Friday 10 September 2010

The Most Successful Makers of Comedy in the UK

I was talking to some comedy writers last night - and we were thinking about why we liked BBC4 so much - the comedy, the documentaries and everything else. We thought it might be because the budgets are so small that anyone making a show isn't doing it for the money, but for the sheer love of it. People with passion are making TV they are passionate about, and figuring out a way of putting it on the screen. Their documentaries are superb for that reason - full of content, and people telling you stuff, rather than atmos, filler and 'coming up later, I'll be telling you about something juicy'.

And think about BBC4's sitcom output for a moment: The Thick of It, Lead Balloon, Getting On, The Great Outdoors. Throw in Screenwipe, We Need Answers and the delightful Diary of a Nobody, The Alan Clarke Diaries and Micromen it's rapidly looking like BBC4 is the HBO of British television. Has BBC4 had any out-and-out comedy failures? There were some shows that weren't to my personal taste, but there has been nothing out there that's really been bad, has there?

BBC4: The HBO of Britain. I salute you. (And it is really true your comedy budget has now been slashed to zero? Clever. With no budget at all, the quality should go through the roof!)

5 comments:

  1. Good point! I've just looked down this list here: http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/channel/bbc4/

    Can't see a single failure. Cowards and Freezing can be added to your list of great BBC4 shows!

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  2. BBC4: The HBO of Britain? You are joking. In what way was the Diary of a Nobody anything like the kind of dramas that you get on HBO. It was like watching an audiobook.

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  3. Surely the you mean BBC Radio 4! If only for the hilarious and cerebral 'Think the Unthinkable' and the laughter zone central that is 'Hut 33';) Thanks for all the giggles you funny fella!

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  4. Miranda, and Miranda Hart's Jokeshop were terrible.

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  5. Surely you mean BBC RADIO 4! Where else would we hear the sublime 'Think the Unthinkable' or the laugh riot 'Hat 33' ;)?
    Thanks for all the gigglies Jam!
    Kevin

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