The Sitcom Trials 2014 Page 3

Here is the video of highlights from this week's Sitcom Trials in Bristol (click to play)

See a taster of each of the competing sitcoms and the result. Though I think you already know that, and congratulations indeed to a landslide winner. One thing I didn't realise was this:

Quote: simon wright @ 5th April 2014, 7:04 PM BST

The Sitcom Mission would like to congratulate Rupert Aspden on winning this year's Sitcom Trials and also our students Gwen Cheeseman, Jen Cockburn, Aja Scanlon, Ella Vize, Joe Brand and James Alleyne whose scripts were developed through our City Academy workshops. They were responsible for three of the four scripts in the final:

Amen
A Civil Defence Matter
And the Lord Said.

If you'd like to follow in their footsteps, our new round of Level 1 and Level 2 classes is about to kick off. For details click here:

http://www.city-academy.com/sitcom-writing

Simon and Declan
The Sitcom Mission

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So congratulations again to all involved, and especially to the Bristol Sitcom Trials producer Vince Stadon, who is stepping down from the role of producer after this show. Vince is the longest-running producer of the Sitcom Trials after myself (and it's a close tie for next place between Simon Wright, Declan Hill and James Parker, who produced a mighty amount of sitcoms during their runs on the show) and he has distinguished himself by going on to stage full-length versions of winning sitcoms, and to produce radio adaptations of a clutch of Trials sitcoms, all of which will be appearing soon.

Continue watching this space for forthcoming opportunities to enter The Sitcom Trials.

And here is the winning sitcom, Good Grief by Rupert Aspden, in its full 9 minute Sitcom Trials glory from Friday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TcBd0jzcbs

It stars Bristol Sitcom Trials team stalwarts Naomi Carter and John Lomas. It's rare that a video clip from a live show merits uploading in full (usually the phrase "you had to be there" comes to mind) but I think you'll agree this comes across rather well.

Quote: simon wright @ 5th April 2014, 7:04 PM BST

The Sitcom Mission would like to congratulate Rupert Aspden on winning this year's Sitcom Trials and also our students Gwen Cheeseman, Jen Cockburn, Aja Scanlon, Ella Vize, Joe Brand and James Alleyne whose scripts were developed through our City Academy workshops. They were responsible for three of the four scripts in the final:

Amen
A Civil Defence Matter
And the Lord Said.

If you'd like to follow in their footsteps, our new round of Level 1 and Level 2 classes is about to kick off. For details click here:

http://www.city-academy.com/sitcom-writing

Simon and Declan
The Sitcom Mission

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We had 11 of our students enter this year's Trials and they all came in the top 14 of the peer review section out of 37 entries. We're very proud of all of them, with special mention going to Alan Zmud for Becky the Squirrel which won the peer review by a landslide.

And we'd like to thank Vince for his time as producer and Kev for continuing to run the Sitcom Trials. It gave our students a deadline and feedback and a great night out in Bristol.

Quote: Declan @ 7th April 2014, 8:29 AM BST

We're very proud of all of them, with special mention going to Alan Zmud for Becky the Squirrel which won the peer review by a landslide.

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Indeed, and Vince did offer to include Becky The Squirrel in the next Sitcom Trials show, as it just failed to make the selection after the script read through. Now, unfortunately, Vince is having to bow out from producing The Sitcom Trials for the moment (it is quite amazing that he's managed to keep doing it for this long while also having a very busy life) so for the moment The Sitcom Trials is between producers.

Stay in touch everyone and we will let you know as soon as we know more about who, how and when The Sitcom Trials will be returning. When we do, it will be fully Squirreled up.

Morning,

Any word on the Trials?

Quote: Trinder @ 1st May 2014, 7:17 AM BST

Any word on the Trials?

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No word on new Sitcom Trials yet, but in small consolation here's a new video clip for you.

Click to play the full performance of Amen, from the Sitcom Trials in Bristol April 2014. Written by Sitcom Mission alumni Gwen Cheeseman, Jen Cockburn, Aja Scanlon and Ella Vize.

This and the winner Good Grief are the only two sitcoms I recorded in full (and I only got round to uploading this because I'd told one of the writers I would, and am feeling guilty it's taken me a month to do so). Clips from all 5 finalists are here.

As soon as there's news of forthcoming Trials, you'll be the first to know. But it's all quiet on that front for the moment. (I may have teased you all a month ago with plans in this regard. This is because a writer and producer from last year's competition were in discussion with me about plans to stage the show at the Edinburgh Fringe again, but it turned out not to be a goer, so it's on hold again, pro tem).

Did I say "stay tuned" yet? If not, do.

Don't miss the winner of last year's Sitcom Trials So You Think You're Funny, Rosie Holt, whose prize was her own show at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

Fall Girl runs at the Gilded Balloon throughout August.

Also from last year's Sitcom Trials final, at Edinburgh this year, you must not miss:

Carter & Ollerton: Won't Go Quietly at CowgateHead

Cook & Davies present: Planet Earth & All Who Sail In Her at Just The Tonic's Caves

(and the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, obviously, but modesty forbids...)

Any news on a new trial yet?

I'm assuming as the Bristol trial was called "this year's trial" there is only one a year.

I decided to read all 37 entries and really enjoyed doing so. There were some good scripts in there. My two favourite ones were Dave and XXX. I found Dave to be really funny and it was in fact the script that genuinely made me laugh out loud. I would love to see more of this style. XXX I found to be really well written and I found myself gliding easily through it and was sad when it came to an end. I look forward to next years Trials.

Well done to everyone who took part.

Any new Trials on the horizon?

Oh hello everyone, I didn't realise there was such a clamour for the Sitcom Trials. I say clamour, four polite enquiries on this forum (though nobody asking on Facebook or Twitter), it's hardly the queue for Kate Bush tickets. But thankyou.

The news is that there's no news. The Trials came up in conversation a couple of times up at Edinburgh, but mostly people reminiscing about what fun it is to do, and commiserating with whoever chooses to organise it every time. (I was rejoicing in the fact that, unlike last year, I wasn't missing a night of my regular show to watch a Sitcom Trials which, though it was of the highest quality, took up a lot of time and ended up costing me money).

I would love the Sitcom Trials to be revived, and if there's anyone out there who wants to organise it, get in touch, I'll help you. It really is great fun. For the time being Manchester is between venues, Bristol is between showrunners, and London is ever tempting for someone who's not as terribly busy as I am. (And if the people who've spoken to me about Cardiff and Birmingham Trials are reading, I'm up for it if you are).

Kev F

Kev F, to clarify, does that mean there are no more Sitcoms Trials unless someone else picks up the torch and organises it? Unless I've read it wrong, this is the message I get from your post.

If this is the case I am quite gutted. After reading all the entries for the last one I got fired up and started planning my own entry for the next Trials.

However, from a practical point of view I can understand that a busy schedule may not allow you to spend as much time on it as would be necessary, and you being out of pocket is not a good thing either.

Hi Kev,
Long time no see... I'm trying to write stuff while in Germany and still in the Forest of Dean the rest of the time, so if any things doing in Brizzle ..... Or anyway of moving away from live shows and have the entries in podcast form or one of those other newfangled thingies the young 'people have?.... Or moving away from the sitcom entirely and including sketches/characters anything?
Cheersmedears, I seem to hear that in your voice, so maybe you used to say it...
Darren

Quote: Deferenz @ 29th August 2014, 1:37 PM BST

Kev F, to clarify, does that mean there are no more Sitcoms Trials unless someone else picks up the torch and organises it? Unless I've read it wrong, this is the message I get from your post.

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Could we rename it British Comedy Forums-The Live Tour??