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Revealed: The British Comedy Producers Hoping To Land The Next Breakout BBC Sitcom
The BBC is nearing the next big sitcom by funding writers rooms with the makers of Derry Girls, Two Doors Down, Friday Night Dinner & Stath Lets Flats
When he unveiled the plan in May 2024 during a speech at the BBC Comedy Festival in Glasgow, Petrie said the ideas would be “led by an experienced showrunner and backed by teams of established and new writing talent to create the next big UK sitcom.” At that point he cited the likes of Ghosts, Two Doors Down, Motherland and Here We Go as success stories. During that Comedy Festival set piece, he urged producers to locate their “funny bones” when pitching shows and described himself as being “firmly sitcoms first.” He noted at the time that his team was “not getting pitched enough of the comedy we need to keep people happy” but was instead over-stocked with dramedies, which some producers deem an “easier sell” financially in a market beset by budget woes. Last week, storied drama producer Jane Featherstone revealed the BBC is struggling to fund a number of scripted shows on its slate.
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