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Comedy
Our development priorities are updated for every commissioning round (last updated July 2009). We also include information on the commissioning team and process .
Comedy now commissions all video content on all platforms including bbc.co.uk, mobiles and interactive 'red button' services as well as for television.
Contact Details for Independents
e-Commissioning
Member of the public with ideas can get information here
Writers Room Link
Durations - don't make your programme too long for your slot - check programme and credit durations here
Interactive TV ideas are submitted to the normal genre teams
We are responsible for commissioning:
We work across BBC ONE, BBC TWO, BBC THREE and BBC FOUR so there is scope for programmes from the progressive and niche to the broad mainstream.
Full details of our specific Development Priorities are available here .
BBC One
Full Details of Our Requirements Channel Context
Full Details of Our Requirements
Channel Context
BBC Two
BBC Three
BBC Four
Outnumbered BBC ONE's award-winning Outnumbered (starring Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis, and written, produced and directed by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin) quickly garnered critical and audience acclaim owing to its fresh portrayal of family life and innovative production methods.
Beautiful People BBC TWO's Beautiful People (starring Olivia Coleman, Aidan McArdle and Meera Syal, and written by Jonathan Harvey) is set in Reading in the 1990s and followed the story of two boys as they attempt to escape the grey gloom of the suburbs in the search for fame amongst the 'Beautiful People'.
Horne and Corden BBC THREE had its highest audience for the launch of a new comedy with Horne and Corden , featuring stars of Gavin and Stacey James Corden and Mat Horne.
Newswipe Thought provoking, smart and scabrous Newswipe on BBC FOUR exposes the inner workings of news media, just as Screenwipe does to TV in general.
BBC ONE reaches the broadest audience of all the channels and has mainstream sitcoms and sketch shows at the heart of the comedy slate. We encourage writers who understand how to write with a BBC ONE audience in mind and are seeking to marry the best performers with the best writers and producers to help develop comedy classics of the future.
Comedy on BBC TWO is about bold laugh out loud ideas with a distinct point of view. The underlying tone of all our comedy should be smart and attitudinal. We strive to find an original take on the world, a new way of delivering comedy and to refresh the line up of the next generation of comic writing and performing talent. Diversity plays an important part in ensuring that the mix of BBC TWO's comedy feels fresh and relevant.
Comedy remains a core genre for BBC THREE. It has had unprecedented success for a digital channel with the hugely acclaimed Gavin & Stacey and it's important to keep up the momentum in the year ahead. We are keen to continue to develop the next generation of comedy talent and to commission shows which combine a bold attitude with bags of enthusiasm and spirit.
Comedy on BBC FOUR needs to have impact. We place great emphasis on casting, subject matter and title so that the audience can feel connected with every new show. While satire and thought-provoking comedies are important this shouldn't be at the expense of 'big laughs'. This is the channel for high profile talent to unlock a passion or explore a world that is dear to their heart.
BBC THREE can offer up more opportunities here. We already have some strong female writers and female led show but there's still room for more. We simply don't get enough scripts from ethnic minority writers.
Your feedback about these development priorities is welcome here
Commissioning Team and Timeline
Commissioning Team
Controller, Comedy Commissioning
Cheryl Taylor Cheryl Taylor
Controller of Comedy Commissioning
Jon Rolph Jon Rolph Executive Editor, Comedy (Nations & Regions)
Executive Editors, Comedy
Simon Wilson
Simon Lupton Simon Wilson (London) Simon Lupton (London)
Multiplatform Executive
Martin Trickey Martin Trickey (Comedy and Comedy Entertainment)
Production Executive, Comedy
Nick Astor Nick Astor
Development Editor
Michael Buchanan-Dunne Michael Buchanan-Dunne
Nations' Entertainment Contacts
Mike Edgar Mike Edgar (N. Ireland)
Business and Finance team
Head of Operations & Business Affairs Fiction
Claire Evans Claire Evans
Commissioning Process
Timeline of Entertainment Commissioning Process
• All proposals are registered on a confidential database and independent suppliers receive an acknowledgement of their proposal within 1 week of receipt.
• Executive Editors will either reject or progress proposals within six weeks of receipt (five weeks from acknowledgement.)
• Proposals may be provided with funded development, in which case the timetable to commission will be subject to negotiation between the external supplier and the BBC and determined by the development contract.
• The final decision will be no later than 20 weeks of receipt of the proposal. A successful proposal will be given approval by the genre controller.
• Projects may be held over in exceptional circumstances but only with the formal agreement of the supplier.
• The same timetable and process applies to in-house and independent entertainment proposals.
• At any point during this maximum 20 week period, an external supplier may write to the genre controller asking for a progress report and be guaranteed a response within 10 working days of receipt.
Page last updated 30 September 2009
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