Fringe troubles and Spy and Getting On head stateside: last 24 hours in comedy

Everyone knew it, but now it's written down on paper/a screen with numbers, it's all a bit more real: ticket sales are down at the Fringe. New extra angle: Harry Deansway is leading the criticism of the BBC's extravagant Potterow site at a time that everyone else is struggling. Scotsman

 

Sky 1's Spy is close to becoming a pilot for ABC in America. Of the many exported British comedies that haven't done great, this sounds the most likely to work... Deadline

 

...definitely more so than the fabulous Getting On, which is in development for not-as-good-as-it-used-to-be HBO. British Comedy Guide

 

Simon Brodkin will get a series to follow-up his comic creation Lee Nelson on BBC Three. Broadcast

 

Confusing times in the world of ratings: the first episode of Bad Education, Jack Whitehall's new BBC Three sitcom set in a school, either earnt the channel average (Broadcast) or had a very strong start (BCG). The 'Guide's argument sounds stronger, really. Incidentally, scheduling question: why on earth wasn't this launched in a month's time at the start of the school year? 

 

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