A new batch of BBC Comedy Feeds pilots, due to be released in July, have been announced today. All nine comedy pilots have been commissioned for iPlayer and BBC Three by Shane Allen, Controller BBC Comedy, Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content for BBC iPlayer and Zai Bennett, former Controller BBC Three.
This year’s Comedy Feeds include:
· IN DEEP. Two junior police officers plunge out of their depth when an undercover operation goes wrong. Starring Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and Adam Deacon (Kidulthood, Babylon). Written by Tom Joseph and Thomas Eccleshare. Produced by Josh Cole. Directed by Misha Manson-Smith. Executive Produced by Luke Alkin and Kenton Allen. Big Talk Productions.
· FRIED. A new manager tries to motivate the staff of a fried chicken shop. Starring Katy Wix, Mandeep Dhillon, Simon Greenall and Imran Yusef. Written by Jack and Harry Williams (Roman’s Empire, Full English, Bamboo). Produced by Sarah Hammond. Directed by Nick Collett. Executive Produced by Harry Williams and Jack Williams. A Two Brothers Pictures production.
· VODKA DIARIES. Four girls share a flat and get up to no good. Starring Aisling Bea, Cariad Lloyd, Rosamund Hanson and Gwyneth Keyworth. Written by Rachel Hirons (Powder Room). Produced by Iona Sweeney. Directed by James De Frond. Executive Produced by Lawrence Bowen. A Feelgood Fiction production.
· OTHERWORLD. Surreal sketch show set in an alternative universe populated by puppets. Written by Adam Miller (Mongrels) and Nico Tatarowicz. Produced by Chris May. Directed by Adam Miller. Executive Produced by Helen Williams. Hat Trick Productions.
· PARENTS’ EVENING. Multi-character comedy set over the course of a school parent’s evening, with Kayvan Novak playing all the teachers. Starring Kayvan Novak (Fonejacker, Cuban Fury). Written by Kayvan Novak. Produced by Tom Thostrup. Directed by Andrew Gaynord. Executive Produced by Derrin Schlesinger. A 2LE production.
· FLAT TV. Two guys share a flat where real life gets confused with a fantasy TV world. Written by and starring Naz Osmanoglu (Live At The Electric) and Tom Rosenthal (Plebs, Friday Night Dinner). Produced by Rupert Majendie. Directed by Nick Collett. Executive Produced by Stephen McCrum. BBC Comedy Productions.
· JOSH. Sitcom based on the stand up of Josh Widdicombe. Starring Josh Widdicombe, Elis James, Beattie Edmondson, Rose Robinson and Jack Dee. Written by Josh Widdicombe and Tom Craine. Produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer. Directed by David Schneider. Executive Produced by Stephen McCrum. BBC Comedy Productions.
· RUDE BOYS. The antics of a group of friends in East London. Starring Jazzie Zonzolo. Written by Jazzie Zonzolo, George Sawyer and Sam Bryant. Produced by Sam Bryant. Directed by Ben Gosling Fuller. Executive Produced by Saurabh Kakkar. BBC Comedy Productions.
· ACCESS ALL AREAS WITH JENNY BEDE. YouTube sensation Jenny Bede presents and plays a range of well-known characters in a razor sharp parody of pop music TV. Written by Jenny Bede. Produced by Richard Webb. Directed by Al Campbell. Executive Produced by Mark Freeland BBC Comedy Productions.
Speaking about the Comedy Feeds Shane Allen, Controller BBC Comedy said: “This exciting range of shows and new talents cement BBC Three’s place as the key place for emerging comedy talent on and off screen. With so many spin off series’ springing from these, the Comedy Feeds show serious commitment to finding the next best writers, directors and faces of British comedy.”
Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content for BBC iPlayer added: “Comedy Feeds are a great example of BBC iPlayer’s unique role in growing the hits of tomorrow. The platform enables us to showcase the most exciting work from the very best new British talent across over 1,200 devices and 4 screens, and make that content shareable and discoverable in a myriad of new ways. The genre of comedy hugely benefits from this sort of approach to development.”
The new Comedy Feeds will all be available online from July 20.
