Rob Gilroy: Who Likes Short Shorts?

Last week I discussed length. Despite an influx of web traffic from people desperate to hand over their bank details for a solution, it was actually in relation to comedy films.

This week, I thought I’d look at comedy shorts.

Despite my protestations, Giggle Beats wouldn’t permit 2000 words on hot pants, so instead I’ve focussed on the BBC’s new, much-promoted online comedy episodes.

A lot has been made about these new videos – particularly in the wake of BBC3’s imminent demise and the suggestion that the corporation are looking to take iPlayer the way of Netflix, Amazon Prime and PornHub.

Now, I’m no TV expert – I’ve yet to learn how the tiny person can fit inside it to do the Sign Zone – nevertheless, it is clear that online streaming and subscription-based sites are the way forward.

It’s a shame TV has taken so long to catch on, I’ve been subscribing to magazines for years – so far I have eight of the 23 Bond films, half a Spider-man chess set and the hull of the Mary Celeste.

The shorts feature a wealth of top comedy talent – Bob Mortimer masterminded a lot of it; like a tiny, balding megalomaniac. But we also get the talents of Meera Syal, Reece Shearsmith and Sally Philips.

I would pay to see these funny people on my TV more often and yet it seems odd that they appear in these new online clips.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s nice to see big comedy names doing something different and silly, like when Michael Portillo did that mockumentary about being a single mum.

Yet, I can’t help wondering if the shorts would have been better if they had promoted new and untapped talent?

That is easy for me to say, speaking as someone who would, and has, sold a kidney to showcase my tapped-less talent.

If you’re piloting a new strand of comedy – particularly one that is to replace BBC3 – then why not dip your toe in the murky waters of people desperate eager for the opportunity?

I can see the logic behind it – a new venture needs big names to draw in an audience – where would stair lifts be without Thora Hird – yet it feels as though the opportunity hasn’t been seized as well as we might hope.

Oddly, Morgana Robinson’s short worked the best for me. Its selection of mini-sketches packed more jokes in than many of the other videos, whilst showcasing just how strong a character comedian she is.

That said, it hardly reinvented the impressions show.

I’m tempted to say that if the BBC had risked using new writers and performers (hint, hint) they would have had a much more eclectic mixture of ideas and styles but then, I don’t know if that is true.

Either way, it’s a difficult line to walk. Use newbies and you run the risk of losing out on potential audiences, but use big names and you’ll most certainly have a backlash from those keen to see new faces.

Sky had a similar situation with its Common Ground series.

Initially it suggested a showcase for the freshest comedy talent but what we got was Johnny Vegas and Jessica Hynes. While they are undoubtedly brilliant, I’d wager they wouldn’t pass a Daz Doorstep challenge.

But all this hints are something else.

The disbanding of BBC3 is a result of cuts the corporation has to make. This, coupled with an over reliance on viewing figures, suggests that opportunities to create your own shows are harder and harder to come by, whether or not you have a successful series behind you.

Comedy, it would seem, is the big gamble, and if you’re not the Foxy Bingo type, then it may not be a risk commissioners are willing to take.

I’m not suggesting Micky Flanagan or Matt Berry have to do the unmentionable things I’ve had to* in order to get their foot in the door, but I think the lack of opportunities to produce shows within the current TV system is difficult for all involved.

As the way people watches TV changes, presumably so will the way shows are commissioned.

The last few years have seen an emphasis placed on letting creative people do their thing – HBO, Netflix, Sky and FX have put their money where their mouths are (no coins, copper poisoning).

Hopefully this is something that will return to the BBC as they make the leap to online programming.

As a desperate, undiscovered newbie, I can only hope this is the case. I will wear hot pants if that will increase my chances.

*What happens round the back of Wetherspoons, stays round the back of Wetherspoons.