As broadcaster hails the success of its hits

The BBC’s TV comedy budget fell seven per cent last year, its new annual report reveals.

Accounts show that spending on the genre fell from £241million in the year 2023/24 to £224million last year.

That comes despite a four per cent increase in spending on TV programmes overall and inflation running at 3.4 per cent.  And the licence fee rose by  £10.50 - 6.6 per cent – in April 2024.

However, the annual report, out today, notes the broadcaster’s success in the genre saying: ‘We were the home of British comedy with hits like Alma’s Not Normal, Mammoth, Amandaland and Am I Being Unreasonable?'

Boarders, Outlaws, Golden Cobra and Dinosaur were mentioned elsewhere in the report as examples of BBC hits.

Comedy proves especially successful on iPlayer, the report reveals, with twice as many viewers watching on demand as watching live – a bigger proportion than any other genre.

Elsewhere, the popularity of the American remake of Ghosts was hailed as a success for the commercial arm BBC Studios.

The CBS network has commissioned a fifth and sixth series to air over the next few years. Local versions also recently aired in France and Germany, with other remakes debuting in Australia and Greece later in 2025.

Published: 15 Jul 2025