Background
Sourcing the best acts from the live comedy circuit and beyond, BBC THREE's Comedy Shuffle showcases brand new comedy from sketches to standup to animation in front of a studio audience.
The Brief
To develop a new website for the BBC show Comedy Shuffle that would enable visitors to search, submit and share fresh new comedy from all corners of the web.
The Solution
Initially only a TV programme, its tie-in website merely acted as guide for who would be appearing on the show, along with associated links to other content.
With a visual re-launch and second series to air, the website was to be more of a companion to the programme. Its aim is to offer viewers the chance to see more than what is on the TV show, and allows any aspiring comedians to submit their own work for consumption by an even wider audience.
The main aim was to implement the new version of Vertigo, our own content management system, into the website. Vertigo 2 enables BBC staff working on the programme to easily add programme content and embedded media - audio and video from places like YouTube - that has been submitted by users to the website.
When adding content they can easily assign authors, creators, and tags - keywords related to the content - to all of the work viewable on the website. For the visitors to the Comedy Shuffle website, this means they can easily see how content is related and can search quickly for associated funniness.
The new look of the Comedy Shuffle brand is reflected in the grungy feel of the new website: ripped edges and strong colours combine to make it visually interesting for the visitor.
Additional features on the website include a Funny Feed. Visitors can follow all the latest content on this page, with the option to subscribe to it as an RSS feed if they so wish.
The Result
The Comedy Shuffle website is now much more a part of the TV show, giving viewers the chance to see more funny content beyond what is possible in a half hour show.
The end result is an easily reskinnable, modern website built upon a CMS that can handle the large amount of metadata we anticipate to accrue throughout the site's life. In other words, just what we were looking for.
Behind the scenes, the BBC staff involved in the show can easily add and maintain content on the website with tremendous ease-of-use via Vertigo 2. Without involving any technical people they are free to put funny people's creativity to a wider audience.
Client Testimonial
Substance further developed their already impressive Vertigo CMS to accommodate this project's specific needs, responding rapidly and thoughtfully to our requirements throughout development, from the intricacies of Vertigo to the uncertainties of branding when working with an in-production TV show.
The end result is an easily reskinnable, modern website built upon a CMS that can handle the large amount of metadata we anticipate to accrue throughout the site's life. In other words, just what we were looking for.
David Thair, Producer, BBC