Series set to become the channel’s first-ever weekly topical chat show
LONDON, 7th August 2017 – Comedy Central UK today announced that it will re-commission The Chris Ramsey Show for a second series, taking it to new heights by evolving the Avalon produced programme into the channel’s first ever weekly, topical chat show, dedicated to 16-34s.
Commissioned as a 10 x 30 minute show, the second series will continue to involve Chris, one of the UK’s biggest comedic stars, combining big name guests and ingenious games, but this time round will have even more of a topical focus, creating additional buzz and stand-out moments for viewers. The show, which will be filmed with a live audience close to the television premiere, will air in early 2018 on Comedy Central UK.
“After the success of the first series of The Chris Ramsey Show, we are rightly upping the ante with the ambition of the second,” commented Louise Holmes, Vice President, Programming, Comedy Central UK “As Comedy Central continues to grow in share and viewers year on year, it feels like the right time for us to give our audiences our take on a weekly must-see chat show, with funny at its heart. Chris is a brilliantly warm and generous host and we’re delighted to continue our journey with him and this show.” Richard Allen Turner, Executive Producer at Avalon, added: “It’s been a great experience working together with Comedy Central to bring Chris’s show to the screen. I’m delighted that we will be returning, with an expanded series that is being backed by an ambitious channel eager to support and grow breakout talent.” Chris Ramsey said: “I’m over the moon to be making another series of The Chris Ramsey Show with Comedy Central. Some of my best ever experiences were made during the first series and working with my team was an absolute pleasure, so I can’t wait to do it all over again, but this time bigger and better.”
The previous series of The Chris Ramsey Show delivered strong ratings for the channel reaching 724k 1634s and 1.2M Ind. 4+, giving it an overall profile of 76% 1634s. The show was also up against slot average for 1634s, with +34% for 000s and +36% for share.
The channel also recently announced a third series of Stand Up Central (Avalon) with Chris Ramsey at the helm, set to air in autumn 2017 alongside a raft of other new commissions and pilots in production or on air including two further series of Russell Howard & Mum: Road Trip (Avalon) for 2018 and a pilot titled Comedians Solve World Problems (Rumpus Media) featuring Joel Dommett and Nish Kumar. The channel also recently announced that it acquired Joel and Nish vs the World from BBC Worldwide as well as six episodes of stand-up performances taped live at Soho Theatre. Meanwhile, newly launched noughties gameshow, Your Face or Mine, which is produced by Talkback, began airing in May and performed strongly, reaching a peak of 159k 1634s.
-ENDS-
About Comedy Central UK:
Comedy Central is a leading Pay TV General Entertainment channel and is part of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN). A joint venture between VIMN (75%) and BSkyB (25%), Comedy Central airs on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms. Comedy Central launched in the UK in April 2009 and has since grown by a phenomenal +41%. The channel broadcasts a mix of hit US acquisitions and original UK productions targeting a 16-34 year-old audience. Popular shows include Friends, Impractical Jokers, The Middle, South Park and Bob’s Burgers. Following on from the success of Comedy Central’s first UK Commission in 2012 (Threesome – which received both critical acclaim and high ratings), the channel has ramped up its commitment to original titles. Most recently these include Your Face or Mine (2017), The Chris Ramsey Show (2017), I Live With Models (2015), Drunk History (2015) and Russell Howard & Mum: USA Road Trip (2016)– which has proved to be the highest UK commission Comedy Central has ever seen. In addition to the main Comedy Central channel are Comedy Central +1, Comedy Central Extra and Comedy Central Extra +1 providing audiences with more viewing opportunities and more fantastic content.
About Avalon
Avalon is a multi-award winning talent management, live promotion and television production group with offices in the UK and the USA.
Avalon and ARG, the talent management arm has discovered and represents many artists which are household names, both in the UK, the USA, and around the world.
In 2017 Avalon was named the top true independent television production company in the UK and has produced numerous ground-breaking television shows including: Emmy and Peabody award winner Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), multi-award winning and Emmy-nominated Catastrophe (Channel 4/Amazon Prime), RTS and Rose d’Or winning Not Going Out (BBC1’s longest running sitcom currently on air), BAFTA and RTS-nominated Taskmaster (DAVE), multi-BAFTA award winning TV Burp (ITV1), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC2), Fantasy Football League (BBC/ITV) and Workaholics (Comedy Central USA).
Avalon and Topical Television form the television arm of the company and other shows currently in production include: Taskmaster USA (Comedy Central), Man Down (C4), Not Going Out (BBC One), Dave Gorman’s Modern Life is Goodish (UKTV), Taskmaster (UKTV), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky 1), and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO); whilst the catalogue is sold worldwide by Avalon Distribution.
Through Avalon the group produced Newman and Baddiel: Live at Wembley, the UK’s first arena comedy show; Jerry Springer: The Opera, the first West End show to win all four UK ‘Best New Musical’ awards; and has continued to produce live shows globally, as well as promoting more winners and nominees of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award than any other company.
For Avalon news visit: www.avalonuk.com/press or @avalonent.
Contact:
Charlotte Robertshaw
Avalon
Tel: +44(0)207 598 7222
Email: crobertshaw@avalon-entertainment.com
Dan Lloyd
Avalon
Tel: +44(0)207 598 7222
Email: dlloyd@avalonuk.com
Anna Dally
Viacom UK
Tel: +44(0)203 580 2104
Email: anna.dally@vimn.com
Kelly Todd
Viacom UK
Tel: +44(0)203 580 2105
Email: kelly.todd@vimn.com
