See-Saw Films Appoints Ben Irving as Joint Managing Director as Helen Gregory Exits
See-Saw Films — the production company behind Apple TV+'s Slow Horses, Netflix's Heartstopper and Sky/Starz co-production Sweetpea — has hired Ben Irving as Joint Managing Director, according to Deadline (Deadline, 3 September 2026).
Irving joins from Fifth Season, the CJ ENM-backed studio, where he was Creative Director, International Scripted. He launched Fifth Season's UK development and production division in 2022. Before that, he spent four years at the BBC, joining as Head of Development in 2017 and rising to commissioning editor a year later. He went on to become Acting Director of Drama, overseeing all of the BBC's primetime drama output.
His BBC executive producer credits are a roll-call of the broadcaster's biggest scripted titles of the past decade: His Dark Materials, Industry, The Capture, Doctor Who and the final season of Happy Valley. Earlier in his career, Irving was Vice President of Development & Production at David Heyman's Heyday Films, with prior development roles at Warner Bros. Pictures and Michael Kuhn's Qwerty Films.
At See-Saw, Irving will work alongside Simon Gillis, who also holds the Joint Managing Director title. The company's founders, Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, issued a statement welcoming the appointment.
The hire fills a gap left by Helen Gregory, who is exiting See-Saw after five years. Gregory held pivotal roles across the company's UK creative division, with credits on Slow Horses, Sweetpea, Apple TV+'s Apple Cider Vinegar and Heartstopper. She also played a central part in the 2025 deal that saw See-Saw sold to French media group Mediawan, which now owns the company. Among her final contributions at See-Saw: she secured the rights to The Neverending Story, which See-Saw is developing with Michael Ende Productions as a series of live-action feature films.
For viewers, the practical question is what Irving's arrival means for the shows already on air. Slow Horses, See-Saw's Gary Oldman-led spy thriller, is one of Apple TV+'s most established drama series. Heartstopper, Netflix's coming-of-age hit, has built a loyal audience across multiple seasons. Sweetpea, a co-production between Sky and Starz, launched more recently. Irving's track record at the BBC — commissioning and executive producing across a range of drama genres — positions him to steer that pipeline alongside Gillis.
The broader backdrop is one of ownership change. Mediawan's acquisition of See-Saw in 2025 brought the London-based outfit under a European group with its own ambitions in scripted television. Gregory's departure closes the chapter for an executive who helped steer that sale. Irving's arrival opens the next one.
