Lineham/Mathews
The guys who wrote Green Wing
Stevenson/Pegg
David Renwick
Simon Nye
Inspirational TV Writers Page 2
Linehan, Moffat for not only Coupling, which Ive grown to like a lot more in recent times, but for being the best writer on new Doctor Who, Chris Morris, The League Of Gents, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, Peter Cook, all the Seinfeld writers, Iannucci. And more that arent springing to mind at this point.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ November 5, 2007, 7:17 PMMoffat for not only Coupling, which Ive grown to like a lot more in recent times, but for being the best writer on new Doctor Who
I don't like Coupling at all, but he is far and away the best writer on Doctor Who. Which is a bit strange really.
Quote: zooo @ November 5, 2007, 7:20 PMI don't like Coupling at all, but he is far and away the best writer on Doctor Who. Which is a bit strange really.
I remember being a bit annoyed when he was announced as one of the new writers,I couldnt understand why the writer of Press Gang and Coupling was writing Doctor Who, but for some reason hes just perfect at it. I hope when T Davies moves on, Moffat takes his place.
Oh god, I actually love Press Gang too!
I agree about Moffat taking over. I think it's apparently supposed to be quite likely.
Bah, Moffat's too busy writing Tin Tin.
Shit! How did I forget Peter Cook. Definitely inspirational, one of the greatest comedy writers of all time.
Oh and all of the Monty Python team (well most of them).
Spike Milligan
Peter Cook
Chapman/Cleese
Jones/Palin
Idle - Until Spamalot
Douglas Adams
Chris Morris
Armando Ianucci/Peter Baynham
... and the best pair of the lot.
Clement & Lefrenais.
Echo whoever said Nat Hiken (and other Bilko writers)
And also those Simpsons writers Swartzwartzyrrrrrrr and Meyer.
And Parker/Stone too. And Larry David. Shit, where are the Brits? Well, they're coming, and I don't mean Colin Welland.
Off-comedy central Dennis Potter and Alan Bennett are more inspirational than most. Mike Leigh as well, though that seems to be quite a collaborative and improvised process so I should add "and his casts".
Sitcom-wise, Clement/Le Frenais deserve mention for Porridge alone, never mind the Likely Lads. Marshall and Renwick made me laugh with everything they did from "End of Part One" onwards (including the under-rated "Hot Metal") until they split and Renwick continued being funny with "One Foot...". And I'll give Moffat a vote as well for both Coupling and Who (of which his episodes are not only among the best but the funniest).
And I'll continue to ignore the existence of Cleese/Booth, as otherwise I would realise there is no point in trying to write sitcom because it can hardly be done any better.
of modern ones i like the guy who does doc martin, he also did robin hood on the bbc, dominic something or other(sorry!)
Linehan's writing is okay, but it's too silly for me. I prefer dry wit, the kind I hear on the top American shows. Wit stays funny forever but visual gags lose their appeal. I don't think Linehan is capable of wit. It's a different kind of comedy.
As for Joe Keenan, it's extremely rare for me to find nothing at all wrong with an epsiode. I always think something dipped somewhere along the line, but he came into Frasier and the first script he wrote was absolutely top notch. A classic. And I just think that is what your standard should be. The bar should be that high.
Add me to the Moffat list - not only the brave Joking Apart but, as has been mentioned previously, the mould-breaking, awesomely complicated to plot episodes of Coupling.
Quote: zooo @ November 5, 2007, 7:20 PMI don't like Coupling at all, but he is far and away the best writer on Doctor Who. Which is a bit strange really.
Give it another go - the first few series' are well worth getting into.