BBC calls for more 'laugh out loud' sitcom ideas
- The BBC says it is over-supplied with comedy drama ideas and is looking "Firmly sitcom first, with a high joke rate"
BBC Director of Comedy, Jon Petrie, today called for the TV industry to "save our sitcoms" with a focus on protecting homegrown storytelling and creating the next generation of classics.
Speaking to producers at a conference he said: "We're delighted to be in Glasgow, a city with proper comedy heritage and legendary humour, for our third annual BBC Comedy Festival.
"The BBC has always been the place for homegrown comedy hits that people want to come back to again and again - from Gavin & Stacey to Only Fools, to This Country and Ghosts. This is what we want to protect and invest in. It's the very best storytelling from across the UK and it's what our new commitments in development are all about.
"Mainstream comedy is what viewers love best. It's written right through our comedy heritage and is so close to our hearts. It can tell our stories and bring us together like nothing else. That's why audiences and critics feel so passionately about it and have such a strong sense of ownership.
"We want producers to take risks and create the next generation of classic sitcoms and immortal characters that audiences will keep returning to for decades to come."
Citing the newly announced commissions of North East sitcom Smoggie Queens, from Phil Dunning, Northern Irish comedy Funboys, plus the recently announced Motherland spinoff, Amandaland and recommissions for Not Going Out, The Power Of Parker, Mammoth and family favourite Outnumbered, which is returning after eight years for a Christmas special, he said: "They all point very clearly to the editorial direction we want to travel in. Firmly sitcom first, with a high joke rate."
Adding: "Comedy drama will always have its place, and we're really proud of our slate. But we are over supplied with them. We need to protect the comedy space for shows that really go for the joke jugular... the joke-ular."
He pointed to previous callouts for producers to pitch more sitcoms, and the fast-changing media landscape, including the effects of strikes, inflation and recession, which he said had resulted in a smaller comedy eco-system.
He said: "At our first comedy festival in Newcastle two years ago, I said sitcoms were what we wanted to see more of. I said it again last year, in Cardiff.
"But the truth is we're still not getting pitched enough of the comedy we need to keep people happy... If our comedy eco-system is shrinking, then it's on all us to fight for the right of UK mainstream comedy to exist.
"The sitcom isn't dead but it needs a couple of Berocca. And a black americano with two sugars. We're asking you to do something really ambitious and help save our sitcom. It's what audiences want to see."
Jon unveiled plans to fund six writers' rooms with show ideas originated and led by an experienced showrunner and backed by teams of established and new writing talent to create the next big UK sitcom. He cited shows such as Ghosts, Two Doors Down, Motherland and Here We Go, as examples.
He said: "We know that making a laugh out loud series is much easier said than done. So, in order to supercharge development in that area we are announcing a brand-new initiative for UK producers. We are committing to funding writers' rooms with show ideas originated and led by an experienced showrunner to create the next big UK sitcom with broad appeal."
Talking about the BBC's commitment to comedy, Jon said that viewing figures were thriving.
"Our audiences have never wanted to watch comedy more, 8 of the 10 biggest comedies of last year were on the BBC, with the Ghosts Christmas Special at number one, attracting 7.2m viewers. Last year saw 400 million hours watched of comedy on the BBC overall, and 700 million requests on iPlayer.
"We are still the biggest investor in comedy in the UK. And contrary to some reports, we're not cutting back. In the last year alone, we've released 9 new shows and 14 recommissions and we want to continue to commit to at least 20 new and returning comedies on the BBC each year."
Further details can be found via the BBC Comedy creative brief and latest opportunities page
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