Arrogant of me to suggest but if I came up with an excellent sketch and posted it here could someone just nick it and send it to a Programme editor.
Rumour has it that The Chuckle Brothers actually wrote The Office and Gervais nicked it.
Just a thought.
If in doubt don't post your work Kent Pete. You own the copyright to any material you create and post on here but that doesn't guarantee that people won't nick it. If they do you can sue them but it may be safer to not post. Haven't heard it happen yet though but i'll repeat again if you ant to guarantee that noone will steal your work then do not post it.
Point taken. Trust has never been fashionable in Kent. Thanks for the advice. Got to write a classic first I suppose. 
I'm not too concerned because at least everything is dated here - unless you edit it later and that shows also - so at least you should have some evidence if you need it - proof of posting etc.
This forum, is as much a part of the Internet as any other site/forum... so if it's total security you're after, don't post.
oh... and Hi Pete, welcome to the forum! 
Why is your avatar showing code?
I suppose there's the possibility of word-for-word pinching versus just the general idea surfacing elsewhere. The former is easier to deal with if your stuff is dated (I occasionally batch stuff up and use the 'never opened registered letter to myself' method). The second will happen anyway (several times to me) ... but in my opinion its not because someone has pinched your idea but just that one or more other people have also thought of it ... and I don't think that's particularly surprising as there are loads of wannabee writers out there all trying to do the same thing. Will happen the other way around too. I've just dumped a Sitcom idea I'd done a fair bit of work on, called Bananas, set in S. America ... but recently found out that Woody Allan did a film with that same name and same location many years ago ... certainly long before I came up with a too similar theme. I've also got straight drama about musicians (three hours of script!) that I dumped almost immediately I finished it when the film Still Crazy came out with Billy Connolly in it. Absolutely no 'pinching' going on there from either side ... just unfortunate luck. These things happen whatever you do and I suppose its all good practise!!
Kent Pete, just to confirm - you own the copyright on what you post here but obviously anyone on the internet can view this message board so only post if you feel comfortable. I'm not aware of any posts having been 'pinched' from here - a legitimate TV company certainly wouldn't risk the bad publicity of getting 'caught out' (its all time stamped as has been mentioned above).
losaavedra has a very good point though - it isn't impossible for two people to come up with the same joke / idea independently so if your idea does crop up elsewhere you can't automatically assume it has been 'pinched'.
All the more reason not to procrastinate. Get it written NOW before someone else beats you to it!
Quote: Kent Pete @ July 11, 2007, 2:14 AMArrogant of me to suggest but if I came up with an excellent sketch and posted it here could someone just nick it and send it to a Programme editor.
Rumour has it that The Chuckle Brothers actually wrote The Office and Gervais nicked it.
Just a thought.
Pete I happen to know that almost everybody famous in the industry is nicking your stuff line by line even before you've thought of it... don't post mate, it's clear that they're... whoops, careless talk costs lives, word to the wise...
Thanks mate. And I know for a fact that you would never nick my stuff and that makes me feel good inside. 
I actually wrote Scrubs, the barstads!!!!!
KING RICHARD.
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!
CATESBY.
Withdraw, my lord! I'll help you to a horse.
KING RICHARD.
Slave, I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the die:
I think there be six Richmonds in the field:
Five have I slain to-day instead of him.--
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!
If I'd known then what I know now, I'd never have posted this, The Barding Bastard.
Quote: Kent Pete @ July 11, 2007, 2:14 AMRumour has it that The Chuckle Brothers actually wrote The Office and Gervais nicked it.
No it was Coogan, Iannucci, Baynham, Morris and the rest of The Day Today team that Gervais nicked it from.
I, personally, don't like to post anything up on here which I am seriously intending to submit to people. You may well own the copyright to anything you post here, but then proving you own this copyright isn't necessarily very easy.
Cheers Winterlight. You have just added to my general sence of paranoia, But good advice.