Quote: Reiss Ellesse @ April 18, 2007, 2:06 PMHey Who. Finding it difficult entering the world of sitcom writing, join the club. Or help me buy one to whack Gervais over the head then we can steal his gold Nokia mobile and add our name onto his address book. Once our name is on it then we'll be accepted into the highly nepotistic world of the BBC's commisioning people. Or we could try walking down Notting Hill with a large cup of coffee hoping to bump into the blue eyed boy himself (RICHARD CURTIS) and ask for romantic comedy writing tips. Failing this we could just stop writing until the 90's comes into fashion and the 70's sitcom is finally dead and buried. Or just write for another channel. Any advice for a frustrated writer that has been rejected six times by the BBC.
There's a big issue with the BBC - in that they tend to - at the moment - stick with what they know and not go beyond it. At present they are looking at group sitcoms; Romans' Empire is a good example of this, as is I'm With Stupid. Currently I understand a group of writers have been assigned to write speculative scripts and develop ideas. Notionally, those writers should have come from somewhere, and it's probably - though not cast iron - where you are now. Sending in stuff until the end of time and getting the same terse response.
The BBC is a monolith and you never hit the same key twice with the same force. You are better off sending stuff to the openings in the free sector (Ind Production Houses) that accept material or look at material.
Increasingly, unless you have a 'in' at the BBC, is it difficult to get in. And those 'ins' are becoming more and more difficult to get, mainly because there are many, many people sending material around which is not that great.
So in short, production houses are best. And keep an eye on the broadcast press websites. I know ITV are starting to look at comedy again after some appalling dramas. Anotehr thing you can do - which may give you muscle - is to submit material to the actor / actress who you would like to appear in your project. If you can get someone like that on board, then you have a better chance of shifting your project into the next phase. I did that and I got a lot further than I would have just mailing it into a Pro Ho. (Production house, not Pro Ho)