Jon Petrie heads to How to Get to Heaven from Belfast and Derry Girls indie for senior role

BBC comedy director Jon Petrie is leaving to join Derry Girls indie Hat Trick Productions.

He will take up the role of creative director at the How to Get to Heaven from Belfast outfit and will leave the corporation in August.

Emma Lawson will step up as interim BBC director of comedy with immediate effect. 

Since joining the broadcaster in 2021, the former Channel 4 commissioning editor has ordered hit shows including Amandaland, Black Ops, Death Valley, Ludwig, Small Prophets, Such Brave Girls, Things You Should Have Done, We Might Regret This and Hat Trick-produced Smoggie Queens. He has also overseen family sitcoms including Ghosts, Here We Go and Gavin and Stacey: The Finale.

During his tenure, he also established the BBC Comedy Festival which has run for five years, most recently in Liverpool.

Petrie said: “Leaving 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’ leadership.

“Hat 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’ve missed production and I firmly believe British comedy still has huge opportunities ahead of it.”

BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips credited his “huge impact” on the genre.

“Jon’s vision and drive have delivered a remarkable number of hit shows, reflecting his commitment to giving original voices the space to take risks,” she said.

“Under Jon’s leadership it’s been a terrific time for the genre, with the BBC securing eight out of the top 10 comedy programmes 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’ve always fought for the industry in these challenging times and understand just how vital the BBC’s role is in supporting the genre.”

Jimmy Mulville, founder and managing director of Hat Trick, said: “Everyone here is beyond excited to have Jon join us. I’ve watched with great admiration as he guided BBC Comedy through its most successful and creative period in a long time.

“Shows like Ludwig, Amandaland, Alma’s Not Normal and Small Prophets, 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’t wait to start working with him. We feel very honoured that he has chosen Hat Trick as his new home.”

Previously, Petrie was head of comedy at Netflix-backed indie Broke and Bones. He started his career making internet comedy shorts for BBC Comedy, going on to back new voices Bafta and RTS winning Stath Lets Flats (Channel 4) and all five series of the Bafta and RTS winning People Just Do Nothing.

The BBC will begin recruitment for his replacement immediately.