Hat Trick Productions has signed the BBC’s comedy chief Jon Petrie as its creative director.
Petrie stands down as BBC comedy director in August to join the indie, best known for Have I Got News For You and sitcoms Derry Girls and Smoggie Queens.
Describing Hat Trick as “the OG of the independent production community”, Petrie said: “Taking on the role of creative director feels like a rare and properly exciting opportunity. I grew up seeing that logo at the end of shows I loved, which is both exciting and a fairly brutal reminder of my age.
“Jimmy [Mulville] and the team have a genuinely forward-looking vision across scripted, short form and AI, and while I know it is a tricky time to turn from gamekeeper to poacher, I’ve missed production and I firmly believe British comedy still has huge opportunities ahead of it.”
Over five years at the BBC, Petrie has greenlit shows including BBC1’s Ludwig, Amandaland and Black Ops, BBC2’s Small Prophets and We Might Regret This and BBC3’s Such Brave Girls and Things You Should Have Done, plus upcoming titles including Opening Up, Ann Droid and The Reluctant Vampire.
He also set up the BBC Comedy Festival, which has run for five years and was held this year in Liverpool.
Petrie has previously had stints as a Channel 4 commissioner and head of comedy at Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ indie Broke and Bones. He has also worked on C4’s Stath Lets Flats and BBC3’s People Just Do Nothing.
Emma Lawson steps up as interim BBC director of comedy with immediate effect.
