Original programming
In October 2011, Threesome, a narrative comedy series and Comedy Central's first original scripted comedy began. The series starred Emun Elliott, Irish actor Amy Huberman and Stephen Wight, was written by Tom MacRae, and produced by Big Talk Productions.[8]
In May 2012, it was announced that Comedy Central was to make a major push into original comedy content, with more than 20 new projects at various stages of development, and 10 scripts already ordered. Programming executive Sarah Farrell told trade magazine Broadcast, "This time next year, we will be doing as many of those projects as we possibly can. We are looking for things that are big, broad and accessible, with the laugh-out-loud factor that comes from big jokes and set pieces." She also noted that they are now "fully committed to the plans."[9]
The process was being micro-managed by Paramount bosses in New York, but with the announcement of such projects and Threesome's success, UK executives have been given greater control. Farrell also indicated that if the already commissioned second series of Threesome is popular, then "a third run could be up to 22 episodes in length."[9]
As of May 2012, details about most of the new projects are not publicly available, though the magazine Broadcast reported minor details of a proposed single-camera sitcom about a graduate who moves back in with his parents. A pilot episode of Big Bad World, which is written by Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf is reportedly being produced by Objective Productions and by the team behind Peep Show. Tristram Shapeero, who had been working in the US and whose credits include Happy Endings, Green Wing, Community, and I'm Alan Partridge, will direct, with Andrew Newman and Ben Farrell executive producing. Five further scripts are already complete, should the pilot be seen in a positive light by Comedy Central bosses.[9]
Comedy Central's move into original productions did not come without problems, as it was announced in April 2012 that Pete Thornton, the channel's comedy commissioner, had resigned to return to the BBC comedy department as its Creative Head of Comedy, and would oversee Comic Relief 2013. Comedy Central is one of several UK digital channels to work on increasing their original comedy output, with BSkyB investing in new British comedy programmes, and UKTV channels Dave and Gold also producing more of their own content.[9]
Alongside the other VIMN (Viacom International Media Networks) networks in the UK, Comedy Central, fueled by the purchase of Channel 5, there has been an announcement to open a production studio [10] to make programming for Comedy Central and other channels.
It was announced in 2016 that Comedy Central and Channel X had greenlit a new prank comedy reality show presented and starting YouTuber Ben Phillips and his friends. The new series, titled Ben Phillips Blows Up, the channel announced there would be a 22-minute pilot episode due to be released in 2017 on Comedy Central. A full series would happen if the show is well received.[11]
In 2021, Comedy Central UK ordered three new shows for the network including quiz show Fact Off and panel show The Complaints Department.[12][13][14][15][16][17] The third new show was an all female comedy panel/satire show called Yesterday, Today and The Day Before[18] which was due to be hosted each week by comedians Suzi Ruffell, Maisie Adam and Sophie Duker, until Duker quit after the first episode in protest over cuts to her monologue about conflict between Israel and Palestine.[19]
On 29 September 2021, Fact Off debuted on the channel at 9pm, under the new name of Rob Beckett's Undeniable,[28][29][30] with Joe Swash, Kae Kurd, Angela Barnes and Ivo Graham, the first guests of the new series.[31]
