BBC comedy dubbed “bland” by Blackadder producer
John Lloyd, producer of hit comedies including Blackadder, Not the Nine O’Clock News and QI has accused BBC One comedy of being hamstrung by political correctness.
Lloyd expressed dismay at executives retreat from “sauciness” prior to the watershed, stressing that current policies meant that shows such as The Two Ronnies were unlikely to be made today.
Writing in the Radio Times Lloyd said: “Sauciness is no longer allowed before 9pm anywhere on the BBC - particularly not on BBC One.
“The Commissioning, Legal, Compliance and Editorial Policy police hover over the scripts and the recordings, alert to the merest potential offence. There are blanket proscriptions, passed down from on high, which reduce everything to a bland vichyssoise that suits comedy programmes not at all.
"Heaven knows what they would have done to The Two Ronnies."