David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s divisive sketch show gets update on its future

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I was so excited when David Mitchell and Robert Webb brought back the classic British sketch show! They did it a few months ago with Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping on Channel 4, and it’s even better with Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Stevie Martin from Taskmaster joining in the fun.

It’s been a while since a truly popular sketch comedy show appeared on British television. These days, short, funny videos are more commonly found on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

When the show first came out, opinions were sharply divided. While some people enjoyed it, others felt it had more failures than successes, and one sketch in particular caused a lot of negative reactions. Before the show even aired, the creators admitted that sketch comedy is a very difficult form of entertainment to get right.

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Even though the show received a variety of reactions, Channel 4 believes it’s still worth continuing and has ordered another season.

The first episode of the show attracted 2.3 million viewers, making it the broadcaster’s third most popular scripted comedy series, after Derry Girls and Friday Night Dinner. Clips from the show have been viewed a total of 25.5 million times on social media.

Despite claims that sketch comedy is no longer popular, Channel 4’s Head of Comedy, Charlie Perkins, points to the success of Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping across traditional TV, streaming platforms, and social media as evidence to the contrary.

It’s been a real honor and a joy to create a successful show, especially while giving a platform to so many talented new writers and performers alongside David and Robert.

We’re incredibly grateful to the talented cast and crew of Series 1. We can’t wait to welcome new writers and performers for Series 2 and continue celebrating the art of sketch comedy!

Honestly, as a gamer, it’s awesome to see Channel 4 take a risk and nail it. Their head of content, Ian Katz, basically said they love doing things differently, and it was super rewarding to watch Robert and David – and all the new talent they brought in – really revitalize a genre that’s important for British comedy. It just felt fresh and exciting!

Kenton Allen, CEO of Big Talk Studios, said they’re excited to help launch the careers of new talent alongside Robert and David in the next season of the show.

Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping is available to stream on Channel 4.

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2025-12-14 20:19