Producers briefed on format ideas

The BBC is planning a Saturday Night Live-style comedy variety show.

A 10pm BBC Two slot has been earmarked for the format, which executives hope will recreate the excitement and unpredicatability of seeing comedy live.

Channel controller Kim Shillinglaw and acting entertainment chief Alan Tyler have briefed independent production companies on what they are looking for, trade magazine Broadcast reports.

Tyler told them he wants 'disruptive, opinionated formats' akin to big US shows such as SNL and The Late, Late Show with James Corden.

He said he wanted programming that retained 'the visceral thrill of the unfiltered which you often feel when you see comedy live' and generated plenty of viral content.

Tyler also conceded British comedy entertainment shows had something 'missing', Broadcast reports, with shows tending to fall into just three categories: interview, stand-up and panel shows.

The quest for a Saturday Night Live is a recurring one in broadcasting. Channel 4 captured the alternative comedy boom with Saturday Live in the mid-Eighties, but other attempts such as The 11 O'Clock Show and 10 O'Clock Live struggled to achieve the same cultural status.

BBC Two's new SNL-inspired format is expected to be piloted this year.

Published: 7 Jan 2016