Micheál Jacob
A practitioner rather than a researcher, Micheál Jacob has worked in scripted television comedy for 20 years, working his way through the ranks to the position of Executive Producer (his credits include the BBC series My Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps). He is currently Creative Head of the BBC College of Comedy, a training and development scheme for writers.
'Television comedy is the most challenging of genres. The same group of people can come up with a big hit, and follow it with a big miss. Until a show is exposed to a domestic audience - or someone communing with iPlayer on their computer - then no one knows whether or not it is going to work.
'In my 20 years, there has been a considerable change in the number of people who have a voice in development and production, and in the commissioning process. There has also been a marked reduction in programme budgets, leading producers to seek outside investment in shows, which in itself can add a further layer of complexity.
'Less money is forcing a fundamental examination of programme-making practices, where the challenge is to maintain on screen the quality that audiences expect while making programmes more cheaply.'
Micheál Jacob's television credits include the following BBC series:
- My Family [tx 2000-], as Executive Producer
- Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps [tx 2001-2009], as Executive Producer
- The Smoking Room [tx 2004-2005], as Executive Producer
- Starting Out [tx 1999], as Producer
- Goodnight Sweetheart [tx 1993-1999], as Script Editor
November 2010
