Why did the Chicken? - Talent Led Audio

Gemma Arrowsmith

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 13:26:04 -0800

The sublime Gemma Arrowsmith shares with us her writing and performing secrets...

You're both a comedy writer and performer, but much like the chicken and the omelette, which came first and how did one lead to the other?

I knew I wanted to write comedy since I first saw Fawlty Towers when I was ten. I was in a video rental shop (which dates this anecdote) and I was looking at the cartoons. On the opposite wall was the comedy section and for some reason a brown VHS tape caught my eye. My mother told me that Fawlty Towers was a really funny programme and I should give it a try. The first episode I saw was 'The Builders' with the two building firms; Stubbs and O’Reilly. And I watched it, eyes wide. I just couldn’t believe anything could be that funny.

That was when I decided I wanted to write comedy. So, to answer your question, I guess writing came first. From the age of ten onwards, I would watch and listen to endless comedy programmes; sitcoms, sketch shows, standup. I was lucky to have parents that humoured this as long as I was doing well at school. I was allowed a TV and VCR in my room and I would watch contemporary shows like The Fast Show, The Day Today and The Vicar of Dibley but also I hoovered up comedy history - I vividly remember my dad bringing home a VHS double boxset of the Young Ones.

"From the age of ten onwards, I would watch and listen to endless comedy programmes"

I had piles of VHS tapes from Victoria Wood to Ben Elton. Even my nan and grandad got involved and would record every episode of Dad’s Army and Porridge off the telly for me. My parents took me to see Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson live at the Wolverhampton Civic (when I was way too young to be seeing that show) and my grandad helped me build a cardboard replica of the space ship Red Dwarf. It hung from my bedroom ceiling, a bedroom which was...Read More

Dave Cohen

Wed, 02 Jan 2019 13:31:48 -0800

New year, new interview! Find out what legendary writer-performer Dave Cohen thinks about the comedy commissioning system and more...

Your website says you've been writing, performing and teaching since 1983 - can you tell us what got you started in comedy in the first place?

My earliest memory is getting a joke book when I was about seven years old - I learned every joke in the book and went around telling them to anyone who would listen. Ignoring people who told me to shut up. Absolutely perfect training for stand-up. I started writing silly songs when I was about 13, then playing folk clubs and Working Mens' Clubs around Leeds soon after. Then punk happened and I found an audience. I got on to the London Comedy circuit in 1983, and lots of things developed from there...

How do you find performing influences your writing, and vice-versa?

I think they tended to get in the way of each other. I should probably have stuck to writing but when I started doing stand-up in the early 80s it was so much easier than writing. I'd earn as much doing my 20 minute set as I did from hours of sweating over sketches for the radio. Took me a long time after quitting stand-up to get the idea out of my head that I might one day go back to it. I did, but for fun.

"I learned every joke in the book and went around telling them to anyone who would listen."

As a comedy teacher, what common mistakes or bad practices you tend to spot in new writers?

I think the main mistake made by writers at every level is to not work hard enough at giving each character a distinctive voice. Too often I'm reading a line in a script and I'll have to check who this person is saying it, and the flow of reading is interrupted. You want your reader to race through the script,...Read More

Newsjack Series 19, Episode 2 - What the sketch?

Sat, 22 Sep 2018 13:32:23 -0700

Part 2 of our series of articles exploring the sketches used on series 19 of Newsjack...

After a cracking Ep 1 we're well into the swing of things as we hit Ep 2, which sees a different production team. Nick Coupe takes over from Adnan Ahmed (working alongside Hayley Sterling) and former and current BBC Bursary holders Max Davies and Mike Shepherd (respectively) take on script-editing duties.

I really like Newsjack sketches in that they showcase a classic sketch format and encourage a high gag-per-page ratio. If you want to be a comedy writer, you can do much worse than master the art of the Newsjack sketch.

A reminder - each week I'll be looking briefly at each of the broadcast sketches to summarise their key ingredients - Instalment identifying the Target, Message and Premise - all key ingredients when creating a comedy sketch (doubly so for topical material).

Disclaimer!

I don't work or speak for the BBC or the Newsjack production team, or any of the writers - these are my thoughts alone.
This is not an advice blog. Newsjack provide their own advice and guidance on writing for the show which you should read if you want to submit.
I am happy to be corrected in my analysis - please get in touch as required!

Sketch Summaries - Episode 2

Sketch 1 - Boris cab driver

Story - Boris Johnson criticises say Theresa May is putting Britain on track for a car crash Brexit

Target - Boris Johnson's approach to life, politics and Brexit

Message - Boris is a privileged toff who always gets away with it

Premise - What if...Boris Johnson was...Read More

Newsjack Series 19, Episode 1 - What the sketch?

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 12:26:16 -0700

As a new series of Newsjack airs, we take a look at the key ingredients behind the sketches broadcast each episode...

It's that time of the year again, as comedy writers everywhere knuckle down for another 6 weeks of joke and sketch writing in the hope that their material will make it through to the hallowed ground that is a Newsjack broadcast episode.

I really like Newsjack sketches in that they showcase a classic sketch format and encourage a high gag-per-line ratio. If you want to be a comedy writer, you can do much worse than to master the art of a Newsjack sketch.

Each week I'll be looking briefly at each of the broadcast sketches to summarise their key ingredients - specifically identifying the Target, Message and Premise - all key ingredients when creating a comedy sketch (doubly so for topical material)

Disclaimer!

I don't work or speak for the BBC or the Newsjack production team, or any of the writers - these are my thoughts alone.
This is not an advice blog. Newsjack provide their own advice and guidance on writing for the show which you should read if you want to submit.
I am happy to be corrected in my analysis - please get in touch as required!

Sketch Summary - Episode 1

Sketch 1 - Nuisance Calls

Story - Tighter nuisance call regulations come into force

Target - Theresa May

Message - She's rubbish at making trade deals

Premise - What if...Theresa May's trade deal negotiations are regarded as nuisance calls?

Technique used - Subject shift (Theresa May) / Format shift (Cold calling)

Sketch 2 - John...Read More

Tim and Simon: Monsters of Mirth

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 13:57:48 -0700

Check out our direct line into the devious minds of Tim and Simon - writers and stars of a brand new comedy podcast ...
Hey guys, thanks for being interviewed for the blog. Can you tell us how you both started out in the world of comedy?
Tim: My first dabble with comedy was as school when I was about 12. Me and a couple of friends wrote and performed a news comedy show called Rudolph’s Red News for the Christmas talent show. We came third, losing out to five lads performing as the Spice Girls. I’m still bitter although Ginger is now a damn good plasterer.
Simon: I can remember teaming up with a friend at primary school when I was about 6 to record a radio show onto tape. The imaginatively titled ‘Funny Show’ was a series of poo jokes, fart noises and a great deal of giggling. I’m happy to say that all these years later, my comedy has not progressed in the slightest.
Tim: But it wasn’t until we were at uni and doing a community radio show together that we started writing comedy.
"...all these years later, my comedy has not progressed in the slightest.."
How did you meet and why did you decide to team up?
Simon: We first met when we were extremely small and knee-high to a grown man.
Tim: Probably more like thigh-high, or hip-high, kids are taller than you think.
Simon: Ok, we were knee-high to a very very tall man. We’ve been through nursery, primary and secondary school together. In short, our friendship is older than Ernestine, the world’s oldest ever pig.
Tim: When we accidentally ended up doing the same course at the same uni together, we also joined Calon FM, the community radio station on campus where we did a...Read More

James Bugg

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 06:01:24 -0700

"All my ideas are terrible and I hate myself" - an interview with James Bugg
(...or how a talented writer created a brand new sketch show for 4Music...)
Hi James, thanks for speaking to us. You've written for numerous BBC shows such as The News Quiz and Dead Ringers, PLUS created and wrote 4Music's excellent sketch pilot Pop Sludge. How did you first get started in the world of comedy?
I started the way everyone else starts in comedy - writing a play about table football for University Radio York. I soon realised I could never have a real job because I don’t understand how to make formulas on Microsoft Excel, so I became a writer.
After graduating I started sending sketches to Newsjack, where I was lucky enough to be noticed pretty quickly. From there it all snowballed to me being offered the Comedy Writing Bursary (a staff writing job I talk about here) and that was five years ago now. I’m pretty much in it for the long haul unless bitcoin takes off again or I lose my laptop.
What advice do you have for new writers trying to learn the art of sketch?
Watch things! Write things! Show what you’ve written to your friends. Get your friends to slag it off. Get your friends to slag you off. Get strangers in the Co-Op to slag you off. Just embarrass yourself thoroughly.
My friends and I send stuff to each other all the time, meaning we’re constantly critiquing each other and trying to make each other laugh, which is good practice. We get on terribly but are totally dependent on one another which is pretty much the dream.
However, if you don’t have time, just watch Pop...Read More

