Fred Barron, the creator of BBC sitcom My Family, is joining the corporation's Entertainment division to develop and showrun new team-written sitcoms.

Sophie Clarke Jervoise, Head of Comedy at the corporation, said: "I am delighted that Fred is joining us. My Family has proved that the team-writing process can be extremely successful in mainstream sitcom and Fred's track record in this area is second to none. This is a very exciting time for BBC comedy."

The corporation says the technique of team-writing, in which a team led by a showrunner continually rewrite scripts up until the recording of a show, enable experienced comedy writers to work alongside newcomers.

Barron said: "At its best, American style team writing can be like a really tight jazz combo, with a group of talented musicians playing off each other to create something surprising and new.

"Additionally, it gives young writers a chance to develop and find their voices in a protected environment. Of course, with soloists like David Renwick and John Sullivan creating one classic series after another, I wouldn't dream of saying that team writing is the way to go. But it is a way.

"Happily, the BBC has been wonderfully supportive of this experiment and I look forward to creating new shows and finding new talent with them over the next three years."