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The BAFTA Comedy Debate

28 May 09

Watch leading broadcasters discuss the limits and future of television comedy.

Academy Webcasts supported by The Farm Group

In an era of hyper-complaint, has comedy lost the plot when judging the limits of public opinion, or has it simply lost its bottle?

In the wake of the public and tabloid outcry over Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, Krishnan Guru-Murthy chairs an expert panel of leading figures in British television discussing the limits of comedy.

The panel talk about what should be acceptable on television before asking how programme makers can balance unnecessary offence with creative freedom.

Between comedians, commissioning editors, tabloid journalists and compliance lawyers, who now knows where to draw the editorial line in contemporary comedy? Has comedy lost it's moral compass and should the British public continue to pay the license fee?

Joining the debate at BAFTA Headquarters:

Jimmy Mulville (Hat Trick Productions)
Andrew Newman (Head of Comedy and Entertainment, Channel 4)
Mark Freeland (Head of Comedy, BBC)
Charles Moore (columnist and former Editor of the Daily Telegraph)
Neil Pepin (Deputy Head of Legal and Compliance)
Jesse Armstrong (Producer and writer, Peep Show, The Thick of It)

The debate was produced with support from BAFTA Committee members Andrew Newman and Jane Lush (joint MD of Splash Media and former Entertainment commissioner for the BBC).