BBC COMEDY has announced six new and returning shows to champion homegrown storytelling and the importance of sitcoms.

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy announced six new and returning comedy commissions as part of a speech at the BBC Comedy Festival in Glasgow in which he called for the TV industry to 'save our sitcoms'.

The shows announced are:

  • Outnumbered Christmas special

  • Smoggie Queens

  • Funboys

  • The Power of Parker series two

  • Not Going Out series 14

  • Mammoth series two

Among the stars of the shows is comedy actress and television writer Sian Gibson from Mold, Flintshire.

Best known for collaborating with Peter Kay, including starring in and co-writing Car Share, she also features in returning hit Mammoth, and has co-created and written Power of Parker.

Jon said: “The BBC has always been the place for homegrown comedy hits that people want to come back to again and again – from Gavin and Stacey to Only Fools, to This Country and Ghosts. This is what we want to protect and invest in. It’s the very best storytelling from across the UK and it’s what our new commitments in development are all about. 

“Mainstream comedy is what viewers love best. It’s written right through our comedy heritage and is so close to our hearts. It can tell our stories and bring us together like nothing else. That’s why audiences and critics feel so passionately about it and have such a strong sense of ownership.

“We want producers to take risks and create the next generation of classic sitcoms and immortal characters that audiences will keep returning to for decades to come.”

Last year saw 400 million hours watched of comedy on the BBC overall, and 700 million requests on iPlayer.

Jon continues: "We know that making a laugh out loud series is much easier said than done. So, in order to supercharge development in that area, we are announcing a brand-new initiative for UK producers.

"We are committing to funding writers’ rooms with show ideas originated and led by an experienced showrunner to create the next big UK sitcom with broad appeal.”

Talking about the BBC’s commitment to comedy, Jon said that viewing figures were thriving.

“We are still the biggest investor in comedy in the UK. And contrary to some reports, we’re not cutting back. In the last year alone, we’ve released 9 new shows and 14 recommissions and we want to continue to commit to at least 20 new and returning comedies on the BBC each year.”