http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jul/04/paul-feig-comedy-screenwriting
His credits include Freaks & Geeks, Arrested Development, 30 Rock and The Office! All in all, he's brilliant.
Edit: Can someone edit the title to "Top 9 Tips." 
Paul Feig's Top 9 Tips....
Very sound advice. This should be read by producers as well as writers.
It's a good piece, the man has worked on some great shows; and he created Freaks And Geeks, which gets him a free pass into heaven.
It's good advice if you want to turn out the sort of thing he does very well, but it's not universally applicable, is it? Take these two points:
"it's important for the people in any comedy to act just like real people act."
"A great comedy is about real characters who make you laugh because you appreciate their personalities and how they react to particular situations. They have to be believable human beings.../"
How does this apply to the Goons or Monty Python?
Quote: NoggetFred @ July 7 2009, 9:09 AM BSTHow does this apply to the Goons or Monty Python?
You see, he's giving his opinion on the kind of shows he works on and personally likes; you don't have to actually agree with all points.
Plus he was talking about sitcoms, which neither the Goons or Python are.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ July 7 2009, 9:11 AM BSTPlus he was talking about sitcoms, which neither the Goons or Python are.
I interpreted "it's important for the people in any comedy to act just like real people act" as being intended to apply to *any* comedy, not just sitcoms.
Quote: NoggetFred @ July 7 2009, 9:16 AM BSTI interpreted "it's important for the people in any comedy to act just like real people act" as being intended to apply to *any* comedy, not just sitcoms.
Well, I didn't. Where do we go from here?
Quote: NoggetFred @ July 7 2009, 9:16 AM BSTI interpreted "it's important for the people in any comedy to act just like real people act" as being intended to apply to *any* comedy, not just sitcoms.
He's talking from a modern American comedy standpoint, really. The "heightened" character sitcom has gone rather out of fashion in the US (as it has to some extent over here too). In general, of course, if comedy characters acted just like real people act (all the time), there would be no sitcoms.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ July 7 2009, 9:18 AM BSTWell, I didn't. Where do we go from here?
choose your weapon sir!