Concern for budgets as BBC comedy chief says producers don't have to spend big

Spending more money on comedy shows doesn’t make them funnier, the BBC’s comedy chief has said. 

In a speech that might make sobering reading for production companies grappling with budgets, Jon Petrie has suggested funding for programmes will continue to be tight – and urged producers to try to be creative in how they spend limited resources.

Speaking at BBC Comedy Festival in Belfast, he said: ‘We must constantly ask, "Does this specific spend make it funnier"' We can't out-budget global streamers, but we can be smarter and funnier and speak to UK audiences more directly.’

He pointed to research which shows that it is possible that 'popular, award-winning, comedy can be made on a BBC budget alone’.

Petrie, who is the BBC’s director of comedy, said: ‘The data backs up what we've always suspected - people connect with great characters and writing, not budget."

And he asked producers and creatives to think of cost from the moment a show is conceived

‘If we keep our comedy affordable and distinctive… we’ll shape what comes next - and make it funnier, sharper, and unmistakably ours.’

Petrie praised those who work in the scripted comedy TV industry for consistently finding brilliance even when resources were tight, citing shows like Gavin & Stacey: The Finale,  Alma’s Not Normal, Amandaland and Ludwig.

‘Our focus now must be on channelling that resourcefulness smartly,’ he added. ‘Less about "papering over cracks" and more about being strategically focused so we can make distinctive, impactful comedy for the long haul.’

‘Think about what people actually share online. The moments that go viral aren't expensive set pieces - they're laugh-out-loud writing and performances. Amandaland and Am I Being Unreasonable clips spread across social media week after week.

‘The last Cunk special had a total of 185 million global views across our key social platforms.

‘In every meeting with writers, producers, directors - the question has to be: does more money make it more funny?

"If it doesn't – it's not worth the spend. Because in the end, audiences watching comedy don't care how it was made. They care if it made them laugh.’

Petrie’s comments came after he  warned that the opportunities for international investment to plug the gap to pay for scripted comedy are becoming increasingly rare.

He said the TV comedy industry had been ‘dazzled’ by the model of globally funded dramas – but in  reality that was unsustainable.

‘The opportunities for international investment to significantly plug the gap for scripted comedy are becoming increasingly rare,’ he said. 

‘This might seem at odds with what I said back in 2022 about co-producing with our American friends. That door hasn't closed entirely - but it's always been narrower for comedy, and with a wider reset happening in our industry, we need to face reality head-on.

‘We all got dazzled by the drama investment model - which was understandable, given the pace of change. Brilliant shows like The Outlaws and Starstruck showed what's possible when comedy attracts drama-level investment. I'm immensely proud of these shows. 

‘But let's be honest about the market reality – that period of peak TV was unsustainable. Meanwhile, production costs have skyrocketed across the board, and pure comedy - the kind that defines the UK’s cultural identity - simply doesn't command the same co-production interest as its glossier comedy-drama cousins.’

Jon Petrie's speech in full

It's a genuine privilege to be here in Belfast – and in front of so many of the people who actually make this industry work. Not just the faces on iPlayer, but the people behind the scenes who get things written, made, financed and delivered.

Northern Ireland has long punched above its weight creatively – and for too long, in network comedy we haven't done as much as we could to back it. But that's changing as this year BBC Comedy, in partnership with BBC Northern Ireland, will be ringfencing over £500,00 of additional year-long funding exclusively for production spend on new comedy in Northern Ireland for 25/26. 

And just to be clear – this isn't for shows already on our slate like Fun Boys. It's purely for original ideas and emerging voices – to discover and develop the next wave of Northern Irish comedy. 

So, welcome to Belfast. Not that it's mine to welcome you to. But the BBC Comedy Festival? That's ours. And you are very welcome. 

Over the next two days we've got genuinely useful sessions – and some awkward networking by the Tayto crisp wall. It's a real place to schmooze and build relationships: "What's your favourite crisp?" "Beef & Onion." "Me too! Shall we make a show together?"

But more than anything, these couple of days are about making space for what's next and I want to use this opportunity, where I've lured you in with the promise of Steve Coogan, to look back over the last 12 months in BBC Comedy, give you my thoughts on where we are now, and where we might be going. If this sounds boring, don't worry because, after this speech, everything else at the festival will feel hilarious. 

A year ago, at the BBC Comedy Festival in Glasgow I said comedy was in a weird place. It still is, if we're honest. But one thing hasn't changed - audiences still want it.

Against all the noise, all the pressure, UK comedy has been having a blinder. As the Financial Times recently put it: "Original British comedy is enjoying a period of strength.’ They also said yields on the 30 year gilt rate are fluctuating but I was less interested in that because I have no idea what that means.

I'm pleased that comedy is doing well everywhere. Channel 4 have had a fantastic creative run with Big Boys and The Change. ITV are delivering on scale and quality - Changing Ends and G'Wed - all part of a genuinely competitive field.

And at the BBC:

• Amandaland found a massive audience and proved that strong characters and laugh-out-loud writing are still king and queen
• Alma's Not Normal took the Best Scripted Comedy Bafta and won three RTS Awards, highlighting what happens when the industry removes barriers and properly resources brilliant working-class talent. 
• And Ludwig became the BBC comedy department's best-performing title of the last ten years. Across the whole market. 
• Gavin & Stacey returned and broke every record going with 20.9m viewers - the highest rated comedy since records began in 2002. 

