Channel 4 has appointed Sarah Dillistone, a key figure in establishing the structured reality genre in the UK, to lead its in-house production business.
DIllistone, who has been based in LA for the past six years, will take up the newly-created role at C4’s London office next month.
Among her initial tasks will be to build a development team and establish the key business functions and capabilities of the new division, which will build a catalogue of IP through new formats that it can pitch internally and to other broadcasters.
Dillistone won a Bafta for E4’s Made in Chelsea, which she launched and executive produced, and also worked on ITV’s The Real Housewives of Cheshire and The Only Way is Essex, as well as executive producing TOWIE star Lydia Bright’s podcast The Brights.
In a prior role as a C4 entertainment commissioner, she ordered shows such as E4’s Shipwrecked reboot and Flirty Dancing.
In the US, Dillistone has executive produced Netflix shows Perfect Match, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On and The Ultimatum: Queer Love and Peacock’s Paris & Nicole: The Encore.
Dillistone said: “I’m incredibly excited to be stepping into this role at such a pivotal moment for Channel 4.
"The channel has been a defining part of my career, so it feels especially meaningful to return and help shape what comes next, while continuing the relationships I’ve built across the US and international markets.
"I’m keen to work closely with an ambitious team to develop bold, distinctive programming that resonates in the UK and beyond.”
C4 interim chief executive Jonathan Allan hailed Dillistone’s “amazing track record of transforming unscripted businesses and creating some of the most iconic formats of a generation”.
He added: “I could not think of a better person to build our creative production capabilities and diversify our revenues.”
