Sun, 8 November 2009
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Leaders in European television seek a pan-European comedy formula to entertain viewers from Athens to Amsterdam.LUCERNE - Is there a universal recipe for humour, or more simply, are there jokes that make not just a Finn but also a Portuguese laugh?
Some 500 heads of European public television channels met earlier in May to debate "The Boundaries of Laughter" and try to come up with a formula for comedies that would amuse residents from Reykjavik to Dubrovnik.
"We have 75 members at the EBU. Why are we not able to produce comedy for all?" lamented Eurovision TV director Bjorn Erichsen, referring to the European Broadcasting Union, which groups public broadcasters serving 650 million viewers in 56 countries.
While sports, music and news travel without difficulties not just across Europe but also around the world, television comedies often remain rooted in the countries in which they are produced.
After three hours of discussions, perhaps the only thing television executives agreed on was that comedy is one of the most challenging genres in show business.
Popular comedy television shows & funny commercials
"What works? You don't know and you never know. Comedy is the hardest thing to get right," said Paul Jackson, who used to head the BBC's entertainment unit.
Only very few comedies have made it across national boundaries.
One such comedy is Canadian-born series "Love Bugs," which Italian director Andrea Olcese brought successfully to Italy.
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