Channel 4’s drama head Alkin set for Big Talk role

Published Wednesday 7 May 2008 at 16:55 by Matthew Hemley

Exclusive: Spaced producer Big Talk Productions is set to bolster its creative team by appointing Channel 4 drama chief Luke Alkin to work on its television and film output.

The company, which is also behind the Channel 4 show Black Books and Simon Pegg films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, is expected to formally announce Alkin’s appointment in the next couple of months.

Alkin has most recently been working as acting head of drama at Channel 4, covering Liza Marshall, who has been on maternity leave.

Prior to joining Channel 4, Alkin worked with BBC Films as a producer, where his credits included BBC1’s Learners, starring David Tennant and Jessica Hynes.

Details of his title in the company have yet to be confirmed, but it is believed he will work on the development and production of the company’s forthcoming films and television dramas.

These include the comedy Free Agents, starring Stephen Mangan and Sharon Horgan, which was piloted as part of Channel 4’s Comedy Showcase season last year and which has since been commissioned for a full series.

Big Talk, founded by Nira Park in 1995, also recently entered into a deal with film company Working Title to co-produce two new films from Edgar Wright, who directed Big Talk’s Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

A source said Alkin’s appointment fitted with the company’s growing number of productions and comes at a time when Big Talk will need a bigger staff base to cover the number of projects it has secured.

He said: “Nira is fantastic. She is highly regarded. The company had a great deal of work and they are going places. They seem to be expanding and when you have that much work, you need other people working with you.”

Big Talk Productions joint managing director Matthew Justice told The Stage that Alkin’s appointment had not been finalised, but said the news would be part of a bigger announcement that the production company is to make in the coming weeks.