Ollie Madden Joins Netflix as Director of British Film
Ollie Madden, currently Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, will be leaving Channel 4 in October after eight years to become the director of British film at Netflix. He will be taking over from Teresa Moneo, who headed the British film division at Netflix from July 2024 before leaving the streamer at the beginning of this year to start her own production company.
New Role at Netflix
Madden will report to Anne Mensah, Netflix’s Vice President of Content, and will be responsible for developing British original films and the British elements of Netflix’s global film slate, which is overseen by Dan Lin in Los Angeles. He will also develop a "select portfolio of filmmaker-led series", citing Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen as an example.
Changes at Channel 4
Farhana Bhula, currently head of drama development and deputy director, will become the interim director of Film4, while Gwawr Lloyd, the commissioning editor for drama, will become the interim head of drama, reporting to Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer at Channel 4. Channel 4 has confirmed that Madden will continue to oversee the film and drama slate, which includes Molly Manning Walker’s TV series Main Player, until he leaves in October.
Future Plans for Channel 4
A spokesman for the broadcaster said that it has not yet been decided whether Channel 4 will recruit a joint film and TV drama director to replace Madden, or whether it will return to having two separate roles. As a member of the board, Madden reported directly to Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon, who is leaving the company this summer. Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan will be the interim managing director until a successor to Mahon is appointed.
Madden’s Statement
"I have been incredibly proud to spend the past eight years with Film4 and, more recently, Channel 4 drama, and it’s very difficult to say goodbye to all my wonderful colleagues and projects," said Madden in a message to Channel 4 employees. "The independence, distinctiveness, and quality that Film4 and Channel 4 represent are precious things, and I am confident that they will continue to thrive long after my departure. I would like to thank Alex Mahon and Ian Katz for their unwavering faith and support."
Netflix’s Commitment to British Film
Madden’s surprise move to Netflix signals a new commitment to British film after a relatively quiet two-year period following the departure of Fiona Lamptey as Director of UK Original Films. Lamptey had been responsible for greenlighting films such as Babak Anvari’s thriller I Came By, Nathaniel Martello-White’s The Strays, and Amarpur and May’s wife and Baruma’s The Miracle.
British Film Team at Netflix
After Lamptey’s departure, Netflix followed the decision to end Breakout, an initiative for rising filmmakers who were working with Creative UK without financing the functions in development. Bradley Quirk took on the British film role as manager of Netflix UK in August 2023 and oversaw UK original productions in both film and television as part of Mensah’s team with Mona Quereshi. The British film team changed again a year later after Dan Lin arrived as chairman of Netflix Film and took over from Scott Stuber. Moneo was promoted to director of British film, and Mona Qureshi became director of UK Series.
Madden’s Experience
Madden is the second Film4 director to join Netflix, after David Kosse, who headed Film4 from 2014 to 2016 and joined the US streamer as Vice President of International Film in 2019. Kosse left Netflix in September 2022. "I am thrilled to be working with Anne and Dan to build Netflix’s film business in the UK," said Madden.
