Todd Abbott has a track record in production

Australian state broadcaster ABC has appointed producer Todd Abbott as its new head of comedy.

He was previously creative director Guesswork Television, where he produced and developed programmes built around comedians, and also worked with teams on ABC shows including Rosehaven, Frayed and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

Most he produced the Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival, featuring 25 stand-up comedians filmed, directed and edited remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a series of one-hour comedy specials for comedians including Celia Pacquola, Judith Lucy, Lano & Woodley, Tom Walker and Dilruk Jayasinha for international release on Amazon Prime.

His new boss at ABC, Sally Riley,  said: ‘The ABC prides itself on its strong history of commissioning ground-breaking comedy and innovative storytelling. Todd epitomises these qualities across his work and dedicates himself to stories that resonate with a power of distinction and voice.

‘His approach to storytelling is as passionate as ours and he is tireless in supporting local creatives who express humour, honesty and heart in equal measure.'

Abbott said he was thrilled to lead the ABC’s acclaimed comedy team. ‘It’s a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to step into this role,’ he said. ‘The ABC is the rare broadcaster that has consistently nurtured Australian voices in comedy and I’m looking forward to helping to support as many of those voices as I can.’

Published: 3 Sep 2020