Risk-taking is embedded in new Ofcom rules

Regulators have told the BBC to improve its TV comedy output after the genre was found to be ‘an area of particular weakness’.

Ofcom has set a quota for the number of hours of comedy that must be aired on BBC One and BBC Two – and address viewers’ concerns that its comedy output was too traditional and risk-averse.

The watchdog said: ‘We expect the BBC to have particular regard to this finding.’

Ofcom says the Corporation must air a total of at least 300 hours of comedy programmes a year, some in peak time, in a move designed to protect the genre after BBC Three moved online.

But it is already far outpacing that. According to the last BBC annual report, the Corporation aired 426 hours of comedy in 2016/7 – 177 hours on BBC One and the rest on BBC Two.

In the next seven days the BBC is airing the following comedy shows on its main TV channels:

On BBC One

Would I Lie to You, Have I Got News For You (plus a longer repeat), Porridge, Josh, Mrs Brown’s Boys

On BBC Two:

Mock The Week (which is screened twice in the week), Dad’s Army (rpt), Live At The Apollo (rpt), Upstart Crow, W1A

Repeats and imports are included in the 300 hours quota –  part of a new operating licence for the broadcaster, the first since Ofcom took over regulating the BBC.

Published: 13 Oct 2017