BBC comedy boss slams Disney+ The Bear comedy claims as 'mad'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA BBC comedy chief has labelled it as "sort of mad" that the popular US series The Bear is categorised as a comedy. The hit series, from FX and available on Disney+ in the UK, broke comedy series records when it was nominated for 23 Emmys in the category this year.
The news left fans and critics baffled. Jon Petrie, director of comedy commissioning at the BBC, said that budget restrictions and other hurdles make genuine comedy "so much more challenging" to produce.
During an Edinburgh TV Festival debate on British TV comedy, he expressed that there remains a significant demand for new comedy, but securing co-financers willing to gamble on funding it is difficult.
He noted that comedy is perceived as higher-risk compared to other genres, and potential investors "want to sort of see a series of something before they decide whether they can invest in it".
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