The comedians have bolted. Once, they were confined to underground clubs, scheduled radio, sitcoms and panel shows. But no more. They buck across our feeds, whinny down podcasts and nuzzle our thumbs for ‘likes’.
The old stables are falling into disrepair. Television comedy is contracting. British broadcasters commissioned 41 per cent fewer scripted comedies in 2023 than the year before, making it the most in-decline scripted genre. The BBC has been retreating from comedy for a decade: its first-run comedy output fell from 225 hours in 2010 to 108 in 2022-23. As television’s doors close, comedians are being driven elsewhere.
At the end of July, the British television institution, Live at the Apollo, which launched a thousand comedy careers into the mainstream, was axed. The Friday night favourite is being laid to rest as the BBC explores ‘digital plans’.
This means short-form reels. And the move makes sense. For years, Live at the Apollo sets have been written to create clippable viral segments. They might as well cut the middleman. This practice is known as ‘clip farming’. Jokes are written to reach around a minute, and the set (and long-form video) is just there to be harvested for clicks.
