Quote: Kev F @ February 3 2012, 11:13 PM GMTThis is a brilliant scheme and I want to enter a script. You have to post it, no emails, and you have to post it between March 1st and March 21st.
I fly back from Australia on March 20th after a month away. Thankyou BBC.
PROTIP: They have post offices in Australia.
Kev's off to Australia for a month - and still whinging. Unbelievable. 
And why do all these sitcom competitions always mention Basil Fawlty as the ideal?
'Here ya go, my main character is an unlikeable racist psychopath who hates his wife'
'Sorry, we can't have a main character who's an unlikeable racist psychopath who hates his wife'
************
I think you've missed the point of Basil Fawlty's character.
I've just finished (i.e. about 15 hours ago) writing my first ever sitcom. I was going to send it in next week, to the usual BBC unsolicited script section. Do I wait and send it in for this or write another one ? Or both ?
Both
Quote: don rushmore @ February 4 2012, 12:56 AM GMTKev's off to Australia for a month - and still whinging. Unbelievable.
I believe I may have been unwittingly Humblebragging there. Sorry.
Quote: Jinky @ February 4 2012, 12:09 AM GMTPROTIP: They have post offices in Australia.
You make these things sound so easy. I have hit on the masterplan of leaving the printed script with my Mum who will post it between the deadline goalposts. And I can sit there thinking of all the amends and updates I'd like to make, but it'll be too late. There it'll be, sat it in its sealed envelope, finished and printed out sometime in the next seven days, silent and immutable. Imagine that, all those of you eleventh-hour upload-your-script-at-one-second-to-midnight deadline daredevils!
Quote: Park Bench @ February 5 2012, 7:08 AM GMTI've just finished (i.e. about 15 hours ago) writing my first ever sitcom. I was going to send it in next week, to the usual BBC unsolicited script section. Do I wait and send it in for this or write another one ? Or both ?
If you want the chance of it getting read out at the Sitcom Trials Bristol meeting on Feb 12th, you could get a short Trials-format taster of your script entered into the Trials this week. The deadline for scripts is Feb 29th, but we need something to read at the first meeting of the new team next weekend. No promises, but there are about 20 comedy actors waiting to read someone's script. It could be yours. Enter scripts here: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/SitsVac/files/ Details here: http://sitcomtrials.blogspot.com/
Alright, first question for the crowd - any idea whether there is a preference for a pilot or for a "typical episode"?
Quote: Several Trees @ February 5 2012, 1:37 PM GMTAlright, first question for the crowd - any idea whether there is a preference for a pilot or for a "typical episode"?
It's not especially clear, but the request for an outline of how the series would develop suggests they're looking for a 'first episode'. I doubt you'd be penalised for entering a mid-series episode though, as long as you could demonstate how/where it would fit into the series as a whole?
Quote: writer for hire @ February 4 2012, 8:22 PM GMTI think you've missed the point of Basil Fawlty's character.
I am all ears, please enlighten me.
Quote: Several Trees @ February 5 2012, 1:37 PM GMTAlright, first question for the crowd - any idea whether there is a preference for a pilot or for a "typical episode"?
I've long been an adherant to the "every episode's a pilot" approach. In US TV, viewers will regularly come in in the middle of a season and have got to "get" the characters every time.
In the past year or so I've come into the middle of half a dozen shows which became my firm favourites - Party Down, Big Bang Theory & 30 Rock are good examples. In fact when I finally saw the first episode of them it was slighly underwhelming (ie the later ones were usually better) but the team had clearly got all the characters well-thought-through from the start.
I'm not a fan of story arcs, especially in sitcoms, but if that's what you kids are doing these days, then go for it.
I think Laugh Track want to read an episode of a sitcom where they "get" all the characters and where they see funny writing and a set-up with the potential for telling an infinite numbers of stories. If it happens to be the boring episode where everyone meets for the first time (some of which are not bad), I'm sure they'll not hold that against you.
Favourite 1st episodes:
Friends (6 characters introduced in under 3 minutes - don't try this at home)
Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
Cheers
I'm Alan Partridge
Most underwhelming 1st episodes:
Fawlty Towers (the Lord Melbury episode anyone?)
Dad's Army (who knew the whole series was a flashback?)
The Simpsons
Seinfeld
Kev F
An Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form?!!!
Optional but what will happen if you don't complete it, I wonder?
Cynical?
Me?
Mind, if anything we wrote was remotely near funny to warrant consideration then I'd complete two!
Quote: Kev F @ February 5 2012, 4:54 PM GMTI've long been an adherant to the "every episode's a pilot" approach. In US TV, viewers will regularly come in in the middle of a season and have got to "get" the characters every time.
In the past year or so I've come into the middle of half a dozen shows which became my firm favourites - Party Down, Big Bang Theory & 30 Rock are good examples. In fact when I finally saw the first episode of them it was slighly underwhelming (ie the later ones were usually better) but the team had clearly got all the characters well-thought-through from the start.
I'm not a fan of story arcs, especially in sitcoms, but if that's what you kids are doing these days, then go for it.
I think Laugh Track want to read an episode of a sitcom where they "get" all the characters and where they see funny writing and a set-up with the potential for telling an infinite numbers of stories. If it happens to be the boring episode where everyone meets for the first time (some of which are not bad), I'm sure they'll not hold that against you.
Favourite 1st episodes:
Friends (6 characters introduced in under 3 minutes - don't try this at home)
Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
Cheers
I'm Alan PartridgeMost underwhelming 1st episodes:
Fawlty Towers (the Lord Melbury episode anyone?)
Dad's Army (who knew the whole series was a flashback?)
The Simpsons
SeinfeldKev F
Thanks Kev.
What will happen if you don't fill in the form?
Nothing different to what will happen if you do.
I thought this might be interesting for people to read;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/downloads/scripts/marigold.pdf
This pilot script for a sitcom won a competition with the BBC, but for the life of me I can't see how. I read the first few pages and couldn't find anything funny.
There were moments where I thought "Yeah, I get that" but none of it was funny.
I've been looking on the internet for the pilot they filmed, it had angus deayton in it, but I can't find it anywhere!
Very angry now so I'm giving up.
Quote: writer for hire @ February 6 2012, 7:14 PM GMTI thought this might be interesting for people to read;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/downloads/scripts/marigold.pdf
This pilot script for a sitcom won a competition with the BBC, but for the life of me I can't see how. I read the first few pages and couldn't find anything funny.
There were moments where I thought "Yeah, I get that" but none of it was funny.
I've been looking on the internet for the pilot they filmed, it had angus deayton in it, but I can't find it anywhere!
Very angry now so I'm giving up.
You seem to give up very easily.
I didn't enjoy it oh well back to my sitcom based on The Seige of Troy set in Peckham
Only Fools in horses.