BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie has announced 10 new and returning shows at the BBC Comedy Festival in Liverpool.
At the festival, now in its fifth year, Petrie unveiled six returning series orders and also announced two brand new series, Hopley Hall (w/t), starring Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and Opening Up, which stars Amy Gledhill.
Returning shows include: Amandaland, Black Ops, Am I Being Unreasonable, Things You Should Have Done, Such Brave Girls and Mammoth.
Much-loved sitcom Two Doors Down will also be back for an eighth series and a new documentary Twenty Years Of Not Going Out (w/t), will celebrate the studio sitcom.
Jon Petrie, speaking at the BBC Comedy Festival, said: “What sets the BBC apart is that we are British comedy’s biggest backer by far. And in tough times, when there is less and less scripted comedy on television, that matters even more.
“Because the BBC does not back comedy to make money. We back it for laughs. And if we weren’t here to support comedy properly, the simple truth is there would be a lot less of it. A lot less space for original voices. A lot less room to take risks.
“The case for comedy is stronger than it is often given credit for. And as other channels and streamers wake up to the fact that comedy can land like no other genre, our message to them is simple. Make more. We welcome the competition. Quite literally, the more the merrier.
“The evidence is there in the hits people watch now and the comedies they come back to again and again. Invest in comedy and the British public will do what they always do. Judge it mercilessly, insist they could have done it better, and then absolutely love it.”
He also highlighted recent successes: “BAFTA-winning Amandaland drew 7.4 million viewers for its Christmas special. Small Prophets has become the BBC’s biggest new scripted launch, with 7.7 million viewers and the biggest programme on BBC Two since records began. Very different shows, but both proof that British comedy can still be ambitious, original and hugely popular.”
The new shows
HOPLEY HALL (w/t)
Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls, Leonard and Hungry Paul) will star in Hopley Hall (w/t), a brand-new comedy created and written by Daniel Peak (Not Going Out, Code 404) for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Northern Ireland.
Co-produced by Nice One Productions and Birdie Pictures (backed by STUDIOCANAL) and supported by Northern Ireland Screen, the six-part series is centred around an historic and slightly shabby Grade 1 listed house in the Northern Ireland countryside.
Hopley Hall (w/t) follows the ensemble of staff and volunteers who keep the house running: a motley group of enthusiasts, innocents, idiots and sociopaths. For generations the home of the Hopley family, its current sole resident is the ancient, bewildered and very English Lady Hopley and the estate’s survival depends on tourism. Not quite as popular as the castle down the road (where they filmed some of the House of the Dragon series, the jammy beggars). Hopley Hall still has plenty to offer, or so they think.
Hopley Hall (w/t) (6 x 30’) is co-produced by Nice One Productions and Birdie Pictures (backed by STUDIOCANAL) for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Northern Ireland. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. The show is written and created by Daniel Peak with additional material from new Northern Ireland comedy writers including Oisin Kearney, Michael McCullagh, Shannon Welby, Susannah McKenna-Strathern, the late Michael Patrick, Eileen Tracey and Caitlin Magnall-Kearns. The director is Tom Marshall, the producer is Chris Martin, the executive producer for Nice One is Chris Jones and the executive producer for Birdie Pictures is Phil Temple. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Emma Lawson, Roya Eslami and Jason Butler.
Opening Up
The BBC has commissioned Opening Up, a new comedy created and written by Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Amy Gledhill (Alma’s Not Normal, Run Away, Taskmaster) and RTS Award nominated writer Nic Sampson (Starstruck). The six-part series will be made by Avalon for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, continuing in a rich line of scripted series created by artists with Edinburgh Festival Fringe success, such as Phoebe Waller Bridge’s Fleabag and Rose Matafeo’s Starstruck.
Opening Up, set and filmed in and around Manchester, is a warm relationship comedy about Penny (Amy Gledhill) and Rhys, a long-term couple who try to fix their faltering sex life by sleeping with other people. They soon learn that entering an open relationship without a clue how they work is not a recipe for success…
Opening Up (6 x 30’) is an Avalon production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. The show is created and written by Amy Gledhill and Nic Sampson. The executive producers are Cath Gagon, Jules Lom, Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner, the show is directed by Alice Snedden and produced by Spencer Millman. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Gregor Sharp and Roya Eslami.
20 YEARS OF NOT GOING OUT
The BBC will mark a major comedy milestone with a special documentary celebrating 20 years of Not Going Out, the hit studio sitcom created, co‑written by and starring Lee Mack.
Not Going Out is the longest‑running British sitcom currently on air, with 106 episodes (and counting), beloved for its quick‑fire gags, inventive set‑pieces and unforgettable characters. Now, for the first time, Lee Mack opens the doors to the creative process behind the show that has defined two decades of BBC comedy.
This anniversary documentary, Twenty Years Of Not Going Out (w/t) will take viewers on a guided tour through the funniest moments, featuring classic clips, exclusive archive material and never‑before‑seen outtakes. Lee will also reflect on the full history of the series from his unique perspective, sharing candid insights, behind‑the‑scenes stories and the surprising twists that shaped the show’s evolution.
