Comedy and Drama

We are developing and commissioning in all the areas below on a rolling basis so please send us your ideas.

We do have a specific time sensitive opportunity with Short Stuff. There is more information below but we’d like to commission a ‘bunch’ (technical term) of short form content that reflects on 2026 that we can post in the run up to the end of the year.

This will likely be sketches and a bit of topicality and a look back feel. It might be news story specific but also can be relatable big talking points and themes of 2026 EG A.I., Manosphere etc. These could be from an individual or a sketch group or a character act. It could be something more formatted too that may suit a stand up. We will do a few of these so that we have different creatives and comedy voices looking back on the year. Please send your ideas to Deb Charles for this.

We also have other exciting digital opportunities including YouTube pilots and vertical drama. See more below.

Comedy Series

We remain particularly keen on diversifying the geographical setting of our scripted output specifically stories outside the central belt. Please look at our output over recent years and consider how you can add fresh voices and new range to the slate including stories that offer more diverse on screen portrayal.

There is currently a wide gap across the industry for more broad, shared viewing experience like Two Doors Down, Not Going Out and Mrs Browns Boys and we are looking to have more of these types of shows on our slate. We are particularly keen on mainstream, mass audience, relatable worlds, easily digestible offerings that work on both services equally i.e. Channel and BBC One Scotland. (e.g. Scot Squad). There is a need for scripted comedies with a high gag rate and a move away from anything too dramatic or arc based. Think about the broad family / relationship dynamics and workplace laughs conjured by shows like The Scotts, Scot Squad and Only Child. We are looking for relatable precincts and situations that our audiences can instantly recognise. We don't need a cast of thousands and multiple locations. Sometimes simpler is better. Please also consider how you can use our low cost digital pipelines to realise your idea (see below).

We are keen to find more high impact comedy titles we can co commission as well as maintaining a healthy slate of local comedies. We are also interested in other co-financing opportunities internationally, though the content should feel that it has a distinct Scottish sensibility (e.g. Dinosaur). We don’t want to be pitched shows about English families moving to Scotland.

Drama

It will come as no surprise that high end, high impact drama titles have significant reach for Scottish audiences. Over the short life of the channel we’ve had a range of tones from the award winning dramedy Guilt to 2 series of a slightly softer crime drama in Granite Harbour that played to large audiences in the North East. Richard Gadd’s Half Man has recently explored very challenging themes as part of wider cultural conversations. We have also recently announced further co commissions including Grams, Young Team, Sutherland and new legal drama Counsels which across them offer a mix of sci fi, gangs, youth, crime and mainstream ensemble. This volume and range is part of our strategic remix of our content spend to offer a variety of drama to different audiences. We hope it shows that we are very open to different tones of drama but always with our overarching brief of reflecting the lives of our contemporary Scottish audience.

Ultimately though we want stories that entertain! Ideas that have entertainment values at their heart. We’re looking for quirky character led pieces that audiences are surprised by as opposed to issue led projects that may not punch through. Stories that can really grip an audience and pull them through from episode to episode. Hooks, mystery, scale and distinctive authored voices are important. Crime is always wanted from the audience but we need to find fresh ways to approach it and a bit of left field thinking may elevate a more traditional detective series. There is a real viewer appetite to move away from the darker side of life and find some brightness and warmth. However that doesn’t mean middling comedy drama that doesn’t have enough stakes and event. That can just get a bit lost. Think series, and returnability and new iconic characters with a bit of a swagger.

Period is tricky for us but recent nostalgia or factual stories that help us make sense of the world today are worth further discussion. What is Scotland’s answer to Mr Bates VS. The Post Office? We’re keen to see ideas that take a factual story and supersize into a drama moment – something people will talk about around the water cooler and that has wider reaching impact. Similarly shows like Adolescence got the country talking. We want stories that have power and themes behind them that journalists and presenters want to discuss on their programmes.

We have development funding to support our ambition. We are focussed on returning series or multi episodic factual. Single films are difficult to finance at this time.

