BBC Comedy creative brief and latest opportunities

BBC Comedy continues to be the biggest commissioner of comedy programming in the UK.

2026 has already been another standout year for BBC Comedy. Small Prophets launched in February with its first episode attracting 7.7 million viewers over 28 days – making it BBC Two’s biggest programme since current records began and the greatest comedy launch in the market since 2024’s Ludwig (8.4 million). Can You Keep a Secret?, starring comedy staple Dawn French, also debuted strongly on BBC One with an impressive 5.3 million viewers, and over the 2025 Christmas period the BBC made up nine out of the top 10 comedy episodes, with Amandaland the standout with a whopping 7.5 million.

Awards and acclaim have also continued to roll in for our returning hits including Things You Should Have Done, Amandaland, Here We Go, How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) and Such Brave Girls, to name a few.

Our priority at the BBC is to continue delivering the next generation of iconic sitcoms and working with the very best, established voices in British comedy, while championing and nurturing emerging talent.

The types of shows we’re actively prioritising

Our brief continues to focus in the broad, out and out comedy space. This includes:

Ensemble comedies

We prefer ensemble shows over those reliant on a central character going on a personal journey. We want shows that bring a family or gang of characters our audience can return to and fall in love with – think Ghosts, People Just Do Nothing and Here We Go.

Returning series

We’re prioritising sitcoms with a strong, repeatable story engine – ideas that can generate endless ‘story of the week’ plots and sustain multiple series – rather than more narrative-led comedy dramas, which tend to have a more finite run.

High gag rates that appeal to a wide audience

An obvious point we know, but we want to emphasise that 'mainstream' is not a dirty word, we’re looking for gags that can surprise an audience but also appeal multi-generationally. Ghosts never spoke down to kids, while making grown-ups laugh too. We’re looking for something for everyone.

Warmth

Shows with characters you care about and that don’t feel the need to be 'too cool for school'. There should occasionally be room for real emotional pay off too: moments that might even catch you off guard – Michael asking the Small Prophets if Clea will come back home, Smithy and Nessa (finally!) getting married.

Representation

Diversity in cast and portrayal are key considerations for us. We’re especially keen on proposals from female talent, writers from underrepresented groups and deaf, disabled and neurodivergent portrayal.

Regional focus

We want shows set in all parts of the UK and are always on the hunt for talent from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions, so please don’t hesitate to send these to us immediately!

Young audiences

Our focus for young audiences is to find broader comedies that appeal to those in the 16-24 age bracket and prominently feature experiences they’re going through, such as education, dating, first jobs and new friendships.

Production-conscious storytelling

With increasing budget pressures across the industry, we want to be clear that thinking economically is not a drawback for us. Limiting locations and set pieces doesn’t diminish the comedy – if anything, it can sharpen it. Some of our most enduring sitcoms, like This Country, The Office and Not Going Out, thrive within a small number of core settings, using those constraints to build character, rhythm and comic payoff.

Some ways we can work with you

We offer multiple ways to develop programme ideas and characters with us, and our commissioners are on hand to work with you to find the best path for your idea. We are one of the few broadcasters that fund scripts, and we offer a host of development routes to a possible series commission such as podcasts, radio pilots, tasters, read throughs and short films, providing useful calling cards for talent as well as great opportunities to experiment. We also offer more traditional forms of development such as scripts, non-TX taster tapes and read throughs. Find out about some of these below.

Short Films

Our Short Film strand is a place for new and established talent to develop a self-enclosed short for TX on BBC Three and iPlayer. Although these aren’t pilots, we want them to be treated as proof of concepts for larger series. So, while you don’t have to have a whole series worked out, we are interested in ideas that prioritise characters and accessible premises which have the scale to grow to a multi-episode commission. We also fund short film scripts.

Radio pilots/podcasts

We work closely with Radio 4’s Comedy Commissioner Julia McKenzie, who commissions a vast range of comedy every year for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. This includes stand-up storytelling, sketch and sitcoms – all of which are great for writers and writer-performers who are looking to develop their voice and characters and reach an audience – and get paid! We have co-commissioned shows such as Icklewick FM from the Delightful Sausage duo, which has returned for a second series, and we also have audio scripts in development as a result of our audio sitcom development opportunity launched in 2023. Audio is a proven pipeline for shows making it to TV, and we’re excited to see that continue.

