With the imminent release of Rose Matefeo’s brand new romcom Starstruck on BBC Three at the end of April, this coming year marks a watershed moment in broadcasting history with most BBC Three comedy either starring, written by or created by women. BBC Three will be the first UK channel to achieve this landmark in female representation with 58% of long-form scripted comedy written by women. Upcoming titles include Lazy Susan, Starstruck and Ellie and Natasia plus the second series of both In My Skin and Back to Life. In addition to this, the BBC today announces four new BBC Comedy Slices for BBC Three, all of which are written by and/or star female talent: Ladybaby, Amicable, Dinosaur and Britney, which results in the majority of comedy programmes on BBC Three now being female led. Kate Daughton, outgoing Head of Comedy at the BBC, says: Building on the huge success of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Daisy May Cooper, this marks a monumental achievement and is testament to the fact the most pioneering and exciting new voices in comedy are increasingly female. Kate leaves the Comedy Commissioning team today having made a tremendous impact overseeing a raft of female first titles. Since Kate’s arrival in 2017 she has commissioned and nurtured Fleabag, Mum, Ghosts, Gavin & Stacey: Christmas Special (2019), This Time With Alan Partridge, Back to Life, The Goes Wrong Show, Out of Her Mind, Two Doors Down, In My Skin and Man Like Mobeen. Alongside the forthcoming Witchfinder, Alma’s Not Normal and Stephen Merchant series The Offenders (w/t). Shane Allen, Director of BBC Comedy, says: Five years ago there were still articles asking where all the funny women were. That hoary old nonsense can finally be dispensed with once and for all. It’s a level playing field with the most vibrant and dynamic work coming through from females writers and writer performers who are elevating the art form of comedy and expanding its horizons. As for Kate Daughton, no longer will she curse at me for loud sneezing in the office. Partly because she’s leaving and mostly because we’ve not been in the office. Truly bereft; in denial that she’s off and we’re lucky to have had her for so long. Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer, says: Kate’s impeccable taste, whip smart comedy brain and beguiling ways with talent have had a transformative impact on the comedy output in her time here. The fact that BBC Three can claim to be the first UK channel with a majority of female led and written scripted comedy is in large part down to her vision and passion for backing genre defining female creatives. She’ll be sorely missed but thankfully leaves behind a terrific legacy of shows ahead.
