Jane Featherstone (born 1969) is an English television producer and founder of Sister Pictures, a television production company. Prior to that, she was the chief executive of
Kudos
Kudos may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games
* Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company
* Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers ...
and co-chairman of Shine UK, now part of
Endemol Shine Group
Endemol Shine Group B.V. (stylized in all spaceless) was a Dutch production and distribution company of scripted and non-scripted content, responsible for programmes such as '' Big Brother'', '' Deal or No Deal'', '' The Money Drop'', '' Fear F ...
.
Biography
Featherstone was educated at
Old Palace School
The Old Palace of John Whitgift School is a selective independent school for girls in Croydon, London. The Old Palace is protected as a Grade I listed building.
It consists of a pre-school for the ages of 3-4, a preparatory department for the a ...
and the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
Prior to joining Kudos, Featherstone produced the first two series of ''
Touching Evil
''Touching Evil'' is a British television drama serial following the exploits of a crack squad on the Organised & Serial Crime Unit, a rapid response police force that serves the entire country.
The serial was produced by United Productions f ...
'' and the BBC2 film ''Sex ‘n’ Death''. She worked at
Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions is an independent British production company that produces television and radio programmes, mainly specialising in comedy, based in London.
History
Hat Trick Productions was founded in 1986 by Rory McGrath, Jimmy Mulville ...
where she worked on ''
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...
'', ''
Have I Got News For You'', and ''
Drop The Dead Donkey
''Drop the Dead Donkey'' is a British television sitcom that was first shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 1998. It is set in the offices of "GlobeLink News", a fictional TV news company. Recorded close to transmission, i ...
''.
Featherstone joined Kudos in 2000 as Head of Drama. She became Creative Director in 2008 and the company's Chief Executive in 2011. Whilst at Kudos, she executive produced ''
Spooks'', ''
Life on Mars
The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...
'', ''
Ashes to Ashes'', ''
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
'', ''
The Tunnel'', and ''
The Smoke
The Smoke were an English pop group from York. They consisted of Mick Rowley (lead vocals), Mal Luker (lead guitar), John "Zeke" Lund (bass) and Geoff Gill (drums and compositor).
The band originally performed around Yorkshire as The Moons ...
''. Most recently she has executive produced ''River'' by
Abi Morgan
Abigail Louise Morgan (born 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as ''Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films '' Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', ''Shame'' and ''Suffragette''.
Early li ...
for BBC1/Netflix, ''
Humans
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
'' written b
Jon Brackleyand the Spooks movie ''
The Greater Good''.
Featherstone founded independent production company Sister Pictures in November 2015 to develop stories for UK and international audiences. Sister's current projects include ''The Split'' by
Abi Morgan
Abigail Louise Morgan (born 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as ''Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films '' Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', ''Shame'' and ''Suffragette''.
Early li ...
for BBC 1, ''Clean Break'' for ITV 1 starring Sheridan Smith, ''
The Power'', and ''The Bisexual'' for Channel 4. Sister Pictures is co-producer of ''
Flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
'' for Channel 4 and ''
Broadchurch
''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes and produced by Kudos in assoc ...
'' for ITV.
Featherstone's other credits include ''
Mayday
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.
It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...
'' (BBC1) and series 1 and 2 of ''
The Hour'' (BBC2), ''
Hustle'' (BBC1), ''
The Fixer'' (ITV1), ''
Tsunami: The Aftermath'' for HBO and BBC2, and
Chernobyl (miniseries)
''Chernobyl'' is a 2019 historical tragedy television miniseries that revolves around the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and the cleanup efforts that followed. The series was created and written by Craig Mazin and directed by Johan Renck. It featu ...
for HBO.
She later served as an executive producer for the BBC medical comedy drama series ''
This Is Going to Hurt''
Awards
* Fellow of the
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
(2010)
* Best Contribution to the Medium Award, Women in Film and TV awards (2007)
References
External links
*
BAFTA Guru – Jane Featherstone's 2017 Television Lecture(recorded 30 October 2017)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Featherstone, Jane
English television producers
British women television producers
People from Bridge of Allan
1969 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Leeds