The Complaints Department and Fact Off

Comedy Central UK has greenlit two new comedy entertainment shows from the makers of Made In Chelsea and Don’t Hate The Playaz.

Fact Off is a comedian-led quiz format, while The Complaints Department is a panel show based around gripes.

The broadcaster announced the commissions from producers Monkey at the same time it revealed a new female-led discussion show Yesterday, Today & The Day Before.

In the six hour-long episodes of The Complaints Department, two teams of comics  will be presented with ‘moans, whines and protests’ harvested from the internet, tweets, interviews and letters of complaint.

The broadcaster says: ‘As well as finding the funny in the complaints, the teams will be bringing their own gripes to get off their chests.’

Meanwhile, in comedy quiz show Fact Off - which has also been commissioned for six hour-long episodes - four comedians will come armed with the most impressive facts and fascinating trivia they know.

They will then try to outsmart one another over a variety of rounds in a bid to get their knowledge on to the show’s ‘Wall of Facts’.

Hosts and broadcast dates for both new series have not yet been announced.

Will Macdonald, Monkey’s creative director and executive producer said: ‘There’s nothing the people of this nation love more than being righteously indignant, apart from perhaps claiming an amazing fact they’ve heard on the bus as their own.

‘So, we’re excited to have created two shows looking at the funny side of the very British art forms of quality complaining and showing off knowledge which may or may not be true.’

Sebastian Cardwell, deputy director of programmes at Comedy Central’s parent company ViacomCBS Networks UK announced all three shows today

He said: ’It’s exciting to be further establishing Comedy Central UK as the go-to destination for brilliant British comedy, with new commissions that will fit perfectly within our expanding slate of originals

‘These three new rich and varied formats with top-tier comedic talent at the heart are guaranteed to keep our audiences laughing.’

Cardwell has recently commissioned a second  run of Sara Pascoe-fronted parlour game show Guessable, too, after the  first was Comedy Central UK’s biggest new title of 2020.

Published: 10 May 2021