UKTV’s Dave names channel director following Luke Hales’ exit

Cherie Cunningham

UKTV has appointed Cherie Cunningham as the new channel director for its comedy entertainment channel Dave.

Cunningham takes over from Luke Hales, who left the business last month, and reports into Steve North, the broadcaster’s genre general manager for comedy and entertainment.

She joined UKTV in 2016 and became head of marketing for Dave and W in 2019, and before that worked in both strategic and creative roles at Sky, Nickelodeon and Sony Pictures Entertainment, including leading brand strategy for Sky 1.

Cunningham is tasked with growing Dave’s viewership and expanding its new comedy entertainment offerings. The UKTV channel recently unveiled a slate of new shows, including British As Folk, Question Team, Outsiders and The Island.

Five shortform comedy series for Dave’s social media channels, including a YouTube spin-off of Big Zuu’s Big Eats, are also in the works.

North said: “Cherie has been a key member of the Dave team for several years and I’m incredibly pleased she is now taking on the channel director role. Her exceptional leadership skills, coupled with her extensive marketing knowledge and understanding of how to grow brands makes her perfectly positioned to take Dave to the next stage of its journey.”

Cunningham added: “Dave is a challenger brand and I’m committed to ensuring we surprise and excite audiences over the coming months and years by supplying non-stop creativity, content and innovation.”