Well done Debbie...
THE SITCOM TRIALS - October 21st 2011 Manchester Page 22
Congrats, Debbie! All the best for the full performance.
Kev: Thanks to you and the manchester Sitcom Trials team. I've seen the video and great performances all round. Well done everyone.
All muddled and rushed/edited, still don't understand why Debbie won? never heard of her? what was her 'complete' transcript?, I would love to hear it all.
I know folk on here put in work, but there is a lack of any reference to them, whether they were placed in the final 3 or any feedback?...Please give more feedback guys!
Red, You were unhappy even angry about result? is everything suddenly OK?
Yeah, for the last Sitcom Trials the audience votes were published so I'd like to know the results for this one and see how "As Plain as Day" went down with the audience.
Quote: evan rubivellian @ October 23 2011, 9:32 AM BSTYeah, for the last Sitcom Trials the audience votes were published so I'd like to know the results for this one and see how "As Plain as Day" went down with the audience.
Okeydokey. In the spirit of transparency, here are the votes as cast on the night at the Manchester Sitcom Trials on Friday:
Tragic Life of Roger Bulwark - 4 votes
Mad Axe Man & Her - 5 votes
As Plain As Day - 0 votes
Leaping Tiger - 3 votes
Doing It For The Kids - 1 vote
As you can see, that's only a total of 13 votes, a result of a very disappointing and surprising turnout for this show. And that is the reason I had to be doubly sure over the decision that was made. Had there not been a cash prize and the offer of a full staging offered by Lisa and the Manchester team, there would not have been so much at stake and I would have been happy to call the audience's choice the all out winner and leave it at that.
In the days of the regular Sitcom Trials 1999-2006, there were no prizes and no tournament structure, so winning on the night was more a bit of fun than anything else, with the only thing hanging on the audience vote being the resolution of the night, ie which sitcom's end would we see? With a prize on offer that changed.
An extra complication was that Lisa herself, whose money was being offered, couldn't be at the show, we learned at short notice. This meant that, whereas in advance I could have confidently expected both her decision on the night and a big enough audience to make a clear and decisive vote obvious, once the show began I knew that wasn't going to be possible.
Of course, as has been suggested to me, I could simply have not announced the winner on this forum until I had the final decision. I don't think I could have. It might have been a small audience, but at least thirteen people had seen, quite clearly, a winner being announced, so if I'd tried to hold that information back someone else would have told you, and then would have started asking questions as to why I, Mr Transparency, had suddenly become all opaque.
So Debbie Rayner has won the Sitcom Trials, deservedly and categorically with a brilliantly funny script, and the audience voted as shown above. Can I reiterate that the standard of scripts was very high indeed this month, with not one weak link in the show. Had there been a full house the laughter, of which there's a fair amount on the video already, would have demonstrated these scripts' comedic qualities all the better.
So, shall we do this again or what?
Kev F Sutherland
Producer
The Sitcom Trials
Remind me never to ask for the votes again!
Quote: dellas @ October 23 2011, 8:36 AM BSTRed, You were unhappy even angry about result? is everything suddenly OK?
I wasn't angry with the result, I'd actually voted for the winner...
I was annoyed at the idea Debbie might have been done out of her first place by some contrived last minute rule...
Quote: evan rubivellian @ October 23 2011, 10:26 AM BSTRemind me never to ask for the votes again!
As Plain As Day went brilliantly and was as funny as you knew it was. That's the curse of a small audience. Normally nothing would get 0 votes, but with only about a dozen people, that sort of thing will happen. Sorry again, but don't take it personally.
Now perhaps if we dispensed with the audience vote and instead had a panel of judges who discussed the show in private and gave their decision without ever having to explain who voted which way... what? That's been done? Nothing new under the sun is there.
Quote: RedZed333 @ October 23 2011, 10:58 AM BSTI was annoyed at the idea Debbie might have been done out of her first place by some contrived last minute rule...
...which I hope I've explained now. Sorry for the upset that it may have caused.
VOTES including post-deadline votes
As Plain As Day25
Tragic Life Roger Bulwark23
Doing It For The Kids18
Leaping Tiger18
Mad Axe Man & Her17
Since the winner came last does that mean that the peer review thingy needs to be reviewed?
Quote: Andrea Waters @ October 23 2011, 11:20 AM BSTSince the winner came last does that mean that the peer review thingy needs to be reviewed?
Online votes choose the scripts to be showcased in the live show. The live show then stands alone. Different things are being judged (a script and a live performance) and the two are kept separate.
Once upon a time we used to use the online voting to choose a shortlist of 10 scripts which were then read in a round table session, from which we chose the 5 or 6 sitcoms that would make the live show. This made very clear the difference between how scripts appear on the page and how they come across when read out live, which is a lot of what the Sitcom Trials has always been about.
Quote: Kev F @ October 23 2011, 11:07 AM BST...which I hope I've explained now. Sorry for the upset that it may have caused.
Admirably...
Quote: Kev F @ October 23 2011, 11:48 AM BSTOnline votes choose the scripts to be showcased in the live show.
Totally understand the difference between the peer voting system and the audience vote at the actual performance, but if only 4 scripts had been chosen the winner wouldn't have made it to Manchester at all.
just like after an outbreak at a primary school, the nits need to be picked. but who gives a toss everyone did grand and congrats to the winner.
Well done also the the performers who seemed to be really giving it some in the video.
God bless us one and all 
Had a brilliant time at the Sitcom Trials, and congrats to Debbie.
There was some really funny stuff in these scripts ("Plain As Day's" line about the pandas being forced to wear oven gloves to stop them from climbing trees had everybody roaring with laughter, to give just one example), and there was a really happy vibe in the room. Superb performances all round, too.
"Checkpoint Dave" went down very well, I'm happy (and relieved) to say - Lisa, Dave and the terrific cast worked very hard, and I can't thank them enough.
And thanks to Kev, for the pen (and everything else).