Comedy Playhouse strand to return to BBC One
Comedy Playhouse is to return to BBC One next month.
Comedy commissioning boss Shane Allen hopes that reviving the classic strand of pilots will encourage more comedians and writers to aspire to work for the corporation's flagship, mainstream station, rather than the more experimental BBC Two.
The famed series of comedy pilots was created for Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in 1961 following the end of their partnership with comic performer Tony Hancock on noted series Hancock's Half Hour.
The fourth ever episode of Comedy Playhouse was the pilot which became Steptoe And Son, whilst other celebrated comedies to have first been seen in the pilot series include Meet The Wife, Are You Being Served?, The Liver Birds, Last Of The Summer Wine, Till Death Us Do Part and All Gas And Gaiters.
Comedy Playhouse, with scripts from other writers from Series 3 onwards, ran until 1974, clocking up 120 episodes over 15 series and numerous specials.
Allen says: "BBC One delivers enormous audiences for comedy and this season revival reflects our commitment in mainstream to do new and daring projects. We want BBC One to fly the flag of popular British comedy and want this dedicated space to promote tomorrow's classic comedy today."
Talking to The Independent newspaper, he explained said: "With BBC One, some performers are more reticent to be there because of the glare of what being on BBC One means.
"That's a big priority for me. I know we can do great and cool BBC Two shows until the cows come home and BBC Three has the buzz of finding new talent. But BBC One is a big challenge."
The first revived run of Comedy Playhouse will launch in April 2014, and consist of just three titles: the previously announced Monks, which has been in development since 2000; Scottish mountain rescue comedy Miller's Mountain; and Hugh Dennis pilot Over To Bill, in which the Outnumbered star (pictured) plays a newly-sacked BBC weatherman.
Over To Bill has been created and written by Red Dwarf scribe Doug Naylor, and will co-star Neil Morrissey. All three programmes will broadcast in a 10:35pm timeslot, "so there's no pressure on ratings".
Allen (left), who describes himself as a "comedy anorak", spoke to the newspaper of his admiration for famed 1960s BBC Light Entertainment boss Tom Sloan OBE, who created the Comedy Playhouse series for Galton & Simpson.
"Tom Sloan is a legendary hero who everyone should know. He was the first person who said comedy should reflect people in the real world."
Speaking further about his desire to bring comic talent to BBC One, he explained: "Everybody wants to be on Two, the channel with the cool kids, and it's a much braver thing to want to be on BBC One. I want BBC One to be a place where people do want to come and do different and interesting and experimental work.
"Maybe it's a British mentality compared to an American mentality? People think you've sold out when you get popular. John Cleese was accused of being a sellout after Monty Python's Flying Circus because they thought that Fawlty Towers was a throwback."
He also noted the success and "national phenomena" status achieved by the likes of Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Catherine Tate, and most recently Lee Mack, by moving to the corporation's main channel.
He concluded: "A BBC One audience wants warm comedy with a big old character in the middle of it and loads of jokes - and that won't ever change."
The BBC will also be piloting a further handful of comedies this week, at the Salford Sitcom Showcase, in an effort to find future studio sitcom hits. Hebburn and Citizen Khan have been trialled at the showcase in previous years.
Our guide to the 2014 Comedy Playhouse pilots
Here is the original pilot episode of Steptoe And Son, titled The Offer: