Richard Curtis on Newsjack Like Writing

As they used to say on the Royal Mail ads, I saw this and thought of you...

When I first started in 1978, you know, on Week Ending or something, you were told what was funny that week. You were told, it's funny that the Chancellor had done that, or British Rail had done that. That was a disastrous way of writing, because I only write stuff because I like it, I think it's funny and I assume people will like it.

(Now That's Funny, 1998)

What do you think? Is it so bad as a writer to do such material?

Personally, I think that if you want to be a working comedy writer you have to develop the ability to write jokes about ANY subject, even ones which don't really interest you.

I've written for both The Now Show and The News Quiz and on both shows you are given the topics to write jokes about (after a team discussion to select the relevant news stories).

I like to think that you could give me any subject, any news story and I'd be able to come up with some gags, not necessarily the best jokes in the world but some which would do the job.

If I want a sandwich I won't pay you for a flowerpot, even if it was the very best flower pot in the world.
Unless it's made from sandwiches.

Richard Curtis might not have liked it, but he seems to have done all right, so it wasn't really 'disastrous' long term. Perhaps it did him some good being lifted out of his comfort zone.

You raise some interesting points , Tim.If you see yourself as an "artist" you'll want to do what pleases you. Then , if it doesn't please anyone else you're effectively stuffed . In the past couple of weeks I've been trying to write in the "Newsjack" style ( a style I'm not mad keen on) but have hacked out the 3 sketches a week and 5 to 10 oneliners a week so far . Whether these are any good or not (for that show) is determined , I think , mainly by 3 people.I'm not sure if the actors have any input . Do they have a read-through of everything or just a pre-selected amount? So it's an arbitrary thing but I've still managed to produce the work and because of failing miserably last week feel I've raised my game for this week.Ego is an amazing spur especially a bruised one . Doing mad things like actually listening to the show and figuring out the format.Doh! It's a writing exercise really.You should be able to churn out something about any subject as Tony said.In the unlikely event that any of my "shit" is used ,it will , no doubt be , what I consider to be the poorest thing I submitted . Like one of my sub-2 Ronnies awful obvious puns.But you still get paid and get a credit.

Steven Soderbergh, the famous film director (Ocean's 11, Traffic, etc), has said in interviews that he makes one film for himself and one film for the studio.

Every "artist" has to make certain compromises in order to make money to live on.

I never thought I could write topical material but I realised that pretty much every open submission show on radio featured topical jokes so I practiced writing them until I could hack them out on request (an underrated skill IMHO).

Newsjack is initially read through by the staff writers and script editor I think. Who work through the whole stack in a day or so, although a certain amount of the script is written in advance (or else they risk having nothing). They then reedit scripts, it goes to a read through by the actors, where I think more edits are made. Then it goes to the recording where they drop I think a half or a third of the material.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2013, 11:49 AM BST

Then it goes to the recording where they drop I think a half or a third of the material.

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So the audience can only see the actors up to the waist?

Quote: Marc P @ September 24 2013, 12:21 PM BST

So the audience can only see the actors up to the waist?

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MarcP are you planning open a salacious topless bar in Sheringham? Or a bottomless one?

I'll write what I think is funny.

If other people think it's funny and want to perform/broadcast it then that's great. If they don't, I'm not going to change what I think is funny just to suit them.

I'm realistic. I'm not writing to make money or get famous, I'm doing it because I enjoy it and it's much less stressful that way.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2013, 1:04 PM BST

MarcP are you planning open a salacious topless bar in Sheringham? Or a bottomless one?

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There will be naked Morris dancing but not until May.

See I'm definitely writing in the hope of getting noticed. I would like my job to be 'scriptwriter' and I'm aiming for that, which is why I'm trying to write topical stuff, because that's where the open calls are. But if you try to write something in someone else's style, and you don't think it's funny yourself, chances are it's not funny. And you will never be proud of it. I go for the compromise. I don't like topical comedy, generally, so I've tried (in my very recent attempts to take on topical) to write around news stories in a way I think IS funny. From listening to Newsjack, they have some quirkier, less traditional topical gags anyway, so I think there's room for that.

But also I agree with Tony, it's a great skill to be able to write jokes on anything and to be able to write to a deadline. The more restrictions that are put on you, the more creative you will be, and I just think that will improve your writing overall.

Back to the quote, I don't think Newsjack are telling us what's funny. We get to choose what stories we use.

True, but I think they have a very distinctive style they rarely move from.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2013, 11:49 AM BST

Newsjack is initially read through by the staff writers and script editor I think. Who work through the whole stack in a day or so, although a certain amount of the script is written in advance (or else they risk having nothing). They then reedit scripts, it goes to a read through by the actors, where I think more edits are made. Then it goes to the recording where they drop I think a half or a third of the material.

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I won't claim to know the Newsjack process inside out but I think the producers read through it first and sort out a 'maybe' pile. The script editors then read through the maybe pile and select the stuff they like and re-write it.
Don't think anything is written in advance of the open-sub deadline for Newsjack. On Tuesday the commissioned writers fill in the gaps the open-subs have missed / not good enough and more up to date stories. But yes there are several stages to get through and if you get something on the show it means you've passed the following stages:
Producers - Script Editors - Readthrough - Studio Audience

In terms of 'having' to write topical stuff it certainly helps as that's where a lot of open subs lie (e.g. Newsjack, Newsrevue, Treason). But good old BBC Radio has come up with quite a few non-topical shows we can write for recently e.g. 2525, TSWYW, Short stories (some of them aren't BBC produced I should add).

I think if you're just a writer you probably do need to do topical to make a career out of it, certainly in the beginning. If you're a writer-performer there's plenty of other avenues such as open-mic, YouTube, Podcast, Festivals etc.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2013, 3:19 PM BST

True, but I think they have a very distinctive style they rarely move from.

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That's interesting as I think the style changes as different producers / script editors come on board. I'd say Newsjack now has a very different style to Series 1-3 of Newsjack. Yes some of the format is similar (intro, host, jackapps etc.) but think the type of humour is different.

But that might just be me.