Kristian Smith has been appointed as Chief Creative Officer for Leopard, the scripted division of the Argonon Group.
For the last six years, Smith has been Commissioning Editor for BBC Comedy.
His commissions include Detectorists; the return of Catherine Tate’s Nan; P.G Wodehouse’s Blandings; Uncle; and a number of Royle Family Christmas Specials. He also commissioned the UK’s first transgender sitcom, Boy Meets Girl.
In his newly-created role, Smith will head up the team at Leopard, who produce CBBC series, Eve, along with TV drama and feature co-productions.
James Burstall, CEO of Argonon, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Kristian to Argonon. His lateral thinking about drama, comedy, and talent, combined with his extensive experience and passion for creativity, will take our talented team to the next level. We are excited about more diverse quality drama from Leopard for all the platforms.”
Smith began his career as a script editor in both drama and comedy, working on the likes of Teachers and Eastenders. During Smith’s role as Emmerdale producer, the series won its first Royal Television Society Award, for Best Soap, after which Smith moved to BBC Comedy.
Smith starts his new role in February.
Staff Reporter
Share this story