hampson.

She has also been a producer for BBC radio comedy and Cave Bear Productions and in 2013, founded The Paddock comedy collective, an experimental, new material platform for performers and filmmakers. She is also one of the co-founders of the Live Comedy Association and Founder of the Free-Free Movement, which asks TV producers and researchers not to take complimentary tickets for live shows, especially at the Edinburgh Fringe

Perkins will take up her role later this year,  managing a team comprising newly promoted commissioning editor Laura Riseam and commissioning executive Joe Hullait. There is a vacancy for a senior commissioning editor, whose appointment she will oversee.

Published: 27 Jun 2022