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Comedy Series

We remain particularly keen on diversifying the talent base for comedy and the geographical setting of our scripted output specifically stories outside the central belt. Please look at our output over recent years and consider how you can add fresh voices and new range to the slate.

There is currently a wide gap across the industry for more broad, shared viewing experience like Two Doors Down, Not Going Out and Mrs Browns Boys and we are looking to have more of these types of shows on our slate.  We are particularly keen on mainstream, mass audience, relatable worlds, easily digestible offering, works on both services equally i.e. Channel and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ One Scotland. (e.g. Scot Squad).   While we can and will still progress these ideas locally we’re keen to find worlds and characters we can partner with the network to develop.  Our network colleagues have emphasised the need for scripted comedies with a high gag rate and a move away from anything too dramatic. This chimes with our current direction of travel too when it comes to half hour comedy projects. We are delighted our recent pilot opportunity has lead to a series of Only Child and are keen to find another high value sitcom from Scotland.  We are also interested in other co-financing opportunities internationally, though the content should feel that it has a distinct Scottish sensibility (e.g. Dinosaur).  We don’t want to be pitched shows about English families moving to Scotland.

Think about the broad family / relationship dynamics and workplace laughs conjured by shows like The Scotts, Scot Squad and Only Child. We are looking for relatable precincts and situations that our audiences can instantly recognise. We don't need a cast of thousands and multiple locations.  Sometimes simpler is better.

We are keen to find more high impact comedy titles we can co commission as well as maintaining a healthy slate of local comedies (e.g. Stevens & McCarthy) for the channel and opt out slots. We are also particularly keen to find Scotland’s equivalent to series like Young Offenders, Derry Girls and This Country – which have all performed well amongst younger audiences but have had a detailed and authentic sense of place.

Drama

It will come as no surprise that high end, high impact drama titles have significant reach for Scottish audiences. Over the short life of the channel we’ve had a range of tones from the award winning dramedy Guilt to 2 series of a slightly softer crime drama in Granite Harbour that played to large audiences in the North East and we’ll soon have a full throttle firework of a series as co commissioners of Richard Gadd’s new project Half Man.  We are also working with international partners to stand up a new thriller, The Ridge set in Scotland and New Zealand.  Our priority is for Scottish stories but this kind of 'pre buy' model is interesting should the idea feel right for our audience.

This range means we are very open to different tones of dramas but always with our overarching brief of reflecting the lives of our contemporary Scottish audience. That means we are less likely to look at genre pieces such as sci-fi and horror. Similarly period is tricky for us but recent nostalgia or factual stories that help us make sense of the world today are worth further discussion.  What is Scotland’s answer to Mr Bates VS. The Post Office? We’re keen to see ideas that take a factual story and supersize into a drama moment – something people will talk about around the water cooler and that has wider reaching impact. Similarly shows like Adolescence got the country talking. We want stories that have power and themes behind them that journalists and presenters want to discuss on their programmes.

Ultimately though we want stories that entertain! Ideas that have entertainment values at their heart. We’re looking for quirky character led pieces that audiences are surprised by as opposed to issue led projects that may not punch through. Stories that can really grip an audience and pull them through from episode to episode. Hooks, mystery and distinctive authored voices are important. Crime is always wanted from the audience but we need to find fresh ways to approach it and a bit of left field thinking may elevate a more traditional detective series.

We are also keen to see ideas that highlight authentic portrayal of working class stories as this is important to reach underserved Scottish audiences.  Ideas in contained environments (e.g. Boiling Point or The Bear) are intriguing and would love to see ideas that fit with this small environment, high drama feel but with a distinctively Scottish flavour.We are keen to find ways to tell stories across all of our platforms and want to increase the volume of new ideas coming through and have development funding to support this ambition. We are focussed on returning series or multi episodic factual. Single films are difficult to finance at this time.

• 60 mins
• Tariff varies according to finance model
• Genre: Scotland Drama
• Channel: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ One Scotland or Scotland Channel
• Commissioner: Gavin Smith

Scripted Comedy

While TV is the priority for our scripted spend with other parts of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ servicing radio comedy, we are able to use radio as a pipeline for new sitcoms and characters should that be the best home for a project. Do we have a Jonathan Pie or Philomena Cunk in Scotland?

• 3-6 x 30 mins
• Tariff: £40k-£60k per 6-part series
• Genre: Scotland Comedy
• Channel: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Scotland
• Commissioner: Gavin Smith

Short Stuff

We’d like to hear ideas that could play out in our Short Stuff short form comedy strand, aimed at developing character worlds and diverse talent. These are experimental, low cost pieces for sharing digitally.  It is an experimental platform for the germination of new talent and character brands.  This is an open space that is not only a space to give newer writers, directors and producers a platform to hone their craft but is also an opportunity to test characters and stories.

We are actively looking for Scotland’s answer to some of the great comedy characters such as Jonathan Pie and Philomena Cunk and Short Stuff is one way we can test a character’s appeal. This space can also be used to trial story ideas and we’re open to pitches that utilise Short Stuff as a way to film several scenes with the same characters/locations that could later be developed into longer form series further down the line. We want to get writers writing scenes and narrative so if there’s someone you’re excited by do please let us know.

This can also be a good platform for emerging indies to engage with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Scotland. We encourage anyone who is interested in Short Stuff to pitch in or reach out if they want to chat about it. This is not only a great avenue for emerging writers and producers but also for more experienced indies to test characters and new comedy talent.

Comedy - Short Films

The Comedy Short Films are single 10 minute pieces for iPlayer curated in a single destination on iPlayer featuring work from all around the UK. We work in partnership with Network here and see this space as a way for upcoming talent to test and showcase characters and worlds. Similar to the general strategy for comedy, these should also feature high gag rates and strong comedic characters.

You can read more about the opportunities here and while there is a central submissions process, do feel free to talk to me directly about ideas in this space.

Again we are particularly interested in a more diverse range of voices in the writing and on screen representation.

We have had award winning success with our digital dramas Float and Dog Days and we want to do another one. These consist of 10 minute episodes and are typically aimed at younger audiences. We are open to ideas that can fit in this space as well as other experimental ways to do episodic drama for younger audiences. Please bear in mind tariffs are very low so concepts should be practical on small cast and crew.  Given the rising prominence of digital content, we are open to conversations around tweaking longer form pitches into a shorter digital space.

Similarly to Short Stuff we are also now planning to experiment in even shorter form digital drama for social platforms with a vertical first outlook. It’s a rising area around the globe and while it will be a micro budget opportunity it could be a space for new directors and writers to cut their teeth and build a relationship with the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.