Desiree Burch (pictured) and Rosie Jones are to star in two new short form series for Comedy Central, Desiree Burch’s Fat Chat, and Rosie Tries to Help.

There will also be a new comepdfy music show, Comedy Central Chart Show, featuring Jayde Adams (Comedy Central's Live At The Comedy Store, Good Omens), Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls), Huge Davies (Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Stath Lets Flats, Ghosts)

And Bad Cramps will return for Season Two.

By continuing to invest in original digital short form content, Comedy Central International is leading the digital comedy sector.  With VDSI’s global footprint, each short form series is localized for an average of 10 languages per series, driving traffic to Comedy Central International’s social and digital platforms around the world. Since last year, Comedy Central International has seen an increase of +185% in video views and +232% in watchtime across all platforms.

“We are committed to reimagining Comedy Central International for a new generation of young, digital-native audiences,” stated Jill Offman, EVP of Comedy Central International. “Short form is integral to our content strategy, as it allows us to reach an enormous audience around the world with our signature Comedy Central voice, while also developing a strong library of digital IP and welcoming talent into the fold.”   

“Content consumption is becoming increasingly mobile, and VDSI is focused on developing original premium digital programming to reach and engage our audiences wherever they are,” stated Brendan Yam, SVP and GM of VDSI. “By partnering with Comedy Central International, we are able to create content for audiences around the world who are increasingly looking to the network’s social and digital pages as the leader in digital original comedy.” 

Comedy Central International’s new series are as follows:

• Rosie Tries to Help: Comedian Rosie Jones wants to make the world a better place. This comedy ob-doc series follows Jones as she helps a different group of people or current issue – from the LGBTQ+ community, to the environment, through to the elderly. The series features six five-minute episodes and was created by Rosie Jones, Emerald Paston and Rebecca Hewett, directed by Tom Levinge and produced by Emerald Paston.
• Comedy Central Chart Show: Each episode of this highly shareable series is a music video parody – spoofing a particular music genre, from grime to ballad, through to R&B slow jam. Featuring Jayde Adams (Comedy Central's Live At The Comedy Store, Good Omens), Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls), Huge Davies (Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Stath Lets Flats, Ghosts), the series consists of six four-minute episodes. Created by Emerald Paston and Rebecca Hewett, directed by Ashleigh Jadee, executive produced by Rebecca Hewett and produced by Louis Cryer and Emerald Paston.
• Desiree Burch’s Fat Chat:  Fat Chat is a brand new short form chat show, hosted by comedian Desiree Burch (Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats). Each episode sees Desiree welcome a guest into her late-night diner to chat about body image, fat identity and so much more. Guests include Jayde Adams, Jack Rooke, Sofie Hagen, Helen Bauer and Evelyn Mok. The series consists of six five-minute episodes, and was created by Desiree Burch and Emerald Paston, along with Rebecca Hewett, who also served as executive producer. The series was directed and produced by Dave Skinner and produced by Vicky Taylor.

Following season one of Bad Cramps, which achieved +2M cross platform video views, Bad Cramps Season 2 is a scripted comedy, written by Danni Jackson and Georgie Fuller, that follows two over-sharing twenty-something best friends – broke and sharing a flat in the city. Together, they are united against the arseholes of this world – living within their own bubble, full of in-jokes and taboo discussion. Each episode of the six-part series stands alone as a relatable vignette, but together builds up a rich picture of the duo’s comedic world. The series features six seven-minute episodes, and is directed by Freddie Waters, executive produced by Rebecca Hewett and produced by Leah Draws.