Cannon and Ball then Head of Programming at ITV station TVS and later to hold a similar position at LWT expressed a concern that northern comedy shows may not suit southern tastes. By the 1990s, the duo were seeking a change in direction and appeared in their own sitcom "Cannon and Ball's Playhouse", the spin-off series "Plaza Patrol" and their game show "Cannon and Ball's Casino". "Plaza Patrol" saw them play security guards in a shopping mall. In more recent times, they have continued to find success as a comic duo in theatre and pantomime, along with numerous cameo appearances on TV. In
AACTA Award for Best Television Comedy Series AFI launched the Academy in 2011, it changed the annual ceremony to the AACTA Awards, with the current prize being a continuum of the AFI Award for Best Television Comedy Series. The award was first handed out in 2003 it was called Best Comedy Series – Sitcom or Sketch until 2005, when it was renamed Best Television Comedy Series. In 2013, the Academy announced that because of a lack of funds, due to the loss of Samsung as a naming rights sponsor for the AACTA Awards, some categories were either merged or removed from the 2014 Awards. This included the