David Farnor | On 29, May 2014

Reece Shearsmith, Frankie Boyle and other comics star in a string of original BBC iPlayer comedy shorts, which will be released on the streaming service on Sunday 1st June.

Commissioned exclusively for BBC iPlayer, each Original Comedy Short gave the comedians the opportunity to make a show with no restrictions. Frankie Boyle and Bob Mortimer host their own cookery show, Micky Flanagan has issues with a fox, Matt Berry narrates a wildlife documentary in a way that only Matt Berry can, Reece Shearsmith and Sally Philips star in a 1930s Austrian comedy, Meera Syal offers a cutting insight of Bollywood life and Morgana Robinson rips through trailers for new shows on Channel M, including Benefits Cul-de-Sac and The Undateables (with Miley Cyrus).

The follow the Original Drama Shorts, which featured new talent and writers in Flea, My Jihad and Tag. These were all released on iPlayer exclusively in March 2014 and remain available to stream on-demand.

Indeed, the BBC is increasingly commissioning online-only content as it brings BBC iPlayer to the fore of its services. Goldie’s exclusive tour of Matisse’s Cut Outs exhibition at The Tate, a series of extended interviews with First World War veterans and the hugely successful Doctor Who and Sherlock mini-sodes, The Night Of The Doctor and Many Happy Returns, have all landed on the streaming platform in the last year, while shows such as Jonah from Tonga have premiered online before their TV broadcast. The BBC currently plans to change BBC Three into an online-only channel.

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