Lorraine Heggessey, former BBC 1 controller and ex-CEO of FremantleMedia-owned indie TalkbackTHAMES (as it then was), has signed up sitcom writer Graham Linehan to write comedy shows for her new production outfit Boom Pictures.

Linehan, whose credits include The IT Crowd, Father Ted and Black Books, will work alongside producer/director Richard Boden. Commenting on the partnership, Heggessey said: “I can’;t think of a better first signing for Boom Pictures. This is precisely the kind of talent we’;re looking to attract. Graham is a comedy genius and I love working with him and Richard.”

Boden’;s credits include Blackadder Goes Forth and two series of The IT Crowd, which he produced and directed.

In a separate comic development, BBC 1 controller Danny Cohen has commissioned Ben Elton to write a pilot for a new sitcom. Called Slings and Arrows, it stars David Haig as the exasperated manager of a local council’;s Health and Safety department. Filming took place at the beginning of the month at Teddington Studios. Elton”s previous comedy credits include The Young Ones, Blackadder, Blessed and The Thin Blue Line.