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
Television comedy a variety program but soon devoted mostly to sketches. In the UK, two of the more successful examples are "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "Little Britain". Stand-up comedy has been fairly well represented on television. Stand-up comedians have long been a staple of variety and late-night talk shows; indeed, talk-variety shows such as "The Tonight Show" traditionally open with a comedy monologue performed by the program host. Television stand-up reached a peak of popularity on British schedules with the immensely popular ITV programme "The Comedians". Their style of comedy was swept away almost entirely in the Britain of the early