Laugher is a universally understood language. If something is funny, we all react the same way. What we find funny can be subjective – dark humour, slapstick, take your pick. But at the end of the day, comedy may be one of the truest forms of meritocracy we have. Regardless of your gender, race, beliefs or background, the question is clear cut: either you make people laugh, or you don’t.
Which brings into question ITV’s decision to ban all-male writing rooms, as part of its strategy to be more inclusive to female writers and comedians.
ITV is a private media company and is free to do what it pleases with its writing rooms – but that doesn’t make it a good decision, nor does it make it compatible with other initiatives within ITV.
The broadcaster’s head of comedy Saskia Schuster has launched Comedy 50:50, an ‘initiative to address gender imbalance in comedy.’
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