{"id":1113,"date":"2026-06-01T11:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1113"},"modified":"2026-06-01T11:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:35:08","slug":"bbc-director-of-comedy-jon-petrie-exits-to-join-hat-trick-productions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1113","title":{"rendered":"BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie Exits to Join Hat Trick Productions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nJon Petrie, the BBC\u2018s director of comedy, is leaving the broadcaster to join Hat Trick Productions. <\/p>\n

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\n\tPetrie will become the new creative director of Hat Trick, the independent comedy production company known for programs including \u201cDerry Girls,\u201d \u201cHave I Got News for You,\u201d \u201cMastermind\u201d and \u201cWhose Line Is It Anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe joined the BBC in 2021 and has since held an instrumental role in developing shows including \u201cGhosts,\u201d \u201cGavin and Stacey: The Finale,\u201d \u201cBlack Ops,\u201d \u201cDreaming Whilst Black,\u201d \u201cAlma\u2019s Not Normal,\u201d \u201cAmandaland,\u201d \u201cBlack Ops,\u201d \u201cDeath Valley,\u201d \u201cJuice,\u201d \u201cLudwig,\u201d \u201cSmall Prophets\u201d and \u201cHere We Go.\u201d Petrie also established the BBC Comedy Festival in Liverpool, which has just marked its fifth year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLeaving the BBC after five brilliant years is a huge wrench. It is an extraordinary place, full of wildly talented, decent and funny people, and I feel incredibly lucky to have worked under Kate Phillips\u2019 leadership,\u201d Petrie said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHat Trick is the OG of the independent production community, and taking on the role of creative director feels like a rare and properly exciting opportunity. I grew up seeing that logo at the end of shows I loved, which is both exciting and a fairly brutal reminder of my age. Jimmy and the team have a genuinely forward-looking vision across scripted, short form and AI, and while I know it is a tricky time to turn from gamekeeper to poacher, I\u2019ve missed production and I firmly believe British comedy still has huge opportunities ahead of it. I\u2019m excited to help build what comes next.\u201d <\/p>\n

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\n\tPetrie will officially depart the BBC in August, with Emma Lawson stepping up as interim director of comedy. In the meantime, the BBC will begin recruitment for a permanent replacement in the position.<\/p>\n

\n\tAdded Phillips, BBC\u2019s chief content officer: \u201cJon has had a huge impact since joining the BBC five years ago and has been British comedy\u2019s biggest backer by far. I\u2019m very sad to see him go, but he leaves on a comedy high. Jon\u2019s vision and drive have delivered a remarkable number of hit shows, reflecting his commitment to giving original voices the space to take risks. Under Jon\u2019s leadership it\u2019s been a terrific time for the genre, with the BBC securing 8 out of the top 10 comedy programs across the market last year and three recent BAFTA wins. Jon and his brilliant team believe passionately in the importance of simply making people laugh. They\u2019ve always fought for the industry in these challenging times and understand just how vital the BBC\u2019s role is in supporting the genre. On a personal note, whilst I\u2019m excited for Jon and wish him loads of luck, I\u2019m going to miss working with him hugely, as will so many colleagues. It\u2019s the worst comedy punchline of all!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHat Trick Productions founder and managing director Jimmy Mulville said, \u201cEveryone here is beyond excited to have Jon join us. I\u2019ve watched with great admiration as he guided BBC Comedy through its most successful and creative period in a long time. Shows like \u2018Ludwig,\u2019 \u2018Amandaland,\u2019 \u2018Alma\u2019s Not Normal\u2019 and \u2018Small Prophets,\u2019 to name but a few, demonstrate his extraordinary range and impeccable taste. Jon and Hat Trick both share the same comedy DNA and we can\u2019t wait to start working with him. \u00a0We feel very honored that he has chosen Hat Trick as his new home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jon Petrie, the BBC’s director of comedy, is leaving the broadcaster to join Hat Trick Productions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[1102,1103],"class_list":["post-1113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-bbc-2","tag-jon-petrie"],"yoast_head":"\nBBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie Exits to Join Hat Trick Productions - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1113\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie Exits to Join Hat Trick Productions - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jon Petrie, the BBC's director of comedy, is leaving the broadcaster to join Hat Trick Productions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1113\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-01T11:35:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie Exits to Join Hat Trick Productions\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T11:35:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113\"},\"wordCount\":644,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/8c2d6d63edc41b8b2a9686c86f26d840.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"BBC,\",\"Jon Petrie\"],\"articleSection\":[\"TV\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=1113\",\"name\":\"BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie Exits to Join Hat Trick Productions - 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