Richard Cowles appointed as Managing Director of Lifted Entertainment

Lifted Entertainment, the ITV Studios label behind award-winning shows such as “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!,” “Dancing on Ice” and “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway,” has named Richard Cowles as its new Managing Director. Cowles, who has co-created some of the biggest and most successful formats to come out of the UK, including “Love Island,” “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” steps up from Director of Unscripted at the label, which has a broad and varied slate of well-known and long-running titles that also includes “The Voice,” “University Challenge” and “Countdown”.

Cowles joined Lifted Entertainment in 2012 as Creative Director, overseeing “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” and leading on the relaunch of “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway” after a five-year hiatus. During this time, he also led on the development of global hit show “Love Island,” which has gone on to be commissioned in over 20 territories worldwide. Whilst in the post of Director of Unscripted, which he took up in 2019, the label secured commissions with ITV for “Walk The Line” and “Beverley & Jordan: Destination Wedding,” as well as a pilot for “The Secret Gameshow” and further funded development projects with both linear and SVOD platforms.

His appointment to Managing Director of the label follows Angela Jain joining ITV Studios to become its first Director of Unscripted in the UK. “I am so happy for Lifted Entertainment that Richard steps up to run the label and that he and I continue working together. He knows the talented team and the wonderful people, understands the challenges and the opportunities. Richard’s enviable track record in delivering programmes of real excellence provide the perfect springboard for him to lead the charge on the next chapter of Lifted Entertainment,”  Jain said.

“I have worked at ITV Studios for most of my career and it’s the incredible and talented people, as well as the hugely successful shows that they make, that have kept me here. I am delighted to be taking on the role of Managing Director at Lifted Entertainment. Not only am I able to continue working with such an incredible team, but I now have the opportunity to lead the label as it builds on its many successes and moves forward finding new directions and opportunities in the fast-changing TV landscape,”  Cowles commented.