The Comedy Unit, part of the rdf media group

We produce some of Scotland’s best loved television

key personnel

key personnel

Directors
Accounts
Facilities
Marketing& Publicity
Production
Script Editors

management team

April Chamberlain - Managing Director

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Having spent several years successfully managing various theatre companies, April Chamberlain started her career in television when she was appointed Business Manager for the Comedy department of BBC Scotland.

After managing the department for three years - by which time it was not only a creative but also a financial success - she left to become a founder member and director of The Comedy Unit with Colin Gilbert. As Joint Managing Director, April plays an integral role in the management and development of all aspects of the company's business.

Colin Gilbert - creative Director

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Colin Gilbert joined BBC Scotland as an assistant floor manager in 1975 and began writing material for The News Huddlines and Week-Ending. He then became script editor on Scotch and Wry followed by two years as script editor/writer on Not the Nine O'Clock News. Colin devised and produced the topical radio series Naked Radio and has many producer/director credits and programmes such as A Kick Up The Eighties, Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind The Green Door, Naked Video, The Tales of Para Handy and Rab C Nesbitt. After 12 years of raising BBC Scotland's profile as the only supplier of network comedy outside London, Colin left to form The Comedy Unit. Colin has been either producer or executive producer of virtually all The Comedy Unit's productions and continues to be creatively involved with all the company's projects.

Rab Christie- HEAD OF COMEDY

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While at Glasgow University Rab' s first major comedy experience came writing and performing in the Trio Brothers Troupe, winners of the So You Think You're Funny Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1990.

Since graduating, Rab has continued to work in comedy, writing, researching, script-editing and producing programmes mainly for the BBC and Channel 4. In 1998 Rab went full time at the Comedy Unit. Since then he has script-edited Chewin' the Fat, Taxi For Cowan and Offside. Rab has also worked as a producer on the Karen Dunbar Show and the Chewin' the Fat Hogmanay Special. He writes for Jonathan Watson on Watson's Wind Up and Only an Excuse and enjoys researching Partick Thistle jokes by following the Jags round Scotland. Outside the Unit Rab writes a weekly satirical football column for the Evening Times in Glasgow.

Jill Harris - HEAD OF FINANCE

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Jill Harris joined the Comedy Unit as Management Accountant in March 2002. Two and a half years on we now have a fully computerised accounting system which allows up to produce monthly management accounts (this is an achievement not to be sneezed at!). Jill previously worked in manufacturing for 8 years and is enjoying the change working in television production. As well as being accountant for the company she takes on the role of Production Accountant in all of the company's productions. This is the part of her job which excites her the most - she enjoys meeting the many different characters of the various cast and crews. Jill is a big David Beckham fan and holds out hope that he will one day be a guest on Offside!

Susan Haynes - HEAD OF PRODUCTION

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As Head of Production Susan handles all production processes across the Comedy Unit’s TV, radio and live shows as well as for its commercial DVD production. She negotiates all contracts for crew and talent and oversees all programme expenditure. Susan is also responsible for organising the rights clearances for commercial sale and distribution.

Susan started her career at the BBC in 1986, working in a variety of departments and positions both in radio and television. Her final role before leaving the BBC was working with Colin Gilbert and April Chamberlain in the comedy department as Assistant Business Unit Manager. She left the BBC to join The Comedy Unit with Colin and April initially as the Production Co-ordinator before taking on the role as Production Manager and is now Head of Production.

ACCOUNTS

Tracy McPherson - ASSISTANT TO HEAD OF FINANCE

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Tracy McPherson joined the Comedy Unit in January 2003 as an Accounts Assistant. Having worked in a Ship Management before, Tracy finds working for a TV company all very exciting and is having to keep her "Star Struckness" to a minimum! Tracy hopes to progress her role within the Accounts Department and is setting her sights on Production Accountant if all else fails she says that she will make do as a background artist! Tracy's pastimes include keeping fit, shopping and an excessive love for Tennents Lager.

CathERINE Bird - PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR

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Catherine Bird joined the Comedy Unit in March 2003 having worked in salaries and wages for more than 30 years. Cathy's hobbies are her children, her grandson, shopping, caravanning and enjoying the facilities of her husband’s pub. As well as giving advice on wages and salaries, Cathy enjoys mothering her colleagues at the Comedy Unit.

FACILITIES

CATHERINE ROSS - office co-ordinator

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Cat graduated in 2006 with a Honours degree in media, in 2008 she also completed the Fablevision Cultural Planning course gaining a distinction pass from Strathclyde and De Montfort University. Cat joined The Comedy Unit team in March 2008 as Receptionist & Office Administrator and has recently taken on the role of Office Co-ordinator. Cat has also assisted with various productions such as Watson's Wind-Up (BBC Radio Scotland) and the BBC Online sketches (bbc.co.uk/comedy). She hopes to continue learning all about TV and Radio production as she continues in her role. In her spare time Cat enjoys dance and has achieved teachers qualifications in various branches of the association. This year she will be performing at Eastwood Theatre in the pantomime 'Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood'.

