British Comedy Guide

BBC Writers Room on the Road Page 3

Quote: David Chapman @ June 23 2008, 8:00 PM BST

I suppose it makes sense because it could cost them a bomb on paper and ink.

Part of my 'real world' job involves technical authorship. We need to review a huge number of scripts (they're all about engineering so not too many laughs in them). Over the past few years all scripts are reviewed online hence cutting back on paper.

If Writersromm reviewed electronic scripts it would reduce postage costs both to the submitter and the BEEB, it would reduce their carbon footprint, save the posties boots etc

The other thing is that they do give some feedback on some scripts. I wouldn't want to read a script on the computer and then have to go back to it and write a report. I'd want a hard copy I could make some notes on as I went along. Also I might want to read it on the train, or in the garden in this fine weather etc.

How come they not coming to the North-East, North Yorkshire, or Cumbria? You would think that they might come to Newcastle-upon-Tyne or York at least.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ June 24 2008, 9:16 AM BST

How come they not coming to the North-East, North Yorkshire, or Cumbria?

Perhaps it's your Cro-Magnon speech patterns putting them off.
;)

Quote: David Bussell @ June 24 2008, 9:38 AM BST

Perhaps it's your Cro-Magnon speech patterns putting them off.
;)

:D Yer a reet cheeky booger, Bussell, an' no mistake.

I'm pretty sure at one point Writers' Room did accept emailed scripts, cos just as I was about to send mine, they switched back to hard copy, which narked me off.

Still, makes people put the extra effort in to print it out. Maybe it's an attempt to make you think 'is it worth it?' and cut off all the chaff they allegedly get.

Dan

Quote: Marc P @ June 24 2008, 8:54 AM BST

Also I might want to read it on the train, or in the garden in this fine weather etc.

Marc - you spend a great deal of time 'researching' in your garden don't you!

I think the extra effort required to send a hard copy is a good way to check the enormous amount of extra chuff that'd be sent by e-mail.

Quote: Nick Rivers @ June 24 2008, 12:25 PM BST

I think the extra effort required to send a hard copy is a good way to check the enormous amount of extra chuff that'd be sent by e-mail.

On reflection I think that's a very good point, they'd be swamped by eMail submissions. (single sketches etc)

You could group them together and submit them as a single sketchshow.

Quote: Nick Rivers @ June 24 2008, 12:25 PM BST

Marc - you spend a great deal of time 'researching' in your garden don't you!

I think the extra effort required to send a hard copy is a good way to check the enormous amount of extra chuff that'd be sent by e-mail.

The pub garden!

I always thought "chuff" was a slang word for a ladies front bottom?

No I wasn't saying Writersroom would accept sketches, I was just agreeing with Nick Rivers about the amount of substandard work they would recieve if they readily accepted eMail submissions, pleople just pushng their luck by sending incomplete ideas rather than complete well intended scripts etc.

Quote: chipolata @ June 24 2008, 12:35 PM BST

I always thought "chuff" was a slang word for a ladies front bottom?

no front bottoms by e-mail please.....i love the term front bottom. whomever came up with that should get a big pat on the back.

What was your experiences with the WritersRoom Nick? WHen you say fast tracked was that from Shepherd's Bush to White City?

Quote: Marc P @ June 24 2008, 12:46 PM BST

What was your experiences with the WritersRoom Nick? WHen you say fast tracked was that from Shepherd's Bush to White City?

Ha ha! I was long listed for a sitcom competition way back when and subsequently informed, by letter, to consider myself as an elite member of society - 'fast tracked' in the writersroom'. My second script, 'Left FTSE Index' - a sitcom about ruthless city traders who smelt of lavender, boomeranged straight over their heads into my rejection bin. And I've never written sitcom again!

Seriously though I found, like most, that targeting individual producers bears more fruit. I still think it's worth submitting to the writersroom as they genuinely want to source talent. But it's not the only port to call at.

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