Josh Cole joins from Sky

BBC Studios has appointed Josh Cole as its new head of comedy.

Formerly a commissioning editor at Sky, Cole will oversee the production house’s current comedy slate including This Country, Famalam and Inside No.9 as well as developing new shows.

Cole has been with Sky since  2017, working on shows including Sally4Ever from Julia Davis, Breeders starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard, and The Trip To Greece starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
 
Before that, he was at Big Talk Productions, where he produced titles including  Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Crashing and ITV2’s Timewasters.
 
Ralph Lee, director of content for BBC Studios, said: ‘Josh is an incredible talent with a brilliant future ahead of him and we’re delighted he is joining BBC Studios. 

‘We are very proud of both our comedy heritage and of our recent hits and I can’t wait to see what new comedy gold will be discovered under his creative leadership.’
 
Cole said: ‘I began my career at the BBC, and was lucky enough to sneak in and watch Armando Iannucci shooting The Thick Of It on my first day, so to be joining BBC Studios with their history of iconic shows is hugely exciting. We will work to produce more home-grown, boundary-breaking shows for the global market, from the best creators in the UK and beyond.’
 
BBC Studios Productions is the biggest producer of scripted comedy in the UK and  Cole will take up his new role later this year.

He replaces Chris Sussman, who announced he was leaving in March after three years in the job.

Published: 22 Jul 2019