FID invests in initiative to ‘champion’ British comedy

Published Tuesday 18 July 2006 at 13:50 by Liz Thomas

Fremantle International Distribution is to plough thousands of pounds into developing British comedy talent, launching a new initiative it hopes will boost both new and established performers and discover the next generation of stars.

The move is being spearheaded by FID head of acquisitions and development, Shane Murphy, who is looking for writers, performers and producers with a view to producing shows for both UK and international markets. Technological advancement in the broadcasting industry means that a range of projects, suitable for television, DVD, mobile phones or as downloads, are being sought.

Murphy told The Stage: “In the past five to six years comedy has been neglected - as has drama - in favour of reality but now we are starting to see a renaissance with a growing demand for lots of new shows. We felt it was the right time to champion British comedy and are happy to invest in ideas right from the early concept and script stages to funding read-throughs and pilots.”

The scheme will see the company invest thousands in as many as 50 projects over the next year, ranging from one minute clips for mobile phones to pilots for two or three returning series. The main focus is likely to be on sketch comedy, physical visual comedy and sitcoms, which could translate well internationally.

“We are looking for both popular mainstream shows that would do well on terrestrial broadcasters but also cult material that could do well in other areas,” explained Murphy. He pointed to The Mighty Boosh as an example - the show attracted relatively poor ratings when it aired on BBC2 and BBC3 but later registered huge DVD sales.

He added that FID, the distribution arm of global production giant Fremantle Media - which boasts George and Mildred, Benny Hill and Men Behaving Badly in its subsidiaries’ credits - are also sponsoring the Performers’ Bar at Edinburgh venue the Assembly Rooms during this year’s festival.