Scottish producer Bandicoot has made three senior hires as it looks to build on the success of ITV’s The Masked Singer.
Head of entertainment James Lessell will oversee Bandicoot’s pipeline of UK entertainment formats, reality and factual entertainment.
He has already worked with the Argonon joint venture as an executive producer on Bandicoot’s BBC3 shows Will You Be My Player and Supercar Superfam and Channel 4 pilot Do You Want to Change Your Mind?.
He has also executive produced Thames TV's The X Factor and Eating with My Ex and has been a series producer on Lime Pictures’ The Only Way is Essex and Celebs Go Dating.
Meanwhile, Bandicoot has named Robert Cooke vice-president of US development as it bids to expand its footprint in the US. For the past six years, Cooke has worked in development for Renowned Films on shows including BBC3’s The Drop.
Lucy Eagle, who has worked as a production executive on The Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer, becomes head of production across Bandicoot’s UK slate.
The former Cactus head of production has also worked on Studio Ramsay show Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip and Betty’s Bear Grylls’ Mission With…, both for ITV.
All three report to Bandicoot founders, managing director Derek McLean and creative director Daniel Nettleton.
