People

Keshet International’s British independent production Keshet UK has appointed Christine Healy (White House Farm, Catherine the Great, Doctor Foster) to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

In this newly created role, seasoned producer Christine is tasked with expanding KI’s scripted production footprint in the UK by building on Keshet UK’s recent successes including Suspicion (Apple TV+), The A Word S3 and its spin-off Ralph and Katie (both co-productions for BBC One). Working out of Keshet UK’s offices in London Christine reports to Keshet UK’s MD Jamie Munro (also co-MD of Greenbird).

In addition to overseeing all aspects of production, Christine’s initial focus will be working with the Keshet UK team to mine KI’s extensive catalogue of international IP to build a scripted slate of English-language adaptations specifically for the UK broadcast and streaming markets, while also developing original projects with international appeal to be distributed by KI elsewhere. The first title to be identified for development is the award-winning relationship drama A Body that Works (Keshet 12), which recently received its international premiere in competition at Series Mania 2023.

Keshet UK’s MD Jamie Munro says, “We are thrilled to be joined by Christine, a fantastically talented drama specialist who is as excited about unlocking Keshet International’s rich catalogue of IP as I am! This enthusiasm, coupled with her fantastic connections and dogged determination, is just what we need right now to take things to the next level following the success of Suspicion on Apple TV+.”

Keren Shahar, KI’s CEO says, “We are delighted to have Christine join the team at Keshet UK as our new COO. Her attention to detail and expertise in managing complex projects, multiple teams, and overseeing all aspects of production alongside her talent management skills and talent relationships makes her the ideal candidate to help lead our burgeoning production company in the UK.”

Keshet UK’s new COO Christine Healy comments, “I am so pleased to join Keren, Jamie and the wider Keshet International team as COO of Keshet UK. It is very exciting be tasked with strengthening the Keshet UK team and to boost the slate by developing projects like A Body that Works and others from the wonderful KI catalogue alongside compelling original commissions."

The first project to be developed for the UK market by Keshet UK is Kuma Studios’ intimate eight-part drama A Body that Works (Goof Shlishi). Written by Shira Hadad (Wisdom of the Crowd, Preso No1) and Dror Mishani (Wisdom of the Crowd, The Missing File) and directed by Shay Capon (The Writer, Dumb), this relationship drama sees a childless couple enlisting the help of a surrogate. Selected in competition at this year’s Series Mania, where Rotem Sela (The Baker and the Beauty) and Gal Malka (Commandments) both together won Best Actress for their portrayals of childless Ellie and her surrogate Chen, A Body that Works stimulated a national debate in Israel about fertility, family, and the autonomy of women’s bodies when it premiered strongly on Keshet 12, bucking decades of viewing trends to build viewership throughout its eight-episode run, garnering rave reviews along the way and a consolidated rating of 22.5% TVR.

Christine Healy is a seasoned television producer with over 20 years of experience - as a line producer, Head of Production at New Pictures, and most recently as COO at Watford & Essex - who has played a pivotal role in the success of a multitude of high-profile dramas that have also travelled internationally, including Line of Duty, Doctor Foster, The White Queen, Catherine the Great, and Des. During her career she has worked with some of Britain’s leading production companies including New Pictures, Drama Republic, Leftbank, Company Pictures, World Productions, BBC Studios, and ITV Studios.