Sky has named Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing executive producer Lisa Clark as the commissioning executive overseeing the UK version of Saturday Night Live.
Clark will help shape the live comedy showcase SNL UK, which Universal Television Alternative Studio’s UK production team is producing with Broadway Video.
As well as setting up Pett Productions with Gone Fishing star Bob Mortimer and comedy partner Vic Reeves - with whom she first worked on Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out, Clark previously oversaw the BBC’s reboot of Top Gear following the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
That show reunited her with Chris Evans, with whom she previously worked on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast and Don't Forget Your Toothbrush.
Her other live TV and comedy credentials include the Bafta TV Awards, Comic Relief and The League of Gentlemen Live Again.
Clark has also held been head of comedy at LWT and a senior commissioning executive at the BBC.
“The SNL UK team is made up of the very best producers, writers, and department heads in the industry, so I am thrilled to have landed a true TV legend in Lisa Clark as Sky's commissioning executive,” said Sky executive director of unscripted originals.
“Lisa has an incredible track record working collaboratively with some of the finest comedy talent in the business and will be a huge asset to the production.”
Sky has commissioned an initial six-episode order of SNL UK, with James Longman as lead producer, Liz Clare as director and Daran Jonno Johnson as lead writer.
Creative trio
Sky has also revealed the musical director, costume designer and head of wigs, hair and makeup on the show.
Pauli Lovejoy, who has worked with Harry Styles, Jamie XX and Florence and the Machine and was the first artist to perform at The Sphere, will oversee musical performances.
Costume designer Annie Hardinger's TV credits include Blackadder, The Mighty Boosh and Moonflower Murders and the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
Finally, Kevin Fortune is co-founder of the Kevin Fortune Hairstyling Academy and has worked on Netflix series Master of None: Moments in Love and productions for the English National Opera and English National Ballet.
