Sky Studios, the home of Sky Original Drama and Comedy, announces that Emily Allen will be joining the team as Commissioning Executive for Comedy, as the Studio continues to build its slate of new and returning comedy titles.

Allen joins Sky Studios from Boffola Pictures, where she was Head of Development, leading on development across a broad slate of comedy and comedy drama titles. Boffola Pictures are the producers behind BAFTA-winning Friday Night Live and comedy-thriller Am I Being Unreasonable, written by and starring Daisy May Cooper. Before Boffola, Allen spent three years in the BBC Comedy Commissioning team in a role dedicated to developing the next generation of British talent. Her commissions include the award-winning series Zen School of Motoring for BBC Two and the inaugural Festival of Funny shorts which brought 15 films from emerging filmmakers to BBC iPlayer. She was also a Development Executive on Rye Lane for BBC Film.

Allen, who joins the Sky Studios team in March, reporting into Head of Comedy Commissioning Alex Moody, will have responsibility for commissioning Sky Original comedies from the independent production sector.

New Sky Original comedies launching in 2024 include Mr Bigstuff written by Ryan Sampson, starring Ryan Sampson and Danny Dyer, and comedy-drama Small Town, Big Story, written and directed by Chris O'Dowd, starring Christina Hendricks and Paddy Considine. This year will also see the return of the BAFTA-nominated and RTS Award-winning Sky Original Brassic for a sixth season.

Alex Moody, Head of Commissioning, Comedy, Sky Studios said, “We are delighted to be welcoming Emily into the Sky Studios comedy team. 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. We can’t wait for her to join, as we further supercharge our Sky Original comedy offering.”

Emily Allen, Commissioning Executive, Sky Studios said, “Boffola is passionate, rigorous, and a true creative triumph. 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.”