JOANNA IP - PA TO MANAGING AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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Joanna recently joined The Comedy Unit (August 2009) as PA to the companies Managing Director - April Chamberlain and Creative Director - Colin Gilbert. With a background in Communications and Development Joanna is very excited to now be working in the Media industry and looks forward to whatever exciting challenges are ahead and promises not to be too ‘star struck’. In her spare time Joanna likes to run and practices yoga, to keep fit, she really has to as she also admits to a passion for baking. Joanna also attends Chinese school every weekend where she is learning to read and write in Cantonese as well as trying to keep the language fluent.

PRODUCTION

PRODUCER/DIRECTORS

Gus Beattie - Executive PRODUCER, radio

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Before joining the company Gus had been a freelance writer with The Comedy Unit where he developed a sitcom as well as contributing material for various shows. He was lured to the bright lights of Maryhill in April 2003 when he joined the company full-time, after working as a commercial radio producer and presenter at Central FM. He now manages the radio output as well as working across radio to TV development.

Gus has now secured and produced a range of shows across BBC Radio, including scripted and live entertainment formats. Highlights include Fags, Mags and Bags on BBC Radio 4 which won Best Radio Comedy at the Writers' Guild Awards, as well as picking up a coveted Sony nomination in 2008, Keep Taking The Nandrolone and The Unsporting Review for Radio 5 Live, and a host of shows for BBC Radio Scotland, including NewsMash, Bloodbus, The Summer Supplement, Vox-Poppers, Cowan Meets the Crooners Keep Off The Grass and Flipside of Faith. Gus has also worked in TV production and was Assistant Producer on BBC ONE Scotland's Offside.

Noddy Davidson -PRODUCER/director

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Noddy began writing comedy in 1996 with a couple of sketches for Radio Scotland's Off The Ball. His geekish tendencies then won him a couple of good jobs in television, working on a sci-fi quiz and a cartoon about computer games. After joining the Comedy Unit full time in 1998 he has worked on Chewin' The Fat, Only An Excuse?, The Goalden Years, Caledonia MacBrains, Street Hypnosis, The Karen Dunbar Show and many of The Comedy Unit's radio productions. He has recently moved into directing with series four of The Karen Dunbar Show pilot sitcom Legit for BBC ONE Scotland. Noddy saves all his money up to spend on pies when supporting Partick Thistle.

Jacqui Sinclair - Executive producer, London

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Jacqui runs the London branch of The Comedy Unit and is always on the look out for talented comedy writers, performers, stand ups, sketch and character acts with brilliant ideas to work with. She also looks after the live comedy night Rough Cuts at The Albany, Great Portland Street which is on the last Monday of every month.

Jacqui was a delegate at the first ever TVYP scheme in 1990 before graduating from Glasgow University with an MA. She worked with Wall to Wall Television , the BBC and Ideal World Productions (now IWC) before joining The Comedy Unit in 2002 to work on a comedy panel show. She was selected for the MGEITF Fast-Track scheme and since then has developed, produced and exec produced a variety of TV and Radio programmes, live shows and multimedia projects including The Summer Supplement, How to Look Good Naked Live, Street Hypnosis, Bad Brown Owl, Comedy Gold, Thank God for Comedy and Celtic Media and Dadi Award nominated Gags to Go.

Gavin Smith - HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT

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Gavin Smith oversees both programme and business development for The Comedy Unit. Starting out as a presenter for a regional kids’ factual series at 17, Gavin quickly decided he preferred the creative challenges behind the camera and went into researching and script writing on Children's programming.

In January 2004 Gavin joined the staff at The Comedy Unit firstly to head up a newly created position in Children's Development where he secured a number of commissions. Since joining the creative team he is delighted to have been named a Broadcast Hot Shot in 2005 and to have been selected for two prestigious programmes including Media Guardian’s Fast Track 2006 and The Research Centre’s International Producer Development Programme 2006.

Gavin has spent the past two years developing, producing and writing on Comedy Unit projects before taking responsibility for the development department in June 2008.

SCRIPT EDITORS

Niall Clark - script editor

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Niall began his career as comedy writer working on shows like Not the Nine O’ Clock News and The News Huddlines. He went on to write for Alas Smith and Jones and Spitting Image and both wrote for and script edited Naked Video and Scotch and Wry. He wrote for and produced Naked Radio and wrote the recent Radio 4 series Ronan The Amphibian. He has recently script edited both series of Comedy Gold . As Script Editor for the Comedy Unit he is the first port of call for new writers and guarantees to read their material and give a considered response. He sees it as part of the Comedy Unit’s purpose to continually discover and develop new comedy writing talent, a role it has consistently and successfully performed since its inception.

chris grady- script editor

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Chris finished a Screenwriting MA in 2006 and submitted some sketches to The Comedy Unit shortly afterwards. Script Editor Niall Clark invited him in for a chat and since then he has had sketches featured in several Rough Cuts, Channel 4's BAFTA winning show Blowout and BBC 3 pilot Barely Legal. In September 2007, Chris was one of the winners of Channel 4 4Talent scheme Gags to Go, the prize for which was to spend a month at The Comedy Unit working on various projects. The Comedy Unit were so impressed that they offered him the position of Script Editor. Which, obviously, he accepted.