News Broadcasting
BBC launches online campaign to discover new comedy talent
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that to celebrate the third birthday of BBC Three the channel has launched an online campaign in the UK. The aim is to find the next generation of comedy writers and creators from amongst its audience, to launch in early March.
The campaign is to be overseen by BBC Comedy North (led by Kenton Allen, the BBC’s Creative Head of Comedy Talent and Comedy North), supported by BBC New Talent and bbc.co.uk/soup.
The BBC Three campaign, which will be promoted on-air, invites users to submit their comedy sketches via bbc.co.uk/bbcthree, where comedy masterclasses from some of the biggest names in comedy will be available to view and the best submissions will be showcased, alongside information about the initiative.
The writers and performers of the best sketches will be invited to attend comedy workshops given by leading comedy talent and BBC Comedy North in Manchester in June. Ultimately, if the campaign is successful in uncovering a diverse range of new talent then it is envisaged that a half-hour comedy pilot could be produced for transmission on BBC Three.
The campaign follows a string of other BBC Three talent initiatives such as award schemes for new animators and film-makers (which are showcased on bbc.co.uk/bbcthree), as well as The Last Laugh, which the BBC claims is the UK’s largest-ever sitcom-writing competition. It airs on Saturday nights over eight weeks.
Allen says, “BBC Three continues to be the standout channel for launching new British comedy talent. This is a major campaign that will run over several months, which we hope will extend and complement the more traditional ways in which we discover and engage with the next generation of comedy programme makers.
“It’s part of BBC Three’s DNA, and builds on our ongoing commitment to exploit broadband and mobile platforms to engage audiences, offering them wider access to and involvement in our programmes. Now, we’re beginning to put a new generation of media and technology-aware viewers in the driving seat of new comedy content.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
