Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Danny Cohen today announced a new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One initiative at his Controller session at The Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.

In a bid to up the supply rate of comedy scripts to the channel, Cohen, alongside Cheryl Taylor, Controller Comedy Commissioning, is committing to a new run of transmittable pilots for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One – with the focus firmly on unearthing new studio-based sitcoms.

Cohen says: "Comedy in all its forms is incredibly important for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One but we don't get enough great sitcom scripts coming through – so I'm delighted to be announcing this initiative today. By committing to a group of tx pilots, we hope to help unearth a new generation of national comic gems. At Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three in Drama, this is how we found our way to Being Human, and I want to take a similar kind of experimental risk on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One."

Cheryl Taylor added: "The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's commitment to laugh-out-loud comedy is as strong as ever and we hope that this dedicated pilot initiative will galvanise writers to think about more inventive, likeable and enduring characters for our mainstream channel. We are very proud to have shows like Mrs Brown's Boys, In With The Flynns and Outnumbered on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One, but there is certainly room for more."

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy is also hosting a Sitcom Showcase in Salford in October (details below) where more comedy pilots will be developed and performed.

Notes to Editors

The deadline for delivery of scripts is 30 November, with the chosen pieces going into production in the first half of 2012. Details of how to enter scripts will be released in due course.

Salford Sitcom Showcase will show six theatrical presentations of exciting new sitcom scripts, aimed at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three audiences. There will be three evening performances from 12 to 14 October 2011.

The six scripts come from talent across the UK and offer a variety of comedy voices.

KT