How honest is the BBC?

Hello to all satirists and other higher life forms. My name is Gordon, or ?%%(AROHA) as they say in Klingon.
As I am new to this, can anyone give me some assistance in the world of script submitting.

I sent my effort to BBC writersroom 3 weeks ago. No reply so far but fair do's, they are probably awash with substandard Royle Family lookalikes and 'edgy' Credit Crunch banking based realit-coms.

So, what I want to know. Have any of you lot had any response from this unit? Good, bad or indifferent. I'd love to know.

Anyway, nice to be part of something.
Cheers. Gordon ( listening to Jethro Tulls' War Child by the way)

Quote: Gordon Smith @ February 13 2009, 9:26 PM GMT

Hello to all satirists and other higher life forms. My name is Gordon, or ?%%(AROHA) as they say in Klingon.
As I am new to this, can anyone give me some assistance in the world of script submitting.

I sent my effort to BBC writersroom 3 weeks ago. No reply so far but fair do's, they are probably awash with substandard Royle Family lookalikes and 'edgy' Credit Crunch banking based realit-coms.

So, what I want to know. Have any of you lot had any response from this unit? Good, bad or indifferent. I'd love to know.

Anyway, nice to be part of something.
Cheers. Gordon ( listening to Jethro Tulls' War Child by the way)

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Hello Gordon and welcome

I've had dealings with The Writers Room in the past and my personal experience wasn't good. But I won't elaborate because it was ages ago with different people working there so it'd be unfair of me to tar them with the same brush. They're extraordinarily busy, getting something in the order of 5000 scripts a year - and my take on that is with that amount of crap to sift through (And 99 percent will be just that - crap) there are always going to be those gems that slip through the net. But that's just one opinion, and there are lots of people who've got places with the Writers Room.

My advice though is to take your stuff directly to producers of shows that you admire.

I sent my effort to BBC writersroom 3 weeks ago. [/quote]

Effort?

It depends on whether your 'effort' is substandard, lookalike', 'edgy' - or not.

(listening to my wife singing, 'All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name', by the way)

Quote: Lee Henman @ February 13 2009, 10:24 PM GMT

Hello Gordon and welcome

I've had dealings with The Writers Room in the past and my personal experience wasn't good.

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Just because it might be helpful to me and other writers on the forum what was your bad experience with The Writers Room. Ok they might be diferent now but as a novie writer I would be intersted to know more of the possible pitfalls of having your work developed.

Quote: Ronnie Anderson @ February 14 2009, 12:37 AM GMT

Just because it might be helpful to me and other writers on the forum what was your bad experience with The Writers Room. Ok they might be diferent now but as a novie writer I would be intersted to know more of the possible pitfalls of having your work developed.

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It was a long time ago Ronnie - I'm talking more than a decade ago. But basically I got my script back with a polite "thanks but no thanks" letter - which admittedly was better than it deserved - this was my first bash at a sitcom after all.
But the script itself came back with some very unkind stuff scrawled all over it. The type of thing Simon Cowell might dream up in his more evil moments if you know what I mean. (Maybe it was him!)
I think one of the most cutting comments scrawled on one page was something like "Is this supposed to make us laugh? Who is this guy?" Another page had the word "shit, shit, shit" written in the margin.
Of course, I was young and impressionable and bloody devastated. Luckily my self-preservation gene kicked in and rather than give up I got mad, and for ages I had a definite "screw you" attitude to the BBC.

Then LWT read some of my stuff and stepped in to give me a commission for Hale and Pace, which ultimately went down very well with the audience and patched up my faith in my own writing, leading onto me writing gags for greetings cards for a living. (Not exactly fame and fortune but it's been a steady living).

But that's all water under the bridge now. I look back on it as just being jolly bad luck in that my first experience with the BBC was via some complete knob who they accidentally employed instead of kicking his arse straight out of BBC Centre and all the way down Wood Lane.
The Beeb have been nothing but supportive to me in recent years and I still reckon they should be a new writer's first port of call. As I say, even if it was a long time ago, my experience was a one-off I think. Plus things are done a lot differently these days, so please don't let me put you off.

Moved to Writers' Discussion.

Be prepared for a long wait Gordon - it can take around 3-4 months before you receive a reply.

If your "effort" is promising, you should receive some feedback. If it's one of the 1% that's brilliant... you're a jammy sod.

Yes I waited four months last year for a rejection

Quote: Lee Henman @ February 14 2009, 3:19 AM GMT

Then LWT read some of my stuff and stepped in to give me a commission for Hale and Pace, which ultimately went down very well with the audience and patched up my faith in my own writing, leading onto me writing gags for greetings cards for a living. (Not exactly fame and fortune but it's been a steady living).

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I've been watching a lot of old Gareth and Norman recently, on the obscure digital channel Men and Motors. Might I have seen any of your sketches?

Thanks for the feedback ladies and blokes! (Bloke. Origin obscure, according to my Dictionary. Surprising no one wants to take credit for it). I will now try to adapt my effort for the Hale and Pace audience. (memo to self; rename the female characters Ron and Ron). Does LWT still exist? Anyway I am now in a state of renewed vigour due to your kind replies. Time to stick an old Damned CD on and open a bottle of Pear Cider. Cheers.

Quote: catskillz @ February 14 2009, 5:45 PM GMT

I've been watching a lot of old Gareth and Norman recently, on the obscure digital channel Men and Motors. Might I have seen any of your sketches?

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I think my stuff was on either series 7 or series 8 - look out for the drowning puppies in a toilet sketch and Jon And Yokel.

Quote: Lee Henman @ February 14 2009, 7:15 PM GMT

Jon And Yokel.

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That's funny without even seeing the sketch.

I didn't send my stuff to the writers room until recently. In the last few weeks I've had a reply which I don't really know what to make of. On one hand they tell me the script was good, and very competantly written, but then thanks but no thanks.
I also sent stuff to LWT and was summoned to see Mark Robson. (you too Lee?) I also got work on Hale and Pace and had a number of sketches used. The burnt dog in the back of the car was one of ours. (Me and my writing partner). They had very encouraging script editors at the time. Sean Carson, David Thomplinson and Dickie Parker. I do feel things have closed down a great deal for writers of unsolicited material over recent years.

Quote: Keith Rees @ February 14 2009, 8:41 PM GMT

I didn't send my stuff to the writers room until recently. In the last few weeks I've had a reply which I don't really know what to make of. On one hand they tell me the script was good, and very competantly written, but then thanks but no thanks.
I also sent stuff to LWT and was summoned to see Mark Robson. (you too Lee?) I also got work on Hale and Pace and had a number of sketches used. The burnt dog in the back of the car was one of ours. (Me and my writing partner). They had very encouraging script editors at the time. Sean Carson, David Thomplinson and Dickie Parker. I do feel things have closed down a great deal for writers of unsolicited material over recent years.

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The guy I was in touch with was called Mike Haskins I think.