BBC Comedy Boss Tells Producers To Stop Pitching Dramedies & Locate Their “Funny Bones”
deadline.comComedy producers have been told to locate their “funny bones” when pitching shows to the BBC by the most powerful person in British comedy commissioning.
Jon Petrie, who runs BBC comedy, set out his “firmly sitcoms first” stall in a speech this morning in Glasgow. He urged producers to “send us less shows that are ‘an exploration’ of something and more that know where their funny bones are,” citing the likes of Ghosts, Motherland and Two Doors Down as examples of the “comedy first proposals” he is after.
Petrie has not held back on his desire for sitcoms since taking on the job a couple of years ago and announced a raft of new and returning shows this morning at the BBC Comedy Festival.
But he said his team is “not getting pitched enough of the comedy we need to keep people happy” and is instead over-stocked with dramedies, which some producers deem an “easier sell” financially in a market beset by budget woes. “Comedy drama will always have its place, and we’re really proud of our slate,” added Petrie. “But we are over supplied with them.
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