The programme also goes behind the scenes of the forthcoming series, offering unprecedented access as a brand‑new episode is made from the ground up. Cameras follow Lee and the creative team from the first spark of an idea in the writers’ room, through readthroughs and rehearsals, right up to the studio recording of a special birthday‑themed episode.
Cast and crew from across all eras of the sitcom will also appear, paying tribute to the show’s enduring success and reflecting on its remarkable legacy.
Twenty Years Of Not Going Out (w/t) is an Avalon production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. The show is produced by Adam McLean and the executive producers for Avalon are Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, Lee Mack and Jon Thoday. The commissioning editor for the BBC is Ben Caudell.
The returning shows
Amandaland S3
BAFTA-winning BBC comedy Amandaland, starring Lucy Punch, Joanna Lumley and Philippa Dunne, is officially returning to BBC iPlayer and BBC One after a two series run and a record-breaking Christmas Special episode.
Since launching, Amandaland, produced by Merman, has gained critical acclaim and legions of fans, with an average of five million viewers over 28-days for series one, making it one of the BBC’s biggest comedy series since 2022*. The series has continued to grow – averaging 6.6 million to date and it was also a hit with younger audiences, drawing 0.8 million 16-34s – making it the top BBC comedy for that age group of the last few years.
The 2025 Christmas special of Amandaland took the UK’s top spot for comedy episodes in 2025 with an audience of 7.4 million across 28-days. It was the number one broadcaster comedy episode for 16-34s with 1.2 million.
Amandaland follows Amanda (Lucy Punch), the self-appointed queen of SoHa, as she navigates teens who are now turning into adults and a mother, Felicity, (Joanna Lumley) who refuses to accept her advancing years. All while she endeavours to build her profile as a super influencer and attain a Chiswick lifestyle on a Harlesden budget.
In series two, which launched last week, we saw the tiniest of romantic frissons between Amanda and fellow divorcee and neighbour Mal (Samuel Anderson), we also met Mal’s ex, no-nonsense Abs (Harriet Webb), with whom Amanda struggled to connect. And of course, Anne (Philippa Dunne) who remains Amanda’s loyal and long-suffering best friend.
Amandaland is a 6×30’ Merman production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Amandaland was created by Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters, Catastrophe), Holly Walsh (Motherland, The Other One, Dead Boss), Helen Serafinowicz (Motherland, Nova Jones), and Barunka O’Shaughnessy (Breeders, Trying, Motherland). It was written by Holly Walsh and Laurence Rickard (Ghosts, Yonderland). The executive producers for Merman are Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz, Laurence Rickard and Faye Dorn. Lionsgate distributes the series worldwide.
BLACK OPS S3
Award winning comedy Black Ops, made by BBC Studios Comedy for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, will return for series three.
Chaotic but lovable duo Dom (Gbemisola Ikumelo) and Kay (Hammed Animashaun) are back, and they’ve been given their first undercover mission by MI5, with Dom as leader and Kay her undercover ‘asset’. Their mission: to uncover the identities of a secretive far-right terror group via a shady museum director selling off artefacts to fund them. But a figure from Kay’s past – a past he’d rather forget – resurfaces threatening the mission and Dom and Kay’s friendship.
The pair once again battle to keep the nation safe in a high-wire caper taking in billionaires, a windsurfing incident and an impromptu trip to the Peak District.
It will be filmed in Manchester and the North West, and set across London and the North West.
Black Ops (6×30’) is a BBC Studios Comedy production, co-produced with Mondo Deluxe, Cool Story, and Swagbag Productions for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. It is created by Gbemisola Ikumelo, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf. The executive producer is Josh Cole and the commissioning editors for the BBC are Seb Barwell and Rhianna Adams-Christie. BBC Studios is handling global sales.
THINGS YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE S3
BAFTA and double RTS award-winning comedy Things You Should Have Done, produced by Roughcut TV, has been recommissioned for a third series on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three.
Created from the unique comedy mind of Lucia Keskin, the six-part series will bring another dose of hilariously offbeat, dysfunctional family-sitcom.
The series, filmed and set in Ramsgate, Kent, will welcome back self-confessed ‘stay at home daughter’ Chi (Lucia Keskin), as she navigates her way through a list of ‘Things You Should Have Done’ left by her late parents, with the aid of her dysfunctional remaining family Dave (Dan Fearn), Lucas (Jamie Bisping) and unhinged grief therapist Ruth (Bridget Christie).
This series will see Chi set out to be a positive force in the world following a brush with the law. Meanwhile, step-cousin Lucas is by her side, doing the wrong things for the right reasons, Dave worries about the legacy he’s leaving behind, and Ruth has to turn therapy on herself when her life is shaken up.
