The Cube creator Adam Adler joins Channel 4: what he will do at its new production unit

Adam Adler, creator of The Cube, has joined Channel 4’s in-house production business as Creative Director in the UK, Deadline reported on 29 October 2026. He will lead the creation of new shows for a unit the broadcaster says is designed to develop its own intellectual property.

Adler is the first appointment made by Sarah Dillistone since she took charge of the business in February, Channel 4 said. He reports to Dillistone, making his arrival the first named creative hire in the broadcaster’s new production operation.

What Adam Adler will do at Channel 4

His best-known format, The Cube, ran for 11 seasons and nearly 100 episodes between 2009 and 2021, according to Deadline. A US version aired for three seasons on TBS. Those credits give Channel 4 a creator with experience turning a British entertainment format into an international show.

Adler has also worked at Channel 4 before. The broadcaster said he served as its entertainment commissioning editor, overseeing programmes including Beauty & the Geek, Derren Brown: The Heist and 8 Out of 10 Cats. Earlier, he co-created Bar Wars and The Games at Endemol; he later held senior creative roles at Granada, Objective and Potato and ran his own label, Gameface.

Why Channel 4 is building its own production business

Channel 4 says the unit will build intellectual property and generate revenue that it can reinvest in the UK creative industry. It links that strategy to the removal of the restriction on its role as a publisher-broadcaster under the Media Act 2024. That change is the backdrop to a broadcaster known for commissioning outside producers now building an in-house ideas studio.

The broadcaster says an operational firewall separates the studio from Channel 4 commissioning. Dillistone reports to Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra. The distinction matters because Adler has previously worked on the commissioning side, while his new job is to develop ideas within the production business.

Dillistone called Adler ‘one of the most prolific format creators around’ and pointed to his work on The Cube and Incognito. She has produced reality and relationship formats including Perfect Match and The Ultimatum, according to Channel 4. Adler said he was excited to join her ‘at the start of this new venture’ and wanted its ideas to carry Channel 4’s ‘attitude and originality’ beyond television.