Doing writing for a living is the dream, I agree with zooo, there's no shame in soap writing, and it's good that there's a healthy wage packet at the end of it.
Soap and Flannel Page 2
Frank Cottrell Boyce and Jimmy McGovern wrote for Brookside.
My Family, the Charles Manson story.
I'd watch that.
Quote: Griff @ July 25 2008, 10:19 AM BSTBack to the original question though, I have a big problem with the assumption that "if you want to write for BBC1 you should watch BBC1". Does that mean you've got to watch Masterchef and Countryfile too?
I see the point of the writer understanding what BBC1 viewers expect. BBC1 shows feel different to ITV1 shows - Hotel Babylon doesn't feel like Harley Street.
By the way, anybody see Harley Street? It was either that or Lab Rats last night. Anyway, yeeesh. *shudders*
Quote: Griff @ July 25 2008, 10:19 AM BSTI don't see any reason why if you want to be a comedy writer for BBC1 you should have to watch EastEnders. If you want to be a drama writer, then yes, of course you should. But surely aspiring BBC1 comedy writers should spend their time watching The Green Green Grass and My Family. That'll teach 'em.
That's the right of the matter. I think the original question was referring to drama and not sitcom. Otherwise the producer would be talking out of his fundament and we know that never happens.
you should probably watch BBC1 sitcoms, certainly, just to get the tone and the number of times you can say 'c**terblast' post-watershed.
Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Gimme Gimme Gimme) and Carmel Morgan (Royle Family) both write for Corrie, which is full of great comedy moments. At the moment Corrie's got some really tedious storylines (they're culling a chunk of the cast) but it's worth it for things like Blanche buying some ham in a pub, Lloyd (troubled crackhead Craig Charles) slagging off a rival taxi firm owner for 'putting half his profits up his nose' and having to go to rehab (oh, to be a fly on the wall the day he got that script), and, before the tedious Carla took over, the banter between the girls in the knicker factory. I've always though they should do a spin-off sitcom called 'Underworld' , at it's best it's as good as Dinnerladies or the Royle Family for banter.
Quote: Griff @ July 25 2008, 10:19 AM BSTBack to the original question though, I have a big problem with the assumption that "if you want to write for BBC1 you should watch BBC1". Does that mean you've got to watch Masterchef and Countryfile too ?
Uh-oh. I really like Mastechef.
[quote name="Marc P" post="216100" date="July 25 2008, 10:51 AM BST"]That's the right of the matter. I think the original question was referring to drama and not sitcom. Otherwise the producer would be talking out of his fundament and we know that never happens.
Hi Marc, no, I was discussing my sitcom script with the producer. The context was definitely comedy.
Thanks for all of the other responses too. At least I'm not alone although opinion is clearly pretty evenly matched.
What does the producer work on Steve?
If you want to write a comedy for BBC1, you should watch BBC1 comedy - that's probably fair enough.
Quote: Marc P @ July 25 2008, 1:41 PM BSTWhat does the producer work on Steve?
Mostly comedy I believe. It was a commisioner at the BBC that suggested their input maybe useful for my project.
Quote: Simon Stratton @ July 25 2008, 2:10 PM BSTIf you want to write a comedy for BBC1, you should watch BBC1 comedy - that's probably fair enough.
Definitely! It should be pretty bloody obvious you should know your market.
Is anyone actually saying you shouldn't? I can't believe anyone would be that silly.
I could always read the thread more carefully to find out, but that's much too much effort.
What he is saying Zooo, is that A BBC comedy producer told him that he must watch Eastenders if he wants to write comedy for BBC1.
Just to clarify Steve, you have a sitcom optioned with an Indy and The BBC are keen but are inisting you watch Enders before writing more??
Ohhhhhhhh, right.
I gotcha. Yes that seems a bit odd.
Quote: Marc P @ July 26 2008, 1:57 PM BSTWhat he is saying Zooo, is that A BBC comedy producer told him that he must watch Eastenders if he wants to write comedy for BBC1.
Just to clarify Steve, you have a sitcom optioned with an Indy and The BBC are keen but are inisting you watch Enders before writing more??
Not quite!
I have a sitcom optioned by an indie, in development with the BBC, who suggested that we seek the advice of another indie producer on the project. The sitcom is fairly mainstream and was pitched to the BBC as a BBC1 project and the producer the BBC directed us to was surprised that I watched little television and suggested I watched more mainstream programmes, including Eastenders. Which I am finding hard to do because it just annoys me. And I was wondering if I was in the minority, particularly amongst writers. Obviously Eastenders and the other soaps have a big audience.
Just to clarify. I say I watch little television, I'm not a hermit, but I don't count the many hours a week I rack up watching cbeebies.
I hate Emmerdale and Corrie, but I alwasys watch Eastenders.
It's not meant to be 'exactly' like real life, as zooo said. Can you imagine that? Shot of a row of houses - cars going by - occasionally someone walks past on their way to the shop. And I don't agree that noone can act. Eastenders has lots of very good actors.