Kenton Allen
Kenton Allen | |
---|---|
Free Agents (US) Threesome | |
Website | https://bigtalkstudios.com/ |
Kenton Allen is a British television producer and executive. He became Chief Executive of
Early life
He was born in
Radio
BBC Radio (1986–1990)
In 1986 he moved to
Television
Channel X (1990–1994)
In 1990 he joined the recently formed independent production company
Granada (1994–1997)
In 1994, he joined Granada Television's Entertainment Department where he developed and produced a wide range of comedy and entertainment programming including Lucky Numbers, The Shane Richie Experience, Stars in Their Eyes and The Mrs Merton Show. He was appointed Head of Development, and ran all of Granada's entertainment development across the full spectrum of the entertainment genre.
Lucky Dog Ltd (1998–1999)
In February 1998, he became managing director of Lucky Dog Ltd, a member of the Chrysalis Group. He co-devised and produced the adult comedy series A Many Splintered Thing starring Alan Davies for BBC1.
Granada (1997–2001)
In March 1999, he re-joined
Shine (2001–2003)
In January 2001, he was approached by
BBC Television (2003–2008)
Allen was BBC's Creative Head of Comedy Talent and Comedy North. He joined the BBC as its comedy editor in February 2003, and was responsible for developing and producing all forms of comedy for the four main BBC broadcast networks and running the in-house production teams. He immediately established a department based in Manchester called Comedy North.[5] He produced and executive-produced a diverse range of comedy programming including the BAFTA-winning sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look (BBC Two), the BAFTA-nominated drama series Funland (BBC Three), The Omid Djalili Show (BBC One), After You've Gone (BBC One), Freezing (BBC Two), The Visit (BBC One and BBC Three), Massive (BBC Three) and four series of Ideal (BBC Two and BBC Three).
Big Talk Studios (2008–present)
Allen became CEO of Big Talk Studios in 2008. There he has produced two six-part comedies which were broadcast to record audiences and huge critical acclaim. The BAFTA-winning Rev. created by James Wood and Tom Hollander for BBC2 scooped four titles at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and was nominated at the BAFTAs for Best Situation Comedy. Him & Her, the most successful sitcom launch in the history of BBC3, written by Stefan Golaszewski and starring Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani, picked up Best Comedy Performance for the two stars at the Royal Television Society Awards. Having acknowledged the loyal audience of Him & Her during its first and second series, a third series was commissioned.[6]
Upcoming is a second series for
Following their successful pilots, Chickens (Sky 1),[7] written by and starring Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Jonny Sweet, and The Job Lot,[8] a series for ITV written by Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis and Stuart Lane, are both underway for a full series.
Currently shooting is the third series of Him & Her and Big Talk's first three-part contemporary drama The Town (ITV), written by Laurence Olivier award-winning playwright Mike Bartlett. In addition, miniseries A Young Doctor's Notebook, which Big Talk is producing for Sky Arts, and stars Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe, has just finished shooting.
Allen is the Advisory Chair of the 2012 Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.
Film
In 2005, he was nominated for his third BAFTA for producing the film Six Shooter, written and directed by Olivier award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh. The film won an Oscar at the 2006 Academy Awards.
Personal life
He is married to the writer and author Imogen Edwards-Jones.[9] They have two children, Allegra and Rafe. The difficult conception of Allegra was written about by Edwards-Jones in a recurring Daily Telegraph column[10] that were subsequently collected into a book called The Stork Club.
Awards and recognition
Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | British Comedy Awards
|
The Royle Family | Best New TV Comedy | Won |
1999 | BAFTA TV Award
|
Best Comedy (Programme or Series) | Nominated | |
British Comedy Awards
|
Best TV Sitcom | Won | ||
RTS Television Award | Best Situation Comedy/Comedy Drama | Nominated | ||
2000 | BAFTA TV Award
|
Situation Comedy Award | Won | |
National Television Award | Most Popular Comedy Programme | Won | ||
RTS Television Award | Best Situation Comedy/Comedy Drama | Nominated | ||
BAFTA TV Award
|
Situation Comedy Award | Won | ||
British Comedy Awards
|
Best TV Comedy | Won | ||
TV Quick Award | Best Comedy Show | Won | ||
2001 | BAFTA TV Award
|
Situation Comedy Award | Nominated | |
2005 | BAFTA Film Award
|
Six Shooter | Best Short Film | Nominated |
British Independent Film Awards | Best British Short | Won | ||
2006 | BAFTA TV Award
|
Funland | Best Drama Serial | Nominated |
Academy Award
|
Six Shooter | Best Short Film, Live Action | Won | |
Leuven International Short Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | ||
2011 | Banff Rockie Award
|
Rev. | Best Sitcom | Nominated |
Broadcasting Press Guild Award
|
Best Comedy/Entertainment | Nominated | ||
BAFTA TV Award
|
Best Situation Comedy | Won | ||
Southbank Sky Arts Award | Comedy Award | Won | ||
2012 | BAFTA TV Award
|
Friday Night Dinner | Best Situation Comedy | Nominated |
Rose d'Or | Best Sitcom | Won | ||
2013 | Satellite Awards | A Young Doctor's Notebook | Best Television Series | Nominated |
2014 | Broadcast Awards
|
Best Multichannel Programme | Won | |
BAFTA TV Award
|
Him & Her: The Wedding | Best Situation Comedy | Won | |
2016 | Rose d'Or | Mum | Best Sitcom | Nominated |
Raised by Wolves | Best Sitcom | Won | ||
2017 | C21 International Drama Awards | Back | Best Comedy Drama | Nominated |
Broadcast Awards
|
