Does anyone here know the current going rate 'per minute' for BBC radio sketch comedy? Does it increase after a certain amount of time, or minutes / hours aired, and is there any difference if the writer in question isn't a Writers Guild member?
BBC rate per minute?
Not quite sure, but if you go into a couple of minutes of air time Richard Curtis will give you a handjob.
£36 for every 30 seconds.
It gets rounded up to the nearest 30 seconds, e.g. a 17 second sketch will bag you £36.
**** EDIT ****
Edited as I was mistaken.
See posts below for more accurate rates. 
So whoever wrote the sketch at the beginning of Newsjack series 2 ep. 3 is probably rolling in it, it seemed to go on forever.
So I'd have to write a whopper in order to make anything (stupid exchange rates--I'm shaking my fist in the air, btw).
Quote: AndreaLynne @ January 29 2010, 12:02 AM GMTSo I'd have to write a whopper in order to make anything (stupid exchange rates--I'm shaking my fist in the air, btw).
I thought BBC writersroom decided they will no longer accept scripts/material from writers outside the UK anymore? Or do you know of an alternative route in?
I know of no alternative route. Just pissed off about our money.
Quote: AndreaLynne @ January 29 2010, 12:09 AM GMTI know of no alternative route. Just pissed off about our money.
At least it's cheap for us to go to Disney World!
Quote: Mikey Jackson @ January 28 2010, 11:50 PM GMT£36 for every 30 seconds.
It gets rounded up to the nearest 30 seconds, e.g. a 17 second sketch will bag you £36.
It varies according to channel, time slot, etc. Non-comm on BBC7 (Newsjack) is about 36 quid per minute rounded up over the entire series. Radio 4 pays a bit more.
It's thirty something per min on both Radio 4 and Radio 7. It's rounded up to the nearest minute BUT - in my experience - that's done on a series basis. So I presume for Newsjack, 3 vox pops will pay the same as 1 vox pop (1 x 15 seconds is rounded up to 1 min; 3 x 15 secs is 45 secs, which still only rounds up to a minute).
If you're commissioned, you get a higher rate for the commissioned minutes of material, but I think you're back at the normal rate for anything used in addition to that.
Yakob Wingnut confirmed in the past that once you have had a certain amount broadcast on BBC radio you get paid at a higher rate per minute, but don't know where this kicks in (alas I'm not there yet...)
Quote: Mikey Jackson @ January 28 2010, 11:50 PM GMT£36 for every 30 seconds.
It gets rounded up to the nearest 30 seconds, e.g. a 17 second sketch will bag you £36.
As also mentioned by Badge and The Producer I think it's £36 every minute rather than every 30 seconds.
I'm not sure how it works either. Last time I got something non-comm on Radio 4 I got around £60 per minute. Time before that I was commissioned and got around £50 per minute. Before that, commissioned and it was around £35 per minute (this was all in the same year).
Dear God, with money like this why am I writing comedy!?
Anyway, The Producer and me have been commissioned for the 4th series of RFTP. Possibly we're being paid the same. I've not asked him or the RFTP producer.
And well done everyone for kicking my ass at Newsjack. I do not get writing one-liners or topical comedy at all!
Quote: The Giggle-o @ January 29 2010, 12:08 AM GMTI thought BBC writersroom decided they will no longer accept scripts/material from writers outside the UK anymore? Or do you know of an alternative route in?
the writersroom don't make radio programmes Giggle-0.
So I presume for Newsjack, 3 vox pops will pay the same as 1 vox pop (1 x 15 seconds is rounded up to 1 min; 3 x 15 secs is 45 secs, which still only rounds up to a minute
Strange, as Watson's Wind-Up (albeit paid by Comedy Unit and not the Beeb) paid £18 per 30 secs, but didn't round it up. Two sketches on one show @ 10 or so seconds each would bag 2 x £18.
In the previous WWU series, I also had 2 sketches on one show, with one sketch approx 10 seconds and the other approx 40 seconds.
For that, I got a total of £54; £18 for the short sketch and £36 for the longer one.
I suppose the only way to establish rates of pay is to check your contract when it comes through.
Quote: Marc P @ January 30 2010, 12:15 PM GMTthe writersroom don't make radio programmes Giggle-0.
I meant it more as a general comment that I thought non-UK residents couldn't submit material to the BBC anymore not necessarily just for radio shows. Don't the BBC writersroom still accept radio scripts though?
Quote: Mikey Jackson @ January 31 2010, 4:58 PM GMTStrange, as Watson's Wind-Up (albeit paid by Comedy Unit and not the Beeb) paid £18 per 30 secs, but didn't round it up.
Scotch.