UKTV has announced it is to invest heavily in making new scripted comedy shows.

The network has made a commitment to develop five brand new programmes for its subscription channel Gold in 2015. The station has had its programming budget increased to £125 million to help make this possible.

Richard Watsham, UKTV's Director of Commissioning, says: "This level of investment in original scripted comedy marks a real step change for UKTV and is the next stage in our strategy of focussing spend on the entertainment channels. We are committed to attracting the very best writers, producers and on screen talent in order to produce the type of high quality, scripted output that Gold requires."

The network reports that its commissioning team has already received a strong response to the challenge it has set independent production companies, that being 'to come up with original programme ideas that will work for Gold's schedule and sit alongside some of Britain's best-loved sitcoms'.

A handful of shows are now already in development, with the prospect of joining Gold's returning original scripted sitcom You, Me & Them on the channel next year. You, Me & Them stars Anthony Head and Eve Myles (pictured) as a couple with a notable age gap. Series 2 is in development, with Avengers star Honor Blackman due to guest star as Ed's eccentric mother.

UKTV is also on the hunt for a one-off comedy event piece to sit alongside its new sitcoms. Commissioning editor Simon Lupton explains: "The success of The Comic Strip Presents: Five Go To Rehab and Gold's live transmission of the final every Monty Python stage show, prove that there is a real appetite from the Gold audience for longer form stories with a true sense of scale. We've received a number of brilliant ideas from the Indie sector, with a high calibre of writing talent attached, and we are excited about their development potential."

This news comes as the UKTV network enjoyed its third year of growth. It says it now reaches over 42 million viewers a month across its portfolio of channels.

News on which new shows Gold decides to commission is expected next year. The network is also developing sitcoms for its comedy-based Freeview channel, Dave. Hoff The Record, Undercover and another series of Red Dwarf are all expected on Dave in 2015.

Simon Lupton will be one of the commissioners attending The Big Comedy Conference on 29th November to discuss, in more detail, what the network is looking for. Conference Details