Drama chief and Film 4 director will join streamer as head of UK film

Ollie Madden, Channel 4’s head of drama and director of Film 4 Ollie Madden is leaving the PSB to join Netflix as its head of UK film.

Madden will assume the role in Anne Mensah’s UK content team from early October and will serve as the primary UK contact for films on chairman of Netflix Films Dan Lin’s slate, where the intellectual property, talent and production are based in the UK. His remit does not include family films for UCAN (US, Canada and Australia), including Narnia and Dahl, which will continue to be overseen by Racheline Benveniste.

He will also develop a select portfolio of filmmaker-led series akin to the streamer’s hit The Gentlemen, which is created by Guy Ritchie. He succeeds Teresa Moneo, who exited earlier this year to set up a consultancy but remains involved with the streamer’s upcoming Peaky Blinders feature.

Madden’s departure from C4 was announced to staff in an internal memo today (3 June), seen by Broadcast.

He has been with the PSB for eight years, joining as head of creative at Film 4 before becoming director of the features unit in 2022.

He was tasked with leading the TV drama team in March 2024 following a restructure, and has nurtured a slate that chief content boss Ian Katz recently said was the “strongest drama” line-up in the PSB’s history.

The slate includes Russell T Davies’ Tip Toe, Molly Manning Walker’s Major Players, Falling from Jack Thorne, Daisy Haggard’s Maya, Gillian Anderson-starring Trespasses and an adaptation of Sarah Moss’s Summerwater.

He also commissioned Baby Cow’s Brian & Maggie and The Forge’s reboot of A Woman of Substance.

Gwawr Lloyd, commissioning editor of drama, will serve as interim head of drama from 1 July, reporting to Katz, while Farhana Bhula, Film 4’s head of creative and deputy director, will take over as interim director of Film 4.

Lloyd has been with C4 for five years and her credits include The Gathering and Somewhere Boy.

Madden’s stewardship at Film 4 has been notable for his commitment to fostering new talent, backing more than 27 debut films from the likes of Bafta-nominated Manning Walker (How to Have Sex) and Rose Glass (Saint Maud, Love Lies Bleeding).

He has also nurtured relationships with some of the UK and Ireland’s best-known film creatives, overseeing Bafta and Oscar-winning films The Favourite, The Father, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest, among others.

Madden will continue to oversee the delivery of projects until October, working alongside the Film 4 and C4 drama teams.

Although Bhula and Lloyd will now oversee their respective teams, they will continue working closely together to capitalise on the talent relationships on both sides; the first co-commission from the units emerged yesterday in the form of Manning Walker’s Major Players.

His exit is the latest in a string of recently announced departures at C4, including chief exec Alex Mahon, 4Studio boss Matt Risley and commissioning editor Joe Churchill.

In the memo, Mahon and Katz described Madden as an “inspiring creative force, great colleague, and a champion and friend to countless filmmakers”, and wished him well for the future.

Madden said: “I’ve been incredibly proud to spend the past eight years with Film4 and, more recently, Channel 4 drama, and it’s very hard to say goodbye to all my wonderful colleagues and projects.

“The independence, distinctiveness and mark of quality that Film4 and Channel 4 represent is a precious thing, and I’m confident it will continue to thrive long after my departure. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Alex Mahon and Ian Katz for their unwavering belief and support.”

This article first appeared on our sister site, Broadcast.