Things You Should Have Done (6×30’) is a Roughcut TV production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. The series is created and written by Lucia Keskin, produced by Steve Monger and directed by Jack Clough. The executive producers are Ash Atalla and Alex Smith. The BBC commissioning editor is Seb Barwell.
MAMMOTH S3
Mammoth, the hit Welsh comedy about a PE teacher from the 70s who gets a second chance at life, will return for a third series on BBC iPlayer, BBC Two and BBC One Wales.
Made by BBC Studios Comedy, it stars Mike Bubbins (Tourist Trap, Death Valley) as Tony Mammoth, a PE teacher believed to have perished in an avalanche during a school trip in 1979, who attempts to rebuild his life after miraculously returning from the dead when his body is discovered frozen in time.
The new five-part series, set and filmed in and around Cardiff, sees Mammoth continuing to try to acclimatise to the modern world, but due to his thin skin and inability to keep his thoughts to himself, he often puts his big retro shoes in it, on all fronts.
Returning for series three are Sian Gibson (Car Share, The Power of Parker) as his daughter Mel, Joel Davison, as Mel’s son Theo, and Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air) as Mammoth’s long-suffering best friend Roger.
Mammoth (5 x 30’) is a BBC Studios Comedy production for BBC iPlayer, BBC Two and BBC One Wales, created by and starring Mike Bubbins and co-written with Paul Doolan and Luke Mason. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning, BBC Wales. The producer is Luke Mason and the executive producers are Josh Cole and Steven Canny. The BBC commissioning editors are Seb Barwell and Paul Forde. BBC Studios is handling global sales.
Filming will start in Wales this year and further casting will be announced in due course.
AM I BEING UNREASONABLE? S3
Twisted comedy thriller Am I Being Unreasonable?, written by and starring Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, will return to BBC iPlayer and BBC One for a third and final series.
Filmed in Bristol, Gloucestershire and the West Country, it picks up where series two ended: Is Nic’s (Daisy May Cooper) confession finally out there? What exactly did Jen (Selin Hizli) do to Mrs Baggot? Has Dan (Dustin Demri-Burns) put a bun in the wrong oven? Did Ollie (Lenny Rush) make Suzie (Amanda Wilkin) go away? In this murky moral tale everyone is forced to confront their messy realities once and for all. We’re never sure who knows what in this brilliantly complex series, but amongst the increasingly tangled web of lies and blurred boundaries are hilarious set-pieces from the colourful comic characters who live in the village of Copbury.
Am I Being Unreasonable? series three (6 x 30’) is a Boffola Pictures production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, director of BBC Comedy. The producer is Ali Marlow, the director is Emily McDonald and the executive producers are Shane Allen, Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Emma Lawson and Roya Eslami. BBC Studios, which has a minority investment stake in Boffola Pictures, is handling global sales. It will premiere on Hulu in the USA, SBS in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand.
The series is working with All Set West to offer industry experience to local talent from underrepresented backgrounds. All Set West is funded by the BFI National Lottery Places Fund and delivered by Bristol City Council’s Film Services (The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office) in partnership with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
SUCH BRAVE GIRLS S3
Multi-award-winning hit comedy Such Brave Girls is back for a third series and pinky promises to be genuinely uplifting. Josie (Kat Sadler), her sister Billie (Lizzie Davidson) and their mother Deb (Louise Brealey) are finally happy. They didn’t need men and the magic was in them all along. Pass the tissues! Just kidding, things are set to get worse for the family at the heart of the BBC’s feel-bad sitcom.
Such Brave Girls (6×30’) is a VAL production in association with A24 for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three and Hulu in the US. The series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Fiona Campbell, Acting Director Unscripted and Controller, Youth Audience (BBC iPlayer and BBC Three). The executive producers are Kat Sadler, Jack Bayles and Phil Clarke for Various Artists Ltd in association with A24. The director is Simon Bird and the producer is Catherine Gosling Fuller. The commissioning editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp.
TWO DOORS DOWN S8
Multi award-winning Scottish sitcom Two Doors Down, made by BBC Studios Comedy, is set to return with a brand-new full series for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland.
Series eight picks up exactly where the 2025 Christmas special left us. Beth (Arabella Weir) and Eric (Alex Norton) are still clinging to the hope of a quiet life, but their best efforts are no match for the relentless chaos supplied by neighbours Colin (Jonathan Watson), Cathy (Doon Mackichan) and Christine (Elaine C Smith). Meanwhile, Michelle (Joy McAvoy) is preparing for the new arrival, while Gordon (Kieran Hodgson) throws himself into further education. Alan (Graeme Stevely) and Ian (Jamie Quinn) return too, doing their level best to support their partners — with mixed results.
Two Doors Down is a BBC Studios Comedy production for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland. It is written by Gregor Sharp and was created by Sharp and Simon Carlyle. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. The executive producers are Steven Canny and Josh Cole for BBC Studios, and Gregor Sharp. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Seb Barwell and Gavin Smith. BBC Studios is handling global sales.
Jon Creamer
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