Look forwards, not back, says John Lloyd

Top comedy producer John Lloyd has criticised the BBC’s remake of classic sitcoms – saying the Corporation should be moving forward rather than reliving past glories.

He said it was ‘sort of impertinent’ to return to shows with new casts. 

And he said Blackadder, which he produced, would not be following  Porridge, Are You Being Served? and In Sickness in Health down the remake route.

The hitmaker, whose other successes include Spitting Image and QI, told the Daily Express: ‘I believe in moving on and I’d like to do something new. I don’t really hold this retread stuff, "let’s remake Porridge"… Let’s have a new idea. There’s loads of good people out there.’

He also repeated his calls for TV executive to be less risk-averse, and for ‘more trust for people who make the programmes and less worry about "is this going to work?"’

‘We used to have this thing in the BBC, a license to fail,’ he added. ‘You can’t expect anything really innovative and fresh to be good on the pilot.’

New versions of The Good Life, Up Pompeii! and Keeping Up Appearances have also been ordered by the BBC to mark the 60th anniversary since Hancock’s Half Hour became the first ever sitcom to air on British TV.

Lloyd’s thoughts echo those of Kathy Burke, who also called on the Corporation to look forwards rather than backwards.

‘Here’s an idea BBC. To celebrate 60 years of the sitcom, COMMISSION LOADS OF NEW PILOTS,’ she tweeted earlier in the month.

And Melyvn Hayes, from It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, has said: ‘They should’ve let the old TV series lie.’

Published: 21 Mar 2016