Sky Studios hires Boffola Pictures’ head of development Emily Allen as commissioner

Emily Allen (Source: Sky Studios)

Sky Studios has hired Boffola Pictures’ head of development Emily Allen as a commissioning executive for comedy.

Allen had been at Shane Allen and Kate Daughton’s Boffola Pictures for just over two years, where shows include Friday Night Live and comedy-thriller Am I Being Unreasonable, written by and starring Daisy May Cooper.

Before joining BBC Studios-backed Boffola, Allen spent three years in the BBC comedy commissioning team in a role dedicated to developing the next generation of British talent, where she greenlit Zen School Of Motoring for BBC Two.

Allen joins Sky Studios in March, reporting into head of comedy commissioning Alex Moody, and will have responsibility for commissioning Sky original comedies from the independent production sector.

The hire comes after last week’s overhaul of Sky Studios, which saw its Sky Content and Sky Studios teams in the UK brought under a single team led by Cécile Frot-Coutaz.

Moody said: “Emily is the best in the biz – she has impeccable taste and a passion for all things funny. Her track-record finding and developing talent is outstanding and she is rightly loved within the industry.”

Allen added: “Leaving is a hard decision but the comedy-shaped opportunity at Sky Studios, working alongside Alex, was impossible to resist. Sky Studios is a place brimming with possibility and ambition, and I’m thrilled to be joining the commissioning team at this exciting time.”

A spokesperson for Boffola Pictures added: “Emily is a 24-carat comedy-hearted crusader and we’re pretending to be very happy for her in a TV industry fake smiles way. She has a strong nose for where the funny heart lies and deftly adds value to the entire scripted process. She leaves us at a critical time when we’re about to sell for £200 million and her shares have reverted. Good luck Emily.”

Sky’s original comedies launching in 2024 include Mr Bigstuff and comedy-drama Small Town, Big Story, written and directed by Chris O’Dowd.