Big changes at loss-making broadcaster

Channel 4 is losing its heads of comedy and entertainment.

Both Charlie Perkins and Steve Handley have decided to leave the broadcaster, which is facing a brutal round of staff cuts. Chief executive Priya Dogra last month announced the loss of 340 jobs – about a quarter of Channel 4’s workforce – in a bid to stem losses that have topped £74 million over three years.

The news comes just days after the BBC revealed it would be merging its teams commissioning comedy for TV and radio into one unit.

Perkins, pictured, joined Channel 4 as head of comedy at the end of 2022 from the independent production house Blink Industries.

Since then, she has helped launch Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping, Break Clause, Rosie Jones’s Pushers, Sam Campbell’s Make That Movie, and Leo Reich’s new Gen Z comedy It Gets Worse – as well as setting up the Sean Lock Award to showcase emerging talent.

In an email to their team announcing the news this afternoon, Channel 4 commissioning heads Kiran Nataraja and Emma Hardy called Perkins ‘a true champion of emerging talent both on and off-screen’, adding: In any conversation with her it is immediately evident that she loves her genre deeply.’

They added: ‘Charlie leaves with her team’s exciting slate continuing into next year. This includes Josh Pugh’s new family sitcom Stepping Up, Katy Wix’s debut series Pigeon, school sitcom The Academy and the second series of Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping.’

Handley joined Channel 4’s entertainment team eight years ago, becoming head of the department that also includes reality shows in 2024. He has overseen shows including Late Night Lycett, Taskmaster and Boys To Men, the upcoming travelogue featuring Inbetweeners stars Joe Thomas and James Buckley.

Nataraja and Hardy added: ‘Charlie and Steve have been brilliant colleagues and friends to us all in Commissioning. We will miss them greatly and wish them every success in the future.’

Earlier this month, Channel 4 announced that David Brindley – currently CEO of programme-makers Twofour – would be joining as director of programmes in January. The broadcaster will be appointing executive to take the new roles of head of scripted and head of unscripted to work under him.

Published: 26 Oct 2026