How do new shows ever get made?

From talking with an independent production company, I understand that part of their development process is to make a script as marketable and attractive to a broadcaster as possible.

While that makes sense to me, the company then went on to say that they have to make the script as perfect as possible, because even if the broadcaster is 90% happy with a new script, it will still be rejected.

In other words, broadcasters will not engage in discussion, will not ask writers to re-work the 10% of the script they didn't like - it's in or it's out. And once it's out, it cannot be re-submitted.

Is this true? And if so, does that strike anyone as daft? I mean, how many tv shows by established writers/comedians hit the bullseye dead-on first time out? It seems a ridiculously high standard to apply to us poor clueless newbie writers. Worse, it leaves us (and the prodcos) using our psychic powers to try and guess what it is the broadcasters think the public thinks.

It's at this point one gives up writing and takes up professional lottery ticket buying. It seems a more secure method of making a living.

It is tough out there, and increasingly so. Not just for writers, but also for producers and Indy Prod companies.

Many shows are developed from in-house contacts. Gavin and Stacy came with proven talent, as did My Family and the shows that surround it. Dawn and Jen can get anything made as they are a successful brand.

We, as writers, must look to what the market wants. Sorry to bang on, but as your consultant I must advise you to write SITCOM (if you want to sell sitcom) and not light drama or a loosely tied together bunch of sketches.

I am receiving (in the pile) a lot of things that do not resemble conventional sitcom. I can, and will crit comedy drama and film scripts - but not on this website. Please please look at what is out there. What is current. I am no longer doing line-by-line crits because most of what I get does not merit it.
(and it's not useful to the recipient if the FORM and FORMAT are not correct).

These scripts - albeit containing work of great merit - will be turned down out of hand.

There, tired rant over. Apologies and here's a drawing of Allah having a

Ultimately a bit of it might be a respect issue. If I goto McDonalds I want dead cow in a bun. If you give me a painting of a sad clown. How ever good said painting, I won't be impressed by your ability to make burgers.

Thanks, I take your point. I suppose the point I was trying to make is that I've tried to tick as many boxes as possible by coming up with a studio sitcom that the prodco seems really happy with.

And yet, we're having discussions along the lines of "Is 'sausage' funnier than 'cucumber' here?" "Is Lorraine Kelly funnier than Sarah Beeny?" And all because we're paranoid that unless every line is absolutely laugh-out-loud, pee-your-pants, spot-on perfect, it'll get knocked back.

I understand that duff scripts get sent back without any recommendations, but it seems counter-productive to me for broadcasters to reject scripts they actually like simply due to one or two flaws.

Or to further your 'burger' analogy. It's like a punter sending back his entire Happy meal because we forgot the gherkin.

Well I always take the view, send a decent sitcom script to show you can. Then offer your fabulous off the wall, scifi-rom-com 6 parter.
Sitcom is bloody hard to write, and I think it may be a bit of a test of a writers metal.

I know writing characters who will be interesting for potentially a 100 hours, with no conclusion to be very hard. Much harder than when you have a cosy contained 2 hour arc.

Incidentally, Lorraine Kelly is funnier than Sarah Beeney. It's official.

Really ? I don't even know who Sarah Beeny is.

Tits 'n' teeth. Property show presenter. (Must be Channel 4 though, as I've never actually seen her on TV, only being talked about online.)

Known mainly for her "gigantic" tits, apparently.

Oh her, she looks nice. But I'm sure she's bored the arse out of my trousers on TV.

Oooh, Sarah, yum. Anyway, back on topic.

She looks strong.

Quote: Rosebud @ April 7 2008, 8:32 PM BST

I mean, how many tv shows by established writers/comedians hit the bullseye dead-on first time out?

View original

The answer is not many. But if you have some form in the comedy industry it's human nature that people are going to have more time for you. That isn't the same as necessarily saying that they are going to give a sub-standard script a series (or even pilot) just because of who you are.

A comedian friend of mine recently was asked to read a pilot sitcom script by a very successful stand-up and it was apparently dire. Like everyone says on here, it's a tough format. Plenty of known people in the industry have struggled with sitcom. As newbies we just have to accept the territory, no matter how depressing it is.

Get on with writing your next project and try and 'Wow' them with that. And I don't think you necessarily have to make your main concern that every line is LOL. Originality, characterisation and good structure are the qualities that will initially get them sitting up and taking notice. From my own experience it's not that I can't get enough laughs from readers in scripts, it's the above qualities that I'm learning to improve.

Best of luck.

Comedy writing in 'Is Quite Hard To Get Into' shocker.

It seems to me the BBC are on the cusp of new direction, almost.

They want more audience sitcoms (which there haven't been many of in the last few years) so they will NEED writers, that's a fact.

But no one here really know what they want from writers - to mean, are they going to get some lee Mack type stand ups to front shows? They might want writers for those. Team written stuff lead by experienced writers? They might want writers for those too.

Just because YOUR show doesn't get made, doesn't mean opportunities won't open up to work on other shows - and then in the future, you may well be the one who's running the show.

Quote: Marc Blake @ April 7 2008, 8:49 PM BST

It is tough out there, and increasingly so. Not just for writers, but also for producers and Indy Prod companies.

Many shows are developed from in-house contacts. Gavin and Stacy came with proven talent, as did My Family and the shows that surround it. Dawn and Jen can get anything made as they are a successful brand.

We, as writers, must look to what the market wants. Sorry to bang on, but as your consultant I must advise you to write SITCOM (if you want to sell sitcom) and not light drama or a loosely tied together bunch of sketches.

I am receiving (in the pile) a lot of things that do not resemble conventional sitcom. I can, and will crit comedy drama and film scripts - but not on this website. Please please look at what is out there. What is current. I am no longer doing line-by-line crits because most of what I get does not merit it.
(and it's not useful to the recipient if the FORM and FORMAT are not correct).

These scripts - albeit containing work of great merit - will be turned down out of hand.

There, tired rant over. Apologies and here's a drawing of Allah having a

View original

Hi Marc, just wanted to say a very late thank you for the feedback you gave me on a script a while back now, as you get lots of scripts sent to you I'm sure you probably don't remember it, it was called Street Theatre. Anyway the tips and advice you gave me helped a lot when writing new scripts and the most recent script I sent out got some very good feedback from Baby Cow Productions and a couple of other smaller companies. Although I've not made that big step into a commission yet I think things are heading in the right direction at least and part of that was down to the feedback you gave me on my script. So again, just wanted to say thanks.

Quote: Seefacts @ April 7 2008, 10:57 PM BST

Comedy writing in 'Is Quite Hard To Get Into' shocker.

It seems to me the BBC are on the cusp of new direction, almost.

View original

Sorry can't resist... now that is tautology!!

Agree with everything you say mind.