Cold Feet | Best Drama Series or Serial | Nominated | |
National Television Award | Best Drama | Nominated | ||
Mind Media Award | Best Drama Series | Won | ||
Broadcast Awards
|
Mum | Best Comedy Programme | Won | |
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards
|
Best Comedy | Won | ||
2018 | British Comedy Guide Awards | Back | Best New TV Sitcom | Won |
BAFTA TV Award
|
Timewasters | Best Scripted Comedy | Nominated | |
RTS North West Award
|
Cold Feet | Best Drama | Won | |
British Comedy Guide Awards | Friday Night Dinner | Best Returning TV Sitcom | Won | |
2019 | Broadcast Awards
|
Mum | Best Comedy Programme | Nominated |
BAFTA TV Award
|
Best Scripted Comedy | Nominated | ||
2020 | Edinburgh TV Awards | Defending the Guilty | Best Comedy Series | Nominated |
2022 | RTS NW Award
|
Peacock | Best Comedy Programme | Nominated |
RTS West Award
|
The Outlaws | Best Scripted Programme | Won | |
Rose d'Or | Best Comedy Drama and Sitcom | Nominated | ||
C21 International Drama Awards | Best Comedy Drama Series | Nominated | ||
2023 | RTS West Award
|
Best Scripted Programme | Won |
Credits
Year | Production | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Tonight with Jonathan Ross
|
Producer | TV series |
1991 | Band Explosion | Executive Producer | TV series |
1993 | Saturday Zoo | Producer | TV series |
1994 | The Mrs Merton Show | Producer | TV series |
1998 | Comedy Lab | Executive Producer | TV series |
A Many Splintered Thing | Producer | TV short | |
Babes in the Wood | Producer | TV series | |
1999 | Sermon from St Albion's | Producer | TV series |
2000 | A Many Splintered Thing | Producer | TV series |
1999–2000 | The Royle Family | Producer | TV series |
2002 | Post | Producer | Short |
2003 | Watch with Monkey | Executive Producer | TV series |
Hello, Friend | Producer | Short | |
The Crouches | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2004 | Six Shooter | Producer | Short |
My Life in Film | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2005 | According to Bex | Executive Producer | TV series |
10:96:Training Night | Executive Producer | TV | |
Funland | Executive Producer | TV series | |
Harold the Amazing Contortionist Pig | Producer | Short | |
2005–2008 | Ideal | Executive Producer | TV series |
2006 | The Truth | Associate Producer | Feature |
I'm With Stupid | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2006–2008 | That Mitchell and Webb Look | Executive Producer | TV series |
2007 | I'm With Stupid | Executive Producer | TV |
Scallywagga | Executive Producer | TV series | |
Sound | Executive Producer | TV | |
The Visit | Executive Producer | TV series | |
Where Have I Been All Your Life? | Executive Producer | Short | |
The Omid Djalili Show | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2007–2008 | Freezing | Producer | TV series |
After You've Gone | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2008 | Placebo | Executive Producer | TV |
Massive | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2008–2009 | Parents of the Band | Executive Producer | TV series |
2010–2011 | Him & Her | Producer | TV series |
Rev. | Producer (2010), EP (2011) | TV series | |
2011-2020 | Friday Night Dinner | Executive Producer | TV series |
2011 | King Of... | Executive Producer | TV series |
Show Me The Funny
|
Executive Producer | TV series | |
Chickens | Executive Producer | TV series | |
Free Agents U.S.
|
Executive Producer | TV series | |
Threesome | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2012-2013 | A Young Doctor's Notebook | Executive Producer | TV series |
2013 | Ambassadors | Executive Producer | TV series |
2013-2016 | Raised by Wolves | Executive Producer | TV series |
2014 | Our Zoo | Executive Producer | TV series |
2016 | Crashing | Executive Producer | TV series |
Houdini and Doyle | Executive Producer | TV series | |
2016-2019 | Mum | Executive Producer | TV series |
2017-2021 | Back | Executive Producer | TV series |
2017-2019 | Timewasters | Executive Producer | TV series |
2018-2019 | Defending the Guilty | Executive Producer | TV series |
2019-2020 | The Goes Wrong Show | Executive Producer | TV series |
2021- | The Outlaws | Executive Producer | TV series |
2022- | Peacock | Executive Producer | TV series |
2024- | The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Executive Producer | TV series |
2024- | Ludwig | Executive Producer | TV series |
References
- ^ "The Royle Family Wins BAFTA Award". IMDb. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ Dowell, Ben (3 October 2011). "Kenton Allen takes Edinburgh TV festival role". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Laws, Roz (21 April 2013). "West Midlands drama suffers a TV production crisis". birminghampost.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Plunkett, John (22 January 2003). "Allen Jumps Ship to Join BBC". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "BBC Comedy goes up North". BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Kenton Allen: Faith in his comedy". The Stage. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ Plunkett, John (23 February 2012). "Sky1 hopes Chickens will hatch into a comedy hit". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "ITV announce new sitcom pilot with Russell Tovey". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ Anstead, Mark (5 June 2009). "Fame & fortune:Hotel Babylon author Imogen Edwards-Jones". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ Allen, Kenton (22 July 2005). "At 7.25, our daughter joined us". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Awards for The Royle Family". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Awards for Six Shooter". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Awards for Kenton Allen". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Awards for Rev.". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2012.