Just been looking through some of my old sketches and noticed that a lot of them appear to have been subconsciously or unconsciously(?) influenced by Big Train and some of my delivery is (and I've always been aware of this) influenced by Alan Partridge (or Steve Coogan).
So here's the question: What's your favourite colour?
Of course I mean, Who/what are your influences?
Not an original question, but judging by my topic, nothing is! 
Depends if you mean inspiration or influences.
Influence is probably quite subconscious because you just write the way you do naturally I think.
Inspirations are the people you like and want to aspire to.
In my case Leslie Thomas and Clement & LaFrenais.
Certainly, though, you can only be influenced by what you've seen, at least, unless it's an indirect influence, in which case it's more or of a cultural thing, perhaps... I'm boring myself now.
I'm influenced by, in no particular order:
Larry David (CYE, Seinfeld)
Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant (Office & Extras)
One Foot In the Grave
Only Fools
Fast Show
Peep Show
Fawlty Towers
... hang on, there's bloody loads I'm influenced by. I could go on forever. I've even been influenced by programmes like '2 Pints of Lager...', which I don't even like. Doesn't mean you can't take something away from it. (I think the sitcom I'm working on at the moment is like a cross between Two Pints, One Foor In The Grave, and Curb!... don't ask.) It's tricky, really, because then you get to the sticky issue of who influenced the people who influenced you.
Wish I never asked now!!
I was just surprised by how much I saw of Big Train in my sketches (eg. real mixed with surreal 'n stuff)
(I think the sitcom I'm working on at the moment is like a cross between Two Pints, One Foor In The Grave, and Curb!... don't ask.)
Sounds like my old sitcom: Flat sharing, with a grumpy lead (and it's everybody else's fault.
Grant & Naylor
John Swartzwelder
Linehan & Mathews
David Renwick.
Quote: Leevil @ December 15, 2007, 2:03 PMSounds like my old sitcom: Flat sharing, with a grumpy lead (and it's everybody else's fault.
There's a grump in it, but he's not the lead. Lead is more of an everyman bumbler.
Depends on what you mean by influences, there are people I hugely respect and reading through some of my old sketches/ stand-up I think I have been influenced by, but theres no-one I think of whilst writing and try to copy the best bits of their style.
Mitchell and Webb (With their sketch writing hats on not their peep show hats on) are two people who I hugely respect.
Also Neil Edmond and the rest of the crew involved in the radio show "the consultants".
Someone I wish I could be infulenced by is Jeremy Hardy he has that uncanny ability to sound interesting, intelligent, original and funny all at the same time, I seem to be able only to manage each of those individually.
Another question might be, is being obviously infulenced and trying to be infulenced a bad thing, or does it just go to show you are humble enough to be willing to learn from people who have suceeded at what you are trying to do, or should you always strife to be totally off your own steam.
Being influenced by/trying to be influenced by?
Half and half might be good. It's good to study others but you need to try out your own style as well I think and try to forget what others have done. In a way, it doesn't matter what they've done, you have to do your own stuff irrespective of their stuff and find your own voice!
The stuff I've watched/listened to most and admired most would be Laurel & Hardy, The Goons, Tony Hancock, Pete & Dud, Morecambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd, Eric Sykes, Monty Python and sitcoms: Steptoe & Son, Dad's Army, Porridge, Only Fools, Open all hours, Fawlty Towers, Black Adder..
& more modern stuff, I like Eddie Izzard, LOG, Boosh...
My biggest influnces in terms of who I would like to be like would have to be Python and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band who were a musical comedy outfit involved with some of the Pythons early on.
I'd say looking over a lot of my writing that Larry David/Jerry Seinfeld and any of the writers on Seinfeld are an influence in the style of comedy I write, in the fact that I like to derive my humour from the smallest of social problems.
In my sketches I'm definitely influenced by Cook & Moore, Python and the Mr Show team. But the sketches on my podcast which tend to be more topical and satirical are probably influenced more by Morris, Stewart Lee, Armando Iannucci and even Bill Hicks.
I've got a list of influences as long as an orangutan's reach:
Monty Python
Big Train
Woody Allen
Stewart Lee
Armando Iannucci
The Sketch Show
Fry and Laurie
The League of Gentlemen
Peter Cook
Chris Morris
John Cleese
Clement and Le Frenais
Galton and Simpson
Gervais and Merchant (YES! For the stuff they did with The Office!)
Whoever it is that actually writes Peep Show.
Matthews and Lineham definetly influence my writing be it sitcom or sketches. I've also recently been influenced by Not Going Out. I'm writing a lot more Lee Mack/Tim Vine style jokes now. Oh and the Boosh too. And the Pythons, but that's it, I swear. 
Will Smith
Ah, but which one.
Quote: Seefacts @ December 15, 2007, 2:09 PMGrant & Naylor
John Swartzwelder
Linehan & Mathews
David Renwick.
Nice one Seefacts, I'm glad someone else has picked Swartzwelder, an absolute genius. Even the best writers of the Simpsons thought he was a level above the rest. It's no coincidence that he has more writing credits on the show than everyone else. I thought his episodes were the best of the lot and some of his gags were outrageously good. Very talented guy.
Apart from Swartzwelder:
Milligan
Cook
Pryor
Hicks
David
