The BBC Comedy Festival is back in May 2025 and the host city will be Belfast. The festival is a chance for producers, both established and new, and those taking their first steps in the TV industry, to come and reflect, celebrate, and explore comedy in the UK. It will kick start a year of development and production opportunities in the region.
It will build on the success of the last three years in Glasgow, Cardiff and Newcastle, bringing together the comedy industry for a series of talks, panels, screenings, a short film night and live comedy shows.
This year’s festival was held in Glasgow and across two days there were 16 panels, masterclasses and events, with 70 comedy names on stage including Armando Iannucci, Dawn French, Stefani Robinson, Ashley Storrie, Mawaan Rizwan, Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, Tom Basden, Robert Popper, Michelle de Swarte and the cast of Two Doors Down. The event was supported by Screen Scotland and more than 4,200 tickets were available to those taking their first steps in the industry, students and members of the public.
Since the festival in May, there has been seen a surge in comedy development in Scotland culminating in a pilot commission for 2025, two new Small Indie Fund production companies, two comedy development producer roles created at production companies, a new digital pilot for BBC iPlayer, and six script commissions.
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, says: "We’re proud to bring the BBC Comedy Festival to Belfast next year. The festival has become a key fixture in the comedy production community’s calendar, and we look forward to hosting another year of fun, engaging, and thought-provoking sessions and masterclasses, while showcasing the best comedic talent from Northern Ireland and across the UK."
Eddie Doyle, Norther Ireland’s Head of Content Commissioning, adds: "This is brilliant news for comedy creatives in Northern Ireland – and there are plenty of them. The Comedy Festival is a fantastic opportunity for performers and writers here to showcase their talents and get valuable insight and advice from network comedy commissioners, developers and decision makers.”
At the Belfast Comedy Festival a selection of panels and events will be open to the public. More information on the dates, venues and how to get tickets will be available closer to the time.
