Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow Hires Rupert Majendie as Comedy Chief
By Leo Barraclough
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow Prods., whose CEO is former BBC Films chief Christine Langan, has appointed Rupert Majendie as head of comedy development.
Majendie produced BAFTA-nominated BBC series “Pls Like,” starring Liam Williams and Tim Key, Nick Helm’s “Heavy Entertainment” for BBC Three, and, most recently, the new Tom Davis and James de Frond BBC One sitcom “King Gary.” For film, he is in production with Film4 and the BFI on funded feature “Brian and Charles,” written by David Earl and Chris Hayward.
Alongside his television credits, Majendie also created online comedy platform mr box , originating ideas that have gone on to be adapted for other mediums including Romesh Ranganathan’s “Hip Hop Saved My Life” and Earl and Hayward’s “Brian and Charles.”
Coogan, Baby Cow’s creative director, said: “Rupert is at the vanguard of the emergent generation of comedy writers and performers. He has intuitive good taste. He can create and guide the kind of comedy that has substance as well as funniness. Is respected by performers and commissioners alike. He is the perfect person to head our Baby Cow comedy team blah blah blah. Look he’s really good, ok. We wanted him and we’ve got him.”
Majendie brings “Pls Like” with him to Baby Cow and will executive produce a third season of the series for the company.
Langan said: “His rich experience and inspiring passion for comedy, make Rupert the ideal person to build on Baby Cow’s comedy heritage. We look forward to pushing into exciting new territory with Rupert on board.”
Set up by Coogan and Henry Normal in 1999, Baby Cow’s series have included “Alan Partridge,” “The Mighty Boosh,” “Red Dwarf,” “Nighty Night,” “Gavin & Stacey,” “Camping” and “The Trip.” Baby Cow is currently in production with “The Witchfinder,” starring Tim Key and “This Country” co-creator Daisy May Cooper. Baby Cow’s feature film output includes “Alpha Papa,” “Philomena” and “Stan & Ollie.”
