British TV comedy is suffering because stand-ups mistakenly think they can act, a leading producer has claimed.

Adam Tandy, who is responsible for The Thick Of It, said the lack of high-profile sitcoms was not due to a lack of writers, but a dearth of acting talent.

He told actors’ newspaper The Stage: ‘We look back at programmes such as Yes, Minister with great admiration. The reason we are finding it so hard to come up with such things now is that we don’t have that wealth of acting talent to deliver.

‘Ever since the Young Ones we have turned to stand-up comedians as our mainstay of talent. It’s as though if you tell a joke and deal with hecklers, that somehow makes you a comedy genius and right for a sitcom.’

However Avalon boss Jon Thoday, whose company both makes TV programmes and represents comedians hit back.  ‘Comic timing is a difficult thing and most people would agree that comic acting is harder than straight acting,’ he said. ‘Comedians tend to be better at it.’

Tandy, who ironically gave stand-up Chris Addison his first and much-acclaimed acting job in The Thick Of It, pictured, is now working with Armando Iannucci on futuristic news spoof Time Trumpet.