The Impact of the BBC - Comedy
A champion of British comedy excellence
From Monty Python to The Office, from Fleabag to This Country, we have been a champion of British comedy excellence for decades. Our focus remains on finding and backing the diverse voices that reflect the full spectrum of British experiences across our nations and regions.
In a media landscape dominated by global streaming giants, the UK’s public service broadcasters remain the only genuine champions of homegrown comedy talent. And as funding pressures and shifting consumption patterns threaten the very foundations of British comedy, decisive action is needed from broadcasters, policymakers and industry partners to secure the future of this unique cultural and economic asset.
We will continue to back a genre that is woven into the fabric of our national identity, and that does so much to bring the country together for moments of laughter, escapism and joy.
The value of UK comedy
7/10
British comedy brings people together - nearly 7 in 10 say they have talked about British comedy to friends or family; a similar number think that it can offer a reflection of Britain today; and half say it makes them feel more connected to others in society
2,050
The UK TV comedy production sector supports around 2,050 jobs – with many more supported throughout the comedy ecosystem
British comedy attracts an international audience
The BBC is the sole UK provider of broadcasting radio comedy on linear and digital services - in 24/25, we made 265 hours of audio comedy content, working with 30 independent producers across the UK’s nations and regions
Gavin & Stacey became one of the most-watched scripted TV shows of the century after being seen by 20.9m viewers in the month after it was first broadcast; and the Amandaland Christmas episode is up to 7.5m, the biggest comedy in the market in 2025
The BBC has schemes specifically aimed at new comedy talent, such as the BBC New Comedy Awards - which was first held over 30 years - as well as the BBC Comedy Collective and BBC Radio Comedy Writers Bursary. There are also other routes in audio such as “open door” shows like DMs Are Open and The Skewer
A unique champion for UK comedy
435m
A total of 435m hours of BBC comedy content were watched by viewers in 24/25 - and 8 out of 10 of the top performing comedies last year were from the BBC
£67m
The BBC invested over £67m in TV comedy in 2024 – more than double from any other broadcaster or streamer; and we made over twice as many first-run UK-originated comedy hours than everyone else combined
90%
We support UK comedy indies - almost 90% of BBC spend for the first-run comedy aired on BBC network TV channels was spent with external producers
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