The Stage

After Henry producer Pete Atkin to head drama at Above the Title

Published Tuesday 21 April 2009 at 15:40 by Matthew Hemley

Leading broadcasting production company Above the Title, whose credits include BBC Radio 4’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, has bolstered its creative team by hiring prolific producer Pete Atkin to head its drama division.

As a senior producer at the company, Atkin, who was behind programmes such as After Henry and This Sceptred Isle for the BBC, will be charged with leading the company’s bid for new Radio 4 drama contracts that will be put out to tender later this year.

The contracts are part of a major overhaul of Radio 4’s commissioning strategy, which will see the broadcaster offer companies deals to supply a batch of productions for its Afternoon Play slot from next year, instead of commissioning content on a programme by programme basis.

Adam Bromley, creative director of Above the Title, said Atkin, who has worked on a freelance basis for the company for several years, would bring a “depth of experience” to the role.

“With Radio 4’s new batch commissioning, we wanted someone who, rather than just working on a freelance basis, would help us with that bid. Pete has a depth of experience and a proper link with the company. Not only has he produced before, but he has also directed and written as well,” he said.

Bromley said Atkin, a former light entertainment producer for the BBC whose other credits include Peter Tinniswood’s Uncle Mort series, would be free to experiment with new ways of approaching radio drama, particularly with regards to the Afternoon Play slot.

“Radio 4 drama can be a little bit stale and predictable at times. We would like to do the classic stuff, as there is always a market for that, but there is also a market for some experimentation. Pete is keen to do that and we are offering him the chance to spread his wings at Above the Title. He is keen to do more writing and more development, rather than being brought in solely to work on projects that are already in existence,” he said.

Atkin is also set to executive produce a new sitcom that Above the Title is making for Radio 4, called Newfangle.

The six-part series is being written by newcomers Adam Rosenthal and Viv Ambrose, and stars Russell Tovey, Maureen Lipman and Hugh Bonneville.

Set hundreds of thousands of years BC, the drama focuses on a tribe of proto-humans, who are half-human, half-ape.