08:30 - Registration and coffee

09:00 - Chair’s opening remarks

Jon’s producers’ credits reads like a list of seminal British comedy shows and includes Absolutely Fabulous, French and Saunders, The Vicar Of Dibley, Murder Most Horrid, Fry and Laurie, Smith and Jones and Bottom.

As an executive producer he worked on a generation of comedy shows including The Office, Little Britain, Shooting Stars, The League of Gentlemen, People Like Us, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and The Thick Of It.

We are delighted to give Jon the further accolade of being 2008’s TV Comedy Forum chair!

Jon Plowman, Producer
BBC

09:15 - Keynote interview

One of the most influential women in British television comedy over the last twenty years, BAFTA and Emmy Award winning writer, performer and producer Jennifer Saunders talks to Jon Plowman about the state of the industry, her life and times in comedy and plans for the future…

Jennifer Saunders, Writer / Comedienne

09:45 - Panel session: Selling the broadcasters – what do commissioners require from content to make them invest?

Here the commissioners tell us about their changing tastes, what their interested in buying, what’s in the pitch and how funding models for comedy productions may be out of date.

Moderator:
Stuart Murphy, Creative Director
TwoFour Group

Lucy Lumsden, Controller Comedy Commissioning
BBC

Michaela Hennessy-Vass, Commissioning Editor
ITV

Graham Smith, Comedy Producer/former Controller Comedy and Entertainment
Channel 5

Andrew Newman, Controller Comedy & Entertainment
Channel 4

Paul Schlesinger, Head of Radio Entertainment
BBC

Jill Offman, UK Managing Director
Paramount Comedy

10:45 - Break and networking

11:15 - Panel session: Comedy online - balancing the opportunites with the threat to traditional business moulds. What does it mean for comedy?

This session explores the paradoxical online environment, focusing on the multitude of potential applications the web has in comedy. It will also examine the potential side-affects of rights issues, quality control and the demise of the 30 minute show.

Jimmy Mulville, MD
Hat Trick

Henry Normal, Co-Founder
Baby Cow Productions

Debbie Manners, Managing Director Comedy Demon
RDF Digital

Will Saunders, Producer
BBC

Digby Lewis, Creative Director
Dailymotion

12:00 - Panel session: Stateside focus - securing success in the US

UK comedy is hot in the States right now and getting a successful UK show remade for this market is a serious potential revenue stream.

This session will bring together UK writers and producers who have successfully made the US transition, helping you to identify what it takes in a script and throughout the production process to achieve your goals in the US.

Guy Jenkin, Writer/Director/Producer

Charlie Hanson, Producer (Extras)

Sarah Doole, Director
Drama & Comedy, The Indie Unit, BBC Worldwide

12:40 - Lunch and networking

13:45 - US writers have their say about what it takes to crack the US

From pitching the networks to the creative process, leading US writers and producers share their secrets on a market where frequently a little gets lost in translation over the Atlantic!

14:15 - Interview: Following the creative process from paper to the small screen - tips on becoming a writer/performer

Perhaps best known for his role as Keith Barret in BBC comedy’s Marion and Geoff and The Keith Barret Show, Rob has had a diverse comedy upbringing frequently crossing the writer-performer divide.

Famed for his own particular style of black humour, Rob was listed in The Observer’s 2003 list of the funniest acts in British comedy.

Rob Brydon, Writer / Producer

Boyd Hilton, TV Editor
Heat Magazine

15:00 - Break and networking

15:20 - Panel session: Sourcing and developing talent in comedy

This session will focus on what broadcasters, agents and production companies are doing to nurture emerging talent. It will focus on the different paths available, underrepresented demographics and what is being done to redress imbalances.

Kathleen Hutchison, Head of New Comedy
Paramount Comedy

Mark Freeland, Head of Comedy
BBC Productions

Hannah Chambers, Agent
Chambers Management Agency

Duncan Hayes, Agent
United Agents

Gary Reich, Executive Producer
Brown Eyed Boy