BBC Studios’ Comedy department has been commissioned to make a further six months’ worth of Comedy Quickies for BBC Three.
The strand, which is dedicated to developing new comedy talent via social media networks, has been live on BBC Three for six months and each week creates two new comedy sketches to feature on BBC Three’s Facebook page. Over 30m views have been achieved so far across 39 videos, with the most popular - If Women Acted Like Men (pictured) - currently at the 10m mark. On average the Quickies strand delivers around 1.5m views per week to BBC Three, with a combined total of 165k likes, and over 60k comments.
BBC Studios’ Comedy Digital Editor, Jonathan Davenport, heads a small production team that works with a range of new writers and performers, delivering two sketches per week to the channel. The team has developed returning characters, (the female builders – 12m views across three sketches); created pranks and parodies (The Crown Goes Vegan – 622k views); and brought popular talent from the stand up circuit and the Facebook platform into BBC Three’s fold including Jonathan Pie, Sophie Craig and Jahannah James and all female sketch group Muriel (whose International Women’s Day sketch has clocked up 1.6m views).
Jonathan Davenport, Digital Editor, BBC Studios’ Comedy Productions says: “Quickies has fast become the premier destination in the UK for both fledgling and more established comedians to pitch and create content for a reputable online platform which guarantees high exposure and a speedy turnaround. At BBC Studios Comedy we are committed to working with the very best new talent, both in front of and behind the camera to create these sketches, in many cases giving them their first paid comedy gig at the BBC.”
Laura Marks, Commissioning Editor at BBC Three says: “At BBC Three we’re passionate about comedy and showcasing brilliant talent in the short-form space. BBC Studios has totally delivered this with the Comedy Quickies and it was a no brainer commissioning a further six months’ worth of sketches. The Quickies strand is the most viewed comedy on BBC Three outside of our long form comedies such as This Country, Fleabag and Young Offenders. There’s nothing else quite like it.”
