Sweden’s MOPAR hires Carnival exec Jessica Pope in English-language drama push

Jessica Pope

Swedish production house MOPAR Studios has appointed Jessica Pope as its creative director of drama as part of a push into English-language drama and thriller content.

Pope, who will take up the role from 1 February, will be responsible for consolidating the MOPAR brand and leading its creative vision in addition to over-seeing production. She will report to MOPAR COO William Diskay.

Pope joins Rig 45 and The Last Journey Of The Vikings producer MOPAR from Carnival Film & Television in the UK, where she served as co-executive producer on seasons four and five of The Last Kingdom.

Before joining Carnival, she was an executive producer for BBC Drama Studios and BBC North, where she developed and ran all three seasons of The Musketeers, as well as Burton & Taylor; Good Cop; Bert and Dickie and The State Within.

Pope also executive produced Sense and Sensibility; When I’m 64, Archangel and three seasons of Silent Witness as well as producing the biopic Hawking.

Prior to the BBC, Pope worked as a deputy commissioning editor for Channel 4 Drama across shows includingPyschos; Kid In The Corner, Lock, Stock…  and Anna Karenina.

Diskay described Pope as “one of the most sought-after talents in British television, with extensive experience across all areas of production and a string of international hits under her belt.” He added that her appointment was an “important cornerstone” in MOPAR’s ambitions to create English-language drama with broad global appeal.