Channel 4 boss who commissioned The Piano and It's A Sin steps down

Meanwhile, her tenure at the company has also included the channel's coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and with Channel 4 also having a film branch, Film4, she has also overseen the release of films including The Zone of Interest, The Banshees of Inisherin, All of Us Strangers and Poor Things.

The channel's chief operating officer, Jonathan Allan, will serve as interim CEO while the Board undertakes a recruitment process over the coming months.

Mahon said in a statement: "Working at Channel 4 has been a lifetime privilege because Channel 4 is the most extraordinary organisation. What we get to do here is much more than television because we reflect our country with humour, creativity, grit, and care.

"We try our best to challenge convention and to change conversations. And we do it with a kind of irreverent brilliance that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else. I feel lucky beyond belief to have had the chance to lead Channel 4 for nearly eight years – through calm seas (very few) and stormy waters (more than our fair share).

"From navigating the threat of privatisation (twice), to shifting out of London, to digital transformation, lockdowns, political upheaval, advertising chaos – there has never been a dull moment. But through every twist and turn, there’s been one constant: the astonishing calibre, resilience, and creativity of all my colleagues at Channel 4."

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She continued: "Together, I hope that we have evolved what Channel 4 means and what it stands for. We’ve protected the brand, even as we reinvented it. We’ve stayed risky, relevant and relentlessly new – with 60% of our shows fresh each year. And through it all, it’s been the programmes – and their impact – that have brought me the most joy and pride.

"Most recently, the Paralympics changed lives. It changed perceptions. And that really matters. And in the last few months our Gen Z work – giving voice to the experiences of a generation too often overlooked and spawning so many national conversations – is another example of why Channel 4 has to exist.

"Shaping the national conversation in ways no other broadcaster dares to. Doing things that are bigger than programmes. Not just public service – actual public impact."

This year, Channel 4 has aired new shows such as Get Millie Black, Brian and Maggie and Patience, while returning series include The Great British Bake Off and Taskmaster.

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