The BBC’s head of comedy, Jon Petrie, is leaving after five years at Hat Trick Productions.
Petrie was responsible for the popularity of Minor Prophets, Amandaland, Dreaming While Dark again Such Brave Girls.
He will hold the role of Creative Director at Derry girls Hat Trick maker, which he called “a rare and exciting opportunity” for the “OG of the producing community.”
Petrie will leave the BBC in August and Emma Lawson will step up as Interim Director of Comedy immediately. He joined the BBC from Charlie Brooker’s indie Broke and Bones and previously worked for Roughcut and Channel 4.
“Leaving the BBC after five brilliant years is a big job. It’s an extraordinary place, full of talented, decent and funny people, and I feel lucky to be working under the leadership of Kate Phillips,” said Petrie. “I grew up seeing that [Hat Trick] logo at the end of the shows I loved, exciting and a brutal reminder of my years. Jimmy and the team have a truly forward-looking vision for the whole written, short and AI genre, and although I know it’s a difficult time to go from being a keeper to a hunter, I miss the production and I firmly believe that British comics still have great opportunities ahead of them. I’m excited to help build the next one.”
Phillips, the BBC’s chief executive, said Petrie had a “massive impact” and was “the biggest supporter of British comedy to date.” “Jon’s vision and inspiration have delivered a number of hit shows, demonstrating his commitment to giving original voices a chance to take risks,” he said. “Under Jon’s leadership it has been a very difficult time for the brand.”
Hat Trick co-founder Jimmy Muilville, who has worked with Petrie for many years, said “Jon and Hat Trick both share the same comedy DNA and we can’t wait to start working with him.”
Petrie replaced Shane Allen in Britain’s biggest comedy franchise in 2021 and has been widely seen as steering the ship well in a difficult time for comedy.
His greatest hits are included Minor Prophets, Ludwig again Amandaland while shows like Ghosts again Gavin & Stacey they have reached the top. Other hits included Black Ops, Death Valley, Dreaming Whilst Black, Brave Girls again We can regret this.
He has also been vocal about British comedy needing more support, and has been one of the leading voices calling for a comedy tax bill.
He touched many people in his mission. In 2024, he told a room full of comedy producers and media at the BBC Comedy Festival that they now have to find their “funny bones” when submitting shows to the BBC, which he sees as more important than theater or “shows that are ‘testing’ something.”
At the most recent Comedy Festival in Liverpool, he joked that the British comedian “Prince Harry of the royal family of TV,” “has to fight harder than he should look, to get a position and sometimes to survive.”
