ITV axe sitcoms

They were right to reveal it, tax dodging family members should be exposed.

Agreed. No-one likes paying taxes but without them this country would be in a bad way financially. It doesn't matter who a person is and what status they hold in life, taxes have to be paid. Panorama was spot on in highlighting it.

Looks like they'll have to make sure theres some women writing Coronation Street:

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-06-18/itvs-head-of-comedy-bans-all-male-comedy-writing-teams/

Personally although it's with the best of intentions I think it's an awful move when you consider the nature of the genre in the UK. Although used more often now than previously writing rooms in UK comedy are still the exception, rather than the norm, and quite often comedies are written by individuals or partnerships, and quite often those partnerships are of the same sex. Put these rules into place historically and you're wiping out 90% of our sitcom history.

For a project, any project, the writing team should be the best you can afford regardless of whether they're all male, all female, transgender or they beamed down from outer space. It shouldn't make any difference whether this results in an all male/female/alien writing cast on occasion for that project. Providing things balance out on average over say a year, there should really be no need to turn round to Fred, Shaggy and Scooby and say 'we love this Scooby Snacks comedy you wrote but we can't take take it into production because you're all male, go and get Daphne and Velma to contribute and then we'll be more interested'.

Indeed, its’s simple box ticking at its worst.

I think people are beginning to get wise to illogical box ticking. Jordan Peterson is one of the ones who talks about this best.

The only person I know of who is a fan of Jordan Peterson is a Mormon. Take one letter out of that and you get what I think of Jordan Peterson

This system has been brought in because of the historical and ongoing imbalance in the gender of comedy writers. Women just aren't getting their comedy on screens, because of the vicious circle of needing experience to get a look in, yet not being able to get said experience because they can't get a look in.

This isn't some minor discrepancy, women in all levels of comedy just aren't getting the same opportunities as men. This won't solve the problem on its own but is a significant contribution.

When it comes to implementation, common sense will come into play - single writers may be co-commissioned a writer to ensure gender balance, for example.

That's not common sense though. Imagine if Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong had been told they had to work with another writer - male or female - to get another series of Peep Show produced, simply as a box ticking exercise.

I'm not saying a quota won't have a generally positive effect, but it should only be used as a necessary evil until the root cause of the problem can be fixed.

I also hope some common sense will prevail in that everybody won't be chasing a 50:50 target as if that's the only criterion fairness can be judged by.

This is the thing, they really don't. I'm sure this will be implemented in a much more sensible way than some of the reaction suggests. Adding different perspectives can only be a good thing for comedy, particularly in a large writers' room.

The funniest reaction to this news was from people on Twitter suggesting that mixed-gender writing teams have never produced anything of note, forgetting Fawlty Towers, The Young Ones and Spaced.

And nobody needs to listen to Jordan Peterson.

Calling it a box ticking exercise suggests that giving women opportunities to enter comedy writing is pointless.

A lack of opportunities is a root cause - this system opens up opportunities.

You speak a lot of sense. My general thought is that individuals should be chosen if they are the best for the job.

Would we have the likes Birds of a Feather, if this had always been enforced.

Jordan Peterson has views I disagree with but I think he also talks a lot of common sense. It’s not as if it’s just him, the chap behind Jonathan Pie who is seen by many as being on the left makes similar kind of arguments in his comedy.

Now I would say if we are really losing comedy talent because there is still favouritism towards male comedy writers, I would be 100% for an initiative like this. It’s just the case I remain to be convinced that these days there are the barriers to women entering the comedy world that were once there. I may be wrong.