Max Davis

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 14:10:36 -0800

From sketch to sitcom, we speak to rising star Max Davis to discover his #comedy #secrets...
Hey Max, thanks for joining us on the #comedy #secrets blog. You're both a comedy writer and stand-up - can you say a little about how you got started in these two worlds?
The way I got started was to make a decade's worth of terrible life choices which resulted in me having to move back to Devon and in with my Mum at the ripe old age of 33 (much like Jesus did. Probably). I'd been farting around with writing for a while, but never with any real focus, so nothing had ever come of it. Then on New Year's day 2012 I looked in the mirror and told myself I needed to get a paid job in comedy by the end of the year or give up show business. I think I actually said the words “show business into the mirror.” You know, like a twat would do.
So I started doing stand-up gigs in Devon and Cornwall, often driving for two hours to do a ten minute set, bomb and drive home. Once I even crashed my car into a ditch on the way back from an unpaid gig in Barnstaple (Jealous?) Regardless though, I was having a great time. I met some great comedians and started building up my comedy chops.
"It literally changed my life. I'll never forget hearing the first laugh on my first sketch on the radio. Incredible."
At the same time, I also started focusing on Newsjack. I'd submitted for previous series but never got anything on, so I had to conclude I was either not funny (an opinion held by an entire audience at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter) or there was something wrong with my sketches. So I got a pad and listened to an episode on iPlayer, pausing after each sketch and breaking it down. What was the news story? What was the angle? How long was it? How many jokes? How many characters?
By the end of the episode I realised I hadn't been...Read More

Bear With

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 12:56:31 -0800

We spoke to Funny Women 2017 Awards Commended sketch group Bear With to find out their #comedy #secrets...
Congratulations on achieving Commended status for your sketches in the Funny Women 2017 Shorts Awards! How do you feel having your work recognised by an industry team?
We make these sketches for fun, but it takes a lot of hard work, so we’re happy and it shows us we’re going in the right direction, plus gives us more confidence in our craft.
I understand you all met on the National Film and Television School's (NFTS) comedy writing and producing course - what inspired you to sign up?
There's a lot that's enticing about the course, particularly some of the big comedy names attached to it, but what's really exciting is that there's kind of nothing else out there like it. Of course, there's short-term sitcom writing or stand up courses by the dozen, but for an institution like the NFTS to offer a 2-year course dedicated entirely to comedy (in all different forms) shows a real commitment to fostering comedy talent and something we wanted to be part of.
"For the NFTS to offer a 2-year course dedicated to comedy shows a real commitment to fostering comedy talent"
The course looks fantastic with a range of high profile tutors - for those interested, what can you say about what you learnt and who you were taught by?
We'd love to tell you everything we learned, but then we'd have to kill you - it's part of the NFTS contract. But, in general, the course covers everything from sketch writing to one-liners to sitcom for both Radio and TV. Essentially the course allows you to get out all of your worst ideas without facing dire professional consequences which is nice because we've all had some BAD ideas. Not that we don't still have bad ideas, they're...Read More

10 reasons why the writing for the Derry Girls pilot was so good

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 04:22:28 -0800

If you're an aspiring comedy writer you NEED to see the pilot for All 4's Derry Girls. Here's 10 reasons why...
Writing comedy is hard. Writing a sitcom? Doubly so. And as if that wasn't enough, pilots are arguably the hardest episodes to write given the need to build a world, introduce new characters, have a full plotline AND be really funny... not to mention it can be the first time you've properly your met characters. And quite frankly you're often still discovering who they are and exactly what the show's about...
But, for my money, Lisa McGee has absolutely nailed it with Derry Girls and, given All 4 have recommissioned it for a second series after just one episode was aired, I rather suspect other people feel the same.
There are SO MANY good things about the show, from the excellent directing and photography, to the spot-on use of music and sound and the, frankly incredible, performances from the cast.
But what I really want to talk about here is the writing. Here's 10 reasons why...
1) The premise (young girls trying to discover themselves in a world of family/school/politics/culture that constrains, confines and tries to define them) and characters are quickly setup and reinforced throughout the episode.
2) EVERY character was sharp and well defined, even those on-screen for only a few seconds e.g. Dennis the shopkeeper and Erin’s grandfather. James, as the boy forced to go to an all-girls school, is such a strong concept he could form the basis for a sitcom in his own right. Yet here he’s just one of 6 main characters…
3) ...the 6th being the...Read More

