Chris Sussman joins BBC as Director of Comedy

The BBC has appointed Chris Sussman as Director of Comedy. The executive previously served as Director of Scripted Series at Netflix UK and Head of Comedy at BBC Studios.

Sussman will report to Kate Phillips, Chief Content Officer at the BBC, and lead the BBC comedy commissioning team.

2. BBC Comedy (1).jpg — Chris SussmanBBC

He will be responsible for overseeing comedies including hit shows Ludwig, Amandaland, Small Prophets, Ann Droid, Here We Go, and Black Ops.

New series coming up include Bill’s Included, Reluctant Vampire, Better Later, Hopley Hall, Push, and Opening Up.

At Netflix, Sussman helped build the UK scripted slate, working across series including Man Versus Bee, Baby Reindeer, Stay Close, Bodies, and Black Mirror.

As Head of Comedy at BBC Studios, Sussman oversaw both the TV and radio comedy slates, including series such as This Country, Inside No 9, W1A, Famalam, Upstart Crow, Ladhood, Two Doors Down, Vic & Bob’s Big Night Out, and Mrs Brown’s Boys.

He was also responsible for winning BBC Studios’ first commissions with Apple (Trying) and Amazon (Good Omens).

During his previous time in the BBC Comedy Commissioning team, Sussman was responsible for series such as Fleabag, Mum, Bad Education, Cuckoo, Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe, Rev, Ambassadors, and Him & Her.

More recently, Sussman has been working as an Executive Producer on the International Emmy Award-winning BBC comedy Ludwig.

Sussman takes over from Jon Petrie, who announced his departure in June to join Hat Trick Productions as Creative Director.  

Phillips said: “After a highly competitive interview process, I’m delighted that Chris will be taking up the role of the BBC’s Director of Comedy. With a wealth of experience across multiple indies and broadcasters, he has the smarts and skills needed to lead us into a very funny future.”

Sussman commented: “What a dream job! I’ve loved BBC comedy since I was a young boy listening to tapes of Hancock and The Goons, and the thought of trying to make more classics for a new generation to fall in love with is a daunting but irresistible one. I’ll be joining a brilliant team who are already producing some fantastic series, so I'm looking forward to carrying on where Jon left off and defining British comedy in the coming years.”

The BBC recently restructured its unscripted commissioning department, naming Ed Havard as Director of Entertainment and Fiona Campbell as Director of Factual. Discover more here.