As with Comedy, we are working closely with network colleagues to bring new ideas with particular appeal to Scottish audiences to air. At present, drama commissions for the BBC One Scotland opts and the BBC Scotland channel are likely to need significant co-funding. We’re looking for entrepreneurial producers who can work with us to piece the funding together. With the current funding landscape across the sector, we are open to all ways of working. Alongside local funding and co-commissions with BBC Network, we also do pre-buys internationally and Co-Produce ideas with international partners. We recently worked with international partners to stand up a new thriller, The Ridge set in Scotland and New Zealand. Our priority is for Scottish stories but this kind of 'pre buy' model is interesting should the idea feel right for our audience.

Short Stuff

We’re refreshing Short Stuff as the digital playground for scripted short-form comedy across the Nations. Think of it as a creative sandbox — a space where new ideas, voices and talent can take shape and grow.

This is an incubator space for newer to TV performers, writers, directors or producers to test out new characters, explore worlds and to try out innovative ways to tell stories. We are actively looking for Scotland’s answer to some of the great comedy characters such as Jonathan Pie and Philomena Cunk and Short Stuff is one way we can test a character’s appeal. We’re particularly keen to hear from fresh voices, underrepresented perspectives and anyone with a passion for comedy. We are interested in lo-fi ideas that sit firmly in the online space. We are especially interested in content that resonates with 18 - 24 audiences but are open to all ideas.

Projects can be live action and/or animation and will exist as platform specific, so both 16x9 and vertical formats. The length can fit the idea so can be from 30 seconds – approximately 5 minutes. We’re also open to pitches that use Short Stuff to build multiple short scenes around the same characters or locations with potential to grow into longer-form series down the line.

This isn’t just for new creatives; it’s also a great space for more established indies to test new characters and comedy voices.

We commission on a rolling basis, so we’re always open to hearing new ideas.

YouTube Pilots

We’re interested in comedy pilot ideas built from a series of short-form scenes that come together as one longer piece. The ambition is that these could develop into full series over time. We’d love to move beyond seeing the traditional 30-minute TV sitcom as the ultimate goal, and instead explore ideas that can thrive as repeatable, digital-first formats.

We will be working with the Nations to commission a minimum of one comedy pilot each this year.

Acquisitions

We’re keen to open more opportunities in the talent pipeline and are interested in acquiring existing work that fits the Short Stuff brief. Do reach out if you’re a comedy content creator and would like to see your work on our platforms. You can submit clips via the email address short.stuff@bbc.co.uk

Comedy Short Films

Our Comedy Short Films strand features one-off 10-minute pieces on iPlayer, curated in a single destination on iPlayer featuring work from all around the UK. Working in partnership with Network, this space is about giving upcoming talent the chance to test and showcase strong characters and distinct worlds, and we hope can be a stepping stone towards half hour TV comedy development. Recent shorts include Govan Fair Queen and The Dog House. As with our wider comedy strategy, we’re looking for high gag rates and bold, memorable characters.

We’re particularly keen to see a broader range of voices, both in writing and on screen.

There is a formal submissions process, but you’re very welcome to reach out directly to discuss ideas. Please look at the wider Comedy Shorts brief.

Digital First Drama

6 x 10 Minute Drama

Following the success of award-winning digital dramas like Float and Dog Days, we’re continuing to invest in this format. These projects are 6 x 10-minute episodes for YouTube and iPlayer, which at times can also work as a standalone 60-minute piece for linear TV and are aimed at 16–24 audiences.

We’re looking for distinctive characters, fresh perspectives, and stories or settings we don’t often see. We’re also open to more experimental approaches to episodic storytelling.

Tariffs in this space are modest, so ideas with smaller casts and limited locations tend to work best.

Vertical First Micro Drama

BBC RADIO SCOTLAND

Scripted Comedy
We are not looking for radio comedy or drama at this time and please reach out to our audio colleagues.