Joe Hullait appointed Commissioning Executive for comedy at Channel 4

1 February 2021

Channel 4’s Head of Comedy, Fiona McDermott, today announced the appointment of Joe Hullait as Commissioning Executive. He will join the channel in February 2021.

Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, said: “Joe is the perfect fit for C4 comedy at this time, he impressed with his genuine tenacity and passion for making great comedy.  With the comedy slate in great health and the channel’s new strategy in full swing, his strong development background as well as experience in short-form content mean he will be a brilliant addition to the team. We cannot wait to welcome him to the virtual office soon“.   

 Joe Hullait, said; “I am beyond ecstatic to be joining a broadcaster with such a distinctive comedy legacy. So many moments from incredible Channel 4 sitcoms past and present are ingrained in my psyche. As a graduate of the channel's Production Trainee Scheme I am proud to have this opportunity to return to the place that gave me my start in the industry. I can't wait to begin working with Fiona and the team."

Hullait joins Channel 4 having most recently served as the creator and series producer for the BAFTA-winning sitcom, Scot Squad (BBC Scotland / The Comedy Unit), which he has worked across for the last six series. The series is a Scottish TV sitcom about a fictional Scottish police force.  A recent spin-off production starring Jack Docherty won Hullait a second BAFTA. He began his career on Channel 4’s trainee production scheme which led him to the role of Development Researcher at The Comedy Unit, working across their original comedy ideas. During his time within the BBC Comedy department he co-developed the Commonwealth Games themed comedy series Don’t Drop The Baton and was part of the team that developed Neil Forsyth’s Bob Servant Independent. Hullait’s other credits include Dave’s Emmy-winning show Hoff the Record and, as an Executive Producer for the RTS nominated series of shorts, Hings, which is adapted from the work of best-selling author, Chris McQueer. In 2018, he co-founded Belter Studios, which is a short-form indie specialising in comedy shorts.  He was also the co-MD for the company. He has recently been working as a development producer for The Comedy Unit (part of the Banijay Group) developing projects in Scotland.

Hullait was selected as part of the 2013 Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival Ones to Watch.  He joins Fiona McDermott alongside Commissioning Editor Jack Bayles and Commissioning Executive Laura Riseam in the team.