Tributes paid to comedy producer Joanna Beresford after her death at 68

Tributes have been paid to TV comedy producer Joanna Beresford following her death at 68.

She was head of production at Avalon for more than a decade until her retirement in 2022, overseeing shows such as Catastrophe, Taskmaster and Not Going Out.

Her credits also included the reboot of Spitting Image – a show she had worked on in the 1990s.

Before joining Avalon, she had worked for Talkback Thames, where her shows included The Armando Iannucci Shows, Da Ali G Show and Smack The Pony.

She also helped bring The Mary Whitehouse Experience to TV – making stars of David Baddiel,  Rob Newman, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis – and oversaw the ITV animated satire 2DTV.

Avalon’s co-founders Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner led the tributes to their ‘universally loved’ colleague.

Thoday told trade website Broadcast: ‘My first memory of Joanna is from 1991 when she chased me down the road from her offices at Spitting Image with a horse whip shouting expletives. This was to be the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration.

‘She produced incredible work for Avalon over many years, not least during Covid when she almost single-handedly led our production arm back from the brink in those extraordinary times. Her energy, enthusiasm and loyalty were matched only by her sense of fun. We could not have achieved half of what we have done without her.

'She was a wonderful friend and a wonderful colleague who was universally loved. The world is a duller place without her, and she will be sorely missed.'

Allen-Turner added: ‘She offered refreshing candour, diligent solutions and inspired great loyalty from her team with her unique leadership style… At very challenging moments in my personal life, she was there, giving support.’

Talkback founder Peter Fincham also paid tribute, saying: ‘She was a lovely person to work with, and countless producers and production teams owe a debt to her.’

Published: 25 Jun 2025