Comedy pilots take off

There's a growing trend for British TV comedy to be piloted before a series is commissioned, reports Stephen Armstrong in The Sunday Times.

In the past year or so, British television has started embracing a new way of developing comedy, and this autumn we will see the results. The reason for this revolution is clear. “The days when you could put a half-hour comedy with David Jason or Robert Lindsay at the heart of the schedule and have the audience stay with you ended about 10 years ago,” says Paul Jackson, director of comedy and entertainment at ITV. “Real-com shows like The Office were critical hits, but didn’t bring in a third of the audience of Only Fools.”