T.W.
Thursday 26th January 2012 12:44am [Edited]
15,786 posts
I think it's worth saying something in defence of British comedy writers. As a sitcom writer who's been on the cusp of getting one of his original shows produced, it's a very tough time to be a new, previously unproduced writer, maybe more so than it was even just five or ten years ago. A producer/director (of some standing) who kindly reads (and even enjoys) my scripts, recently noted to me what a strange time it is in comedy commissioning - especially in sitcom. No-one seems to be really sure what commissioners want, it seems. He (again kindly) commented that given the quality of my work he was surprised I didn't already have a string of production credits to my name. I - and I'm sure many other unknown writers, are trying to write original and funny shows, but it's very hard to win through because a) you're writing something a little less comparable to what's currently being commissioned and b) you've never had a sitcom you've written produced before.
All the networks want new, funny, original comedies - but they tend to go to the same writers to get these, i.e. those with a record of produced work. Even if some of these writers haven't made many people laugh with their recent work, they're still an industry-recognised name. The other thing that seems to be increasingly common is to let well-known comedians/comic actors have a crack at writing their own sitcom. It doesn't matter if they can't write very well and have never had to learn their trade, they're still a name to attach to the project. It's very hard to be very good at two things - and writing and performing stand-up/performing scripted comedy is a different skill to being able to write scripted, narrative comedy. Some of course can do both, but most can't do it very well. Just as the vast majority of great writers have no talent for acting, most great comedy actors can't write. A simple fact of life, which seems to get ignored in the excitement of getting "the project" green-lit.
The above comments may be construed as a frustrated unknown being simply bitter and envious, but they're not intended to be. It's just how things seem to be. Networks wanting to be seen to be taking risks without actually taking many risks.
I can assure you though that there are a healthy number of talented potential sitcom writers out there, quietly studying and learning their trade, trying to write original and funny shows, whilst crossing their fingers that - somehow - one of their shows will win that elusive slot in the schedules. Trouble is, the job of writer doesn't appear to be the prime position in making sitcom that it once was. Writers with an original comedy "voice" tend to be overlooked in favour of hack comedy writers or, depressingly yet understandably, become hack comedy writers themselves in order to advance. It is difficult and frustrating when you see so many essentially poorly-written, unfunny shows making it to screen, but the whole culture of comedy commissioning in the UK seems to be rather chaotic and in somewhat poor health at the present time.
John Cleese doesn't get everything he says about the current state of British comedy right (imo), but one thing he's spot-on about is that it's increasingly forgotten that the quality of the script is the most important element to great sitcom. It does appear that "names attached" and the "freshness" of the "idea" have become more important than the quality of the writing. This is why so many shows don't fly. My only plea to commissioners would be to find the strongest scripts and then build the whole show around that script. Not around the specific "sit", a particular actor, a particular demographic etc... Concentrate on finding the greatest scripts, by whatever writer(s) and get people with proven track records to develop and nurture the writing and, hence, the show. This, of course, presumes that it's easy to spot great comedy writing on the page. It isn't. Which is why, after the quality of the writing, the second most important element in great comedy is the quality of the reader. I was lucky enough to once get a script of mine noticed by someone who really knows how to read a comedy script - I won't name her, but her record in producing/commissioning is incredible - and it was such a pleasure to be able to sit in a meeting for the best part of 2 hours as she went through this pilot script line by line, giving a great critique. Someone who really knows how to read a comedy script is vital to the whole process. I'm certain they're around, but perhaps there's not enough of them at the moment?
Maybe things will improve, maybe not. Meanwhile, us unknowns keep on writing, learning, submitting and crossing our fingers...
