Producers split over what defines a hit

Peep Show producer Robert Popper, and Avalon joint managing director and TV producer, Jon Thoday, have disagreed on what defines a hit comedy show.

Speaking on a panel at the Broadcast TV Comedy Forum in Soho on Friday, Thoday said that putting "bums on seats," or getting good ratings, was the indicator of a hit.

He said: "Ultimately, a hit show is something that matters to the viewers and the broadcasters…It is about how many people tune in – that's how I judge it."

But Popper said that he still defined Peep Show as a hit, as though it only averaged around 1.5 million viewers last series, it had been "critically-acclaimed" and had excellent reviews. Thoday said Peep Show "good," but said it was "not a hit."

The panel, which included Silver River boss Daisy Goodwin and BBC Comedy North's Kenton Allen, agreed that it was more difficult for comedies to attract a decent audience in a multichannel environment after just a few episodes, with some shows needing a couple of series to build ratings.

Thoday added: "Harry Hill's TV Burp is a prime example. It didn't do well at all to begin with, but look at it now..It started to get a bit of a cult following, and it some ways it still feels like that, even though it’s getting 6 million viewers. Then the press starts to notice that ITV has got a hit comedy. I think the press noticed before ITV did,” he added.