Matt Stronge

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 02:46:10 -0800

We get the low-down on all things funny from the APA's 2017 Comedy Producer of the Year
Hey Matt, thanks for spending some time with us. You've been a Producer at BBC Comedy for just over 3 years now, but had quite a few jobs before this, including sound-editor for the IT Crowd and writing for Dick and Dom! What can you tell us about your creative journey?
My origin story! I had two passions when I was growing up – music and comedy. In 2003, I managed to get a job as a tea boy in an audio post-production facility where they just happened to mix a lot of comedy. I was desperate for a job in this area because, being the nerd I am, I loved hanging around in sound studios amongst all the equipment. The fact that the studio predominately mixed comedy shows was a huge bonus – both my interests were being satiated.
It was really hard work, and I basically had to wave goodbye to a social life in my 20s, but it meant I got to work with people like Ricky Gervais on Extras, Graham Linehan on the IT Crowd, Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz on Look Around You. It also meant I was regularly working with directors and producers at the BBC and building relationships with other comedy production companies, building relationships.
After a few years of this, I decided I wanted to have a hand in creating the comedy rather than just sound mixing it. So I went freelance, which meant I had more free time to pursue creating comedy and, using contacts I’d made previously in my career, I was able to pitch ideas to the BBC. An exec decided to give me some money to develop one of them, and we made a taster tape and then a pilot for BBC Three called For The Win.
"I taught myself via the internet – watching YouTube videos and downloading camera manuals."
Unfortunately For The Win didn’t...Read More

Why did the Chicken? - Talent Led Audio

Gemma Arrowsmith

The sublime Gemma Arrowsmith shares with us her writing and performing secrets...

"From the age of ten onwards, I would watch and listen to endless comedy programmes"

Dave Cohen

New year, new interview! Find out what legendary writer-performer Dave Cohen thinks about the comedy commissioning system and more...

"I learned every joke in the book and went around telling them to anyone who would listen."

Newsjack Series 19, Episode 2 - What the sketch?

Newsjack Series 19, Episode 1 - What the sketch?

As a new series of Newsjack airs, we take a look at the key ingredients behind the sketches broadcast each episode...

Disclaimer!

Sketch Summary - Episode 1

Tim and Simon: Monsters of Mirth

Check out our direct line into the devious minds of Tim and Simon - writers and stars of a brand new comedy podcast ...

"...all these years later, my comedy has not progressed in the slightest.."

James Bugg

"All my ideas are terrible and I hate myself" - an interview with James Bugg

Max Davis

From sketch to sitcom, we speak to rising star Max Davis to discover his #comedy #secrets...

"It literally changed my life. I'll never forget hearing the first laugh on my first sketch on the radio. Incredible."

Bear With

We spoke to Funny Women 2017 Awards Commended sketch group Bear With to find out their #comedy #secrets...

"For the NFTS to offer a 2-year course dedicated to comedy shows a real commitment to fostering comedy talent"

10 reasons why the writing for the Derry Girls pilot was so good

If you're an aspiring comedy writer you NEED to see the pilot for All 4's Derry Girls. Here's 10 reasons why...

Matt Stronge

We get the low-down on all things funny from the APA's 2017 Comedy Producer of the Year

"I taught myself via the internet – watching YouTube videos and downloading camera manuals."

Why did the Chicken? - Talent Led Audio

Gemma Arrowsmith

The sublime Gemma Arrowsmith shares with us her writing and performing secrets...

"From the age of ten onwards, I would watch and listen to endless comedy programmes"

Dave Cohen

New year, new interview! Find out what legendary writer-performer Dave Cohen thinks about the comedy commissioning system and more...

"I learned every joke in the book and went around telling them to anyone who would listen."

Newsjack Series 19, Episode 2 - What the sketch?

Newsjack Series 19, Episode 1 - What the sketch?

As a new series of Newsjack airs, we take a look at the key ingredients behind the sketches broadcast each episode...

Disclaimer!

Sketch Summary - Episode 1

Tim and Simon: Monsters of Mirth

Check out our direct line into the devious minds of Tim and Simon - writers and stars of a brand new comedy podcast ...

"...all these years later, my comedy has not progressed in the slightest.."

James Bugg

"All my ideas are terrible and I hate myself" - an interview with James Bugg

Max Davis

From sketch to sitcom, we speak to rising star Max Davis to discover his #comedy #secrets...

"It literally changed my life. I'll never forget hearing the first laugh on my first sketch on the radio. Incredible."

Bear With

We spoke to Funny Women 2017 Awards Commended sketch group Bear With to find out their #comedy #secrets...

"For the NFTS to offer a 2-year course dedicated to comedy shows a real commitment to fostering comedy talent"

10 reasons why the writing for the Derry Girls pilot was so good

If you're an aspiring comedy writer you NEED to see the pilot for All 4's Derry Girls. Here's 10 reasons why...

Matt Stronge

We get the low-down on all things funny from the APA's 2017 Comedy Producer of the Year

"I taught myself via the internet – watching YouTube videos and downloading camera manuals.​"

"I taught myself via the internet – watching YouTube videos and downloading camera manuals."