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Armando Iannucci to lecture at Oxford on British comedy

News

18 January 2006

Acclaimed comedy writer and producer Armando Iannucci, Oxford University’s News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media, will begin his lecture series ‘British TV Comedy: Dead or Alive?’ on Tuesday 24 January 2006. The series will kick off with the talk ‘Ever Decreasing Viewing Figures: the decline of mainstream comedy.’

After that there will be three further lectures: ‘Little Office: the rise of cult comedy’ (31 January); ‘Help!: TV comedy under threat’ (7 February); and ‘Two Feet In The Grave?: how can mainstream comedy survive?’ (14 February).

Armando said: ‘If British TV has a heritage, then comedy is its most precious commodity. Most people’s lists of the best television from the past forty years invariably have great moments of comedy at the top. Today, though, British Television Comedy is at a crossroads. Just as it get more daring and varied in format and technique, and just as audiences get more and more sophisticated in the breadth of comedy they’re willing to watch, viewing figures for comedy shows are in decline. Less comedy is being made for the mass audience channels BBC1 and ITV, while the commissioning of comedy shows is increasingly in the hands of TV professionals from outside comedy production, under pressure from advertisers and schedulers not to take risks. And reality TV has recently shown that mass audiences can be won over by programmes far cheaper to make than the average comedy show. Over the next five years, TV comedy has the chance either to reclaim the mass-appeal, large viewing-figure slots that were previously theirs by right, or become a fragmented web of innovative, interesting but niche programmes. These lectures will outline precisely how British TV comedy arrived at this crossroads, and the possible routes it can take.’

The Visiting Professorship of Broadcast Media is associated with Oxford’s English Faculty and Green College. Armando will hold the Chair for the academic year 2005–06.

Armando Iannucci is a comic writer, performer, director and producer. He has just finished making the second series of his acclaimed satirical comedy on politics and spin, The Thick of It, and the first series is currently airing on BBC2. He wrote and produced On The Hour; Knowing Me, Knowing You and The Day Today, and wrote and directed I'm Alan Partridge. He wrote and presented the Friday and Saturday Night Armistice shows on BBC2, The Armando Iannucci Shows on Channel 4, and Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive on BBC Radio 4.

Armando gained his degree at University College, Oxford, and began his career working for BBC Radio Scotland before moving to BBC Radio 1 as a producer on shows such as The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the eighties. He has been a key figure in British radio and television comedy throughout the nineties and to the present day. He has won two Sony Radio Awards and three British Comedy Awards, one of which was a special award for his contribution to television comedy. He and Chris Morris were jointly awarded a 1992 Writers’ Guild award for On the Hour.

The lectures series is open to all, but is expected to be popular, and admittance will be on a first-come-first-served basis. There will be a video link room for overspill, and a large proportion of attendees will be in there. Please contact the Press Office if you intend to come, and see Notes to Editors for times and locations.

For further information, contact the University Press Office on 01865 280532

Notes to Editors:

  • The lectures will be given at the following times and places: 1) ‘Ever Decreasing Viewing Figures: the decline of mainstream comedy’, 24 January 2006, St Anne’s College, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HS; 2) ‘Little Office: the rise of cult comedy’, 31 January 2006, St Anne’s College, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HS; 3) ‘Help!: TV comedy under threat’, 7 February 2006, Green College, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HG; 4) ‘Two Feet In The Grave?: how can mainstream comedy survive?’, 14 February 2006, Green College, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HG.
  • There is no parking available at St Anne’s College or Green College. Oxford does however have a good Park and Ride service as well as good coach and rail links. Information about how to get to Oxford, and maps showing the colleges, can be found here: http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/how.shtml
  • The News International benefaction given in 1993 by Rupert Murdoch, a graduate of Worcester College, has endowed the Visiting Professorship of Broadcast Media, has endowed the Professorship of Language and Communication (currently held by Professor Deborah Cameron), has funded three lectureships and a major research grant, and has enabled the English Faculty to run courses in film studies and other areas relating to language and communication.
  • Previous Visiting Professors were: David Elstein, Chief Executive of Channel 5 Broadcasting (1998–99); Roger Graef, filmmaker, broadcaster, writer, and criminologist, who is hailed as introducing the fly-on-the-wall documentary technique to Britain (1999–2000); Kristin Thompson, film historian and author (2000–01); Jenny Abramsky, Director of BBC Radio and Music (2001–02); Barry Cox, digital ‘Tsar’ and Deputy Director of Channel Four (2002–03); Hugh Whitemore, award-winning screenwriter for film and television (2003–04); and Stewart Purvis, acclaimed news journalist, producer and former Editor-in-Chief and Chief Executive of Independent Television News (2004–05).
  • Armando has been involved in the following British radio and television programmes:On The Hour (BBC Radio 4, as creator, co-writer, and producer); No' The Archie McPherson Show (BBC Radio Scotland, as presenter, writer, and producer); Armando Iannucci (BBC Radio 1, as writer, presenter, and producer); The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4, as producer, also appeared as guest); Quote Unquote (BBC Radio 4, as producer); Loose Talk (BBC Radio 1, as producer); The Mary Whitehouse Experience (BBC2, as producer); The Day Today (BBC2, as creator, co-writer, and producer, plus occasional appearances); Saturday Night Armistice, later The Friday Night Armistice (BBC2, as writer, producer, and presenter); Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge (BBC Radio 4 and BBC2, as co-writer, producer, and creator); I'm Alan Partridge (BBC2, as co-writer, producer, and director); The Armando Iannucci Shows (Channel 4, as writer, performer, director and producer); Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt (BBC2, as writer and director); Gash (Channel 4, as writer and presenter); Have I Got News For You (BBC2, as a panellist); The 99p Challenge (BBC Radio 4, as a regular panellist); Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive (BBC Radio 4, as writer and presenter); The Thick of It (BBC3, as writer); and 2004: The Stupid Version (BBC3, as presenter, co-writer, and producer).

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