Why is so much comedy on telly so mediocre?
Because with money as tight as it is, commissioning editors are far more likely to take a risk with someone who has already been successful than with someone new. Given the choice between backing a superior project with an inexperienced team, and a mediocre project with an experienced team, commissioners will inevitably pick the mediocre project because the odds for success are far greater. Even so, all commissioners know that they have to take risks. ITV controller Peter Fincham (pictured), whose background is comedy, took risks by commissioning relative TV unknowns like Lee Mack and Omid Djalili when he was at BBC1. The risks appear to be paying off although sadly Fincham has gone, so who knows what his successor will do.
