Does anybody know exactltly how many sitcoms are produced and shown each year in Britain? Or how much money is spent on comedy by the major networks? Compared to drama, say?
Facts and figures?
Well, I think that there were around a dozen shows in 2006 which were either new or returning. No real idea how that translates to expenditure, but I'd guess that there's a good million or two behind an average production these days.
Last year there were 17 new British TV sitcoms. In 2005 there were 16 new shows and in 2004 there were about 13 new TV sitcoms. Most have been one season only affairs however there are of course some that have or are returning.
As for money - budgets are kept a secret from us but it is a fair amount. Something like My Family obviously costs the BBC a lot more than a BBC3 sitcom due to fees for the stars and writers however the cost per episode for any sitcom is normally into six figures!