BBC Comedy x Liverpool Film Office writer opportunity

BBC Comedy, in partnership with Liverpool Film Office, are offering five script development opportunities for writers and writer/performers who are from - or currently based in - the Liverpool City Regions, with the long‑term aim of developing a Liverpool‑set sitcom that authentically reflects the city’s voice, humour, and talent.

We will be looking to commission bold, character‑driven comedy ideas from writers with strong Liverpool roots, culminating in the further development of at least one project with clear potential for series (eg second episodes, read throughs, short film, taster, etc).

More details on criteria, timelines and how to apply will be coming soon!

How to pitch to us

We ask that all ideas are submitted to us via the PiCoS pitching system. Find out more about how to register and use PiCoS. All submissions most come through a production company.

Our commissioners are assigned specific production companies to support. If you don’t have a commissioner, please send your proposals to our Head of Development in the first instance who will make sure it reaches the right person. We encourage you to only send us the ideas you’re most passionate about.

Proposals should include information on the writer and their credits. If they are a new writer then please include a sample scene, short film they’ve made, links to their YouTube or social accounts, or a sample of their writing, as it’s always useful for us to get a sense of their style and tone.

We aim to get back to everyone within three weeks of submitting an idea. If we can’t read your submission by then we’ll send you a note to let you know where we’re at.

Frequently asked questions

What do you get pitched too much of?

We get pitched a lot of stories based on one flawed main character. While these are interesting, they can often run out of steam after one series, and our ambition is to commission shows that can run for many series. Sometimes it feels like it would be better if that character was only one character in an ensemble show. Following the success of Ludwig and Death Valley we also get pitched a lot of cosy comedy crime, but we’re well served for that on our slate at the moment.

Does it matter where my show is set?

We’re keen on shows that are set outside of London and are an authentic look at life in different places in the UK.

How long should comedy shows be?

We can be flexible but if you want your show to be on primetime BBC One or Two it needs to be 30-minutes long. We sometimes commission 60-minute comedy dramas, but this is rare. We’re also happy to look at more flexible formats, ie 15 minute episodes.

What is the best time to approach partners for co-financing?

If your project is off-brief, for example a comedy drama, it’s always helpful for us if you bring on a co-financing partner. If your project meets our brief, please feel free to share it with us in the first instance, and if a co-financer is needed we can have that conversation further along in the development process.

What kind of talent needs to be attached to a project at point of pitching?

The only talent we need attached at the point of pitching is a writer, otherwise we’re happy to chat further along in the development process about directors and casting.

I’ve never produced a broadcast comedy series before, do I need to partner up with an experienced company? If so, when?

To access our pitching system PiCoS you need a broadcast credit within the last three years. Please see the PiCoS eligibility criteria for more information. If you don’t have this then partnering with an established supplier at the point of pitching is recommended. If that’s not possible, it’s worth thinking about how you can bolster your project in other ways, such as bringing on an established executive producer or showrunner.

How we support producers

We are actively looking to diversify our supply pool, both to ensure we create amazing content that reflects the lives and experiences of our audience, but also so we can work with the very best on and off-screen talent, no matter their background, skin colour or where they come from.

We have ring-fence budget for projects and suppliers who prioritise diversity in the stories they tell and the people they work with, and we’re committed to engaging with the comedy production community in every part of the UK. Find out more about our diversity commitments and the Diversity Development Fund.

Working with suppliers based outside of London is also a key focus for us, and alongside our annual city of comedy and comedy festivals based in the Nations and English regions, we also have schemes and initiatives targeted at companies outside London, such as our recently announced script development opportunity with the Liverpool Film Office.

We actively support smaller indies with a turnover of less than £10million via the Small Indie Fund. We also have a number of targeted initiatives to help support smaller and newer companies – you can find out more by visiting the supporting the creative sector page.