First established as part of the BBC’s commitment to fund network TV production, talent development and support for the creative sector, BBC Comedy today (Thursday 25 August 2022) confirms that Cardiff will become the BBC City of Comedy for 2023. The BBC City of Comedy aims to help find, nurture and connect new comedy talent in Wales with UK commissioners and the wider TV industry.
As BBC City of Comedy, Cardiff is set to benefit from a raft of different initiatives and activities taking place in and around the city, including hosting the BBC Comedy Festival – a multi-day event for indie producers, anyone with a new career in TV and comedy, and people looking to break into or advance their career in the industry to explore, reflect on and celebrate comedy in the UK.
In addition to hosting the BBC Comedy Festival, Cardiff will also see the following events and initiatives take place:
Cardiff will host the upcoming BBC New Comedy Awards Final, which will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in November 2022. The Final will take place at St David’s Hall and free tickets are available for the public to apply for here
Two Funded short film nights, which will be open for a local producer to curate, with the event set to include networking opportunities with the BBC Comedy commissioning team.
A Partnership Scheme, co-funded with Creative Wales, which will pair a Welsh-based emerging indie with a leading BBC Comedy supplier to help strengthen and enhance local comedy talent and project development in Wales.