11 short comedy films to be released on BBC iPlayer including one directed by Ricky Gervais

BBC iPlayer is set to release 11 short comedy films, including one directed by comedian Ricky Gervais.
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Eleven short comedy films will be released on BBC iPlayer on Friday (May 26) including one directed by Ricky Gervais. Among the line-up are a Gervais-directed skit about two suicidal people on a train called ‘Seven Minutes’ and others starring comedians Jack Carroll, Joe Wilkinson, Colin Hoult, and Lauren Pattison.

Kiri Pritchard-McLean makes her directing debut as well, with a short film starring Katy Wix and written by the team behind live acts Tarot and Goose. The programmes, which will all air on BBC Three in the coming months, were announced as the BBC Comedy Festival kicked off in Cardiff.

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Jon Petrie, the broadcaster’s director of comedy, said: “It’s been exciting to create a space for comedy creatives to flex their funny bones and we’re particularly proud to have given 11 new writers and six new directors their first BBC Comedy credit. We can’t wait to see them go out.”

The new releases are the product of a BBC Comedy Short Film strand created as a place for new and established talent “to develop and showcase exciting concepts that centre on originality and experimentation.”

The Corporation’s comedy department joined forces with teams in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to capture the best ideas from across the UK. The trailer of the films can be viewed on BBC Three’s Youtube channel.

BBC comedy short films - full list of episodes

  • A Better Place - An oddball family devises a plan to save their failing funeral home from a business rival.
  • Maneater - Don’t be afraid to embrace the beast within - even if it means scoffing loads of men.
  • Pobi Bachyn - A comedy short about the horrors of Welsh folklore, English tourists and being hungover.
  • Mobility - Mike, Sonny and Dan catch the mobility bus to sixth form.
  • Where it Ends - Actor Jack joins a panto tour of care homes, where he is confronted with where it ends.
  • Seven Minutes - A train track seems the perfect spot to end it all - until someone else turns up.
  • Jobless - Sixteen-year-old Twins Tai and Kenny dream of independence (and cash) in Milton Keynes.
  • Funboys - Short comedy film about some odd little men running a club dedicated to innocent fun.
  • This is Gay - Let your Host take you on a comedic adventure exploring what it really means to be a gay.
  • Calamity James - A misfortunate young man reconnects with his estranged dad.
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