But perhaps most encouraging of all: audiences are not just rewatching Friday Night Dinner or Benidorm (though they were still top of Netflix's acquired shows in 2024 -which tells you something). They are choosing new comedy. They're hungry for it.

So creatively, we're soaring. Financially? We're flapping our arms and hoping no one notices. But we're not passive - we're refocusing commissioning around what's real and possible now.

The story when I joined in 2021 was all about co-financing. Money sloshing about. Big visions, global reach, comedy writers briefly being seen as high-risk, high-reward assets - like crypto, but with jokes.

We all got dazzled by the drama investment model - which was understandable, given the pace of change. Brilliant shows like The Outlaws and Starstruck showed what's possible when comedy attracts drama-level investment. I'm immensely proud of these shows. But let's be honest about the market reality – that period of Peak TV was unsustainable. Meanwhile, production costs have skyrocketed across the board, and pure comedy - the kind that defines the UK’s cultural identity - simply doesn't command the same co-production interest as its glossier comedy-drama cousins.

The opportunities for international investment to significantly plug the gap for scripted comedy are becoming increasingly rare. This might seem at odds with what I said back in 2022 about co-producing with our American friends. That door hasn't closed entirely - but it's always been narrower for Comedy, and with a wider reset happening in our industry, we need to face reality head-on.

Speaking of industry realities – tomorrow, we are publishing a landmark report on the value of the UK comedy industry. The findings confirm what we already knew: British comedy generates substantial cultural and economic returns, with the BBC leading the charge as the largest commissioner of UK first-run comedy. But the report also highlights those financial headwinds I've been discussing and calls for targeted tax relief to keep British comedy competitive globally. 

Facing these financial realities isn't new to anyone in this room. What's remarkable is how this industry consistently finds brilliance even when resources are tight, though I know many of you are feeling genuinely knackered from pulling so many rabbits out of hats. Our focus now must be on channelling that resourcefulness smartly. Less about ‘papering over cracks’ and more about being strategically focused so we can make distinctive, impactful comedy for the long haul.

Great comedy always comes back to the fundamentals: brilliant characters, sharp jokes, a unique voice. Those are the elements that endure – not massive sets or casts of thousands.

Think about what people actually share online. The moments that go viral aren't expensive set pieces - they're laugh-out-loud writing and performances. Amandaland and Am I Being Unreasonable clips spread across social media week after week. The last Cunk special had a total of 185 million global views across our key social platforms.

This isn't a manifesto against ambition. But we must constantly ask: 'Does this specific spend make it funnier?' We can't out-budget global streamers, but we can be smarter and funnier and speak to UK audiences more directly. 

We launched our funded showrunner-led writers' rooms last year to prove big laughs don't need mega budgets. Locations like a maternity ward, a boxing gym, a holiday park. They might sound simple, but the brilliance will be in the characters and the craft.

Big laughs in small, relatable worlds. Limited casts, limited locations but with no limit on what they could grow into.

Because if we keep shows affordable, we can be patient. We can give them time to build. To find their audience and to come back again.

We'll keep fighting for the comedy tax credit and working with the comedy community to make the economics stack up. But in the meantime, in every meeting  with writers, producers, directors - the question has to be: Does more money make it more funny?

If it doesn't – it's not worth the spend. Because in the end, audiences watching comedy don't care how it was made. They care if it made them laugh.

By the way, we've done some research that will be unpacked further during the 'Cost of Comedy' panel tomorrow. What we've found is enlightening: it's not just possible but proven that award-winning, popular comedy can be made on a BBC budget alone. The data backs up what we've always suspected - people connect with great characters and writing, not budget.

Again, this isn't about being unambitious. It's about being smart with your ambition and even smarter about futureproofing your creativity.

Comedy has something ​powerful baked in: originality. It starts with writers. It starts with you. And that's a huge advantage when working with us.

When you make a show for the licence fee and retain your IP, you can grow it over time. You're not locked into a streamer's contract. You're not giving away chunks of your show before it's even aired.

Look at Ghosts. It started modestly. It became global. And it paid back. The creators and the production company continue to earn from global sales, format adaptations, and merchandise because they retained their intellectual property. That ongoing revenue stream wouldn't exist if they'd sold their rights to a streamer upfront. In this market, ownership matters more than ever. And comedy, especially with public service backing, is better placed than any other genre to lead the way.

A genuine thank you to everyone in this room who creates comedy. In these challenging times, what you do brings joy, perspective, and laughter when people need it most. We're lucky to do what we do.

You're already proving how strong UK comedy can be. The audience is there. The talent is here. But we need to develop differently - to think about cost from the moment of conception. Romantic. And necessary.

To be crystal clear: this isn't about limiting your creativity or ambition. It's about focusing resources where they matter most. Did Funboys need a massive budget to put talking cartoon pig in their show? Absolutely not. It just needed the audacity to imagine it and the talent to execute it brilliantly. 

And if we keep our comedy affordable and distinctive - we won't just weather this moment. We'll shape what comes next - and make it bolder, weirder, funnier, and unmistakably ours.

(*Speech has had some minor edits to take out specific references to the room he was addressing)

Published: 21 May 2025