ITV in desperate bid to find hit comedy by next year

Published Tuesday 2 May 2006 at 16:40 by Liz Thomas

ITV director of entertainment and comedy Paul Jackson has vowed there will be a prime time sketch show or sitcom on ITV1 by next year, in order to salvage the network’s ailing reputation in the genre.

The broadcaster is desperate to find a hit comedy that will appeal to ITV1 viewers and attract mass audiences and Jackson has pledged that he will do whatever is needed to get a series in the genre on to the channel in prime time.

He said: “There is no doubt that there will be a big comedy on ITV1 between 8 and 10pm by next year. Either a sketch show or a sitcom. I don’t know what it will be yet but I do know there will be one.”

Jackson also said that he wanted new comedies to be allowed time to grow - even on the main channel. This approach marks a step away from the network’s traditional tack, which sees poor rating shows moved to late slots and often axed after one series. “Comedy needs time to develop and grow. We all know that, so yes, we will take that into consideration,” he conceded.

The executive is keen to kick-start a turnaround in the network’s comedy output, which has come under fire in recent years. Even shows featuring traditional bankers such as Ricky Tomlinson, who starred in Mike Bassett: Manager, and Monkey Trousers, a sketch show with Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Steve Coogan, have not been successful. However, the broadcaster has just revealed it is developing a single production entitled The Bad Mother’s Handbook starring Catherine Tate and Easy Peasy - a parenting comedy drama series by the writers of Green Wing.

Last year, the broadcaster’s former director of programmes Nigel Pickard said: “The biggest joke about ITV’s comedy is there isn’t any. We are walking a tightrope. This is foreign territory for ITV. We need to experiment but it is not easy.”

Last month The Stage exclusively revealed that the network is investing in comedy on ITV2 in order to create a breeding ground to develop shows that can transfer on to the main channel. The move will enable the broadcaster to develop projects over time and help it emulate the success of shows such as Little Britain, which aired on radio before transferring to BBC3 and later BBC1. It is understood the extra cash boost will be in excess of £10 million over the course of the year.