sitcoms

Plans to put BBC Three online could rob a new generation of comedy writers and performers of the opportunity to find an audience, said Jessica Knappett, creator of E4 sitcom Drifters.

Knappett, who writes and stars in the series said: "I feel like BBC Three going online is a door closing, it's an opportunity that's been taken away from me. I feel personally it's exactly the sort of channel I would write for and I found it difficult enough to get an audience on E4."

Will television eat itself? A flat screen might be easier to get down than a cathode-ray tube, and cause less indigestion – but, still, it doesn't really sound like a sensible diet.

All trades and professions are fascinated with themselves and like nothing more than talking endlessly about their own work. The TV industry is no different. In it's case, making telly about telly is proving increasingly irresistible.

We are all a bit too wised-up to dream about "the magic of television" any more. The schedules struggle to hold our attention.

​UKTV has announced the three new scripted comedies for its comedy channel, Gold.

Henry IX, Marley's Ghosts and Bull are the first of five scripted comedy shows for the channel, which is seeking to balance its slate of classic British sitcoms with new programming.