Adam Adler joins Channel 4’s in-house production business as creative director

Channel 4 in the UK has appointed Adam Adler as creative director of the public service broadcaster’s in-house production business, reporting to Sarah Dillistone.

Adam Adler

Adler is the Bafta-winning creative showrunner and executive producer of The Cube and forthcoming Channel 4 reality series Derren Brown: Incognito.

He is also Dillistone’s first appointment since she joined in February to lead Channel 4’s in-house production business.

Having launched his career at Endemol, co-creating reality hits including Bar Wars and The Games, Adler went on to hold senior creative roles at Granada, Objective and Potato, as well as running his own label Gameface.

He also served as commissioning editor for entertainment at Channel 4, where he oversaw shows including Beauty & the Geek, Derren Brown: The Heist, Death Wish: Live and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

Channel 4 said its move to build IP will unlock new revenue streams and enable it to reinvest sustainably in the UK’s creative industry, following the removal of the publisher-broadcaster restriction under the Media Act 2024.

The broadcaster insists a clear operational firewall separates the new ideas studio from Channel 4 commissioning, with Dillistone reporting to Priya Dogra, CEO of Channel 4.

However, the move has proved controversial among the indie community Channel 4 was originally set up to serve. Producers’ association Pact said the move could cost the indie sector it represents the best part of £5bn (US$6.6bn).

Dillistone said: “I’m incredibly lucky Adam chose to join us, he is an unrivalled creative force and one of the most prolific format creators around spanning gameshow, reality and entertainment. Adam’s experience originating ambitious and unpredictable formats from The Cube to Channel 4’s brand new reality series Incognito, coupled with my own background originating and showrunning reality, social experiments and relationship shows, makes for an exciting mix.”

Adler added: “I’m excited to be joining Dilly at the start of this new venture. Channel 4 has always had attitude and originality, and I’d love us to bottle some of that up and take it out into the world. The ambition is to create exciting ideas with that same spirit, for TV and beyond.”