BBC Transgender Comedy Writing Competition...FFS!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/transcomedy-award

'When the GRA (Gender Recognition Act - giving birth certificate change, marriage, etc. rights to TS folk) was passed by Parliament, related government literature estimated 6,000 "visible" transsexual people in the UK.

These were people living fully in "opposite gender" role, pre and post-ops, who had come to statistical attention through applying for Passports etc in their changed status, or being referred to or having passed through gender clinics & the NHS.

Thats 0.01% of the population, one in 10,000 people.'

Wait, just read the rules, the she-males have to be portrayed in a positive light, that's this competition over for me then.

Here are some potential titles to get you going -

Ladyboys from the Black Stuff
Bangkok's Half Hour
Two Pints of Milk and a Packet of Nuts
He's a Half Hot Mum
and
Chicks with Dicks Emery Show

Bangkok's Half Hour

He's a Half Hot Mum

Thanks for the heads up, I am so entering this. And I think you should be forced to as well, you miserable, sequin-hating c**t.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ November 29 2012, 8:02 PM GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/transcomedy-award

'When the GRA (Gender Recognition Act - giving birth certificate change, marriage, etc. rights to TS folk) was passed by Parliament, related government literature estimated 6,000 "visible" transsexual people in the UK.

These were people living fully in "opposite gender" role, pre and post-ops, who had come to statistical attention through applying for Passports etc in their changed status, or being referred to or having passed through gender clinics & the NHS.

Thats 0.01% of the population, one in 10,000 people.'

Wait, just read the rules, the she-males have to be portrayed in a positive light, that's this competition over for me then.

Here are some potential titles to get you going -

Ladyboys from the Black Stuff
Bangkok's Half Hour
Two Pints of Milk and a Packet of Nuts
He's a Half Hot Mum
and
Chicks with Dicks Emery Show

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Okay, I couldn't be bothered with your women-wind-up-by-numbers post earlier (no, I'm not referring to early prototypes of blow-up dolls) but I'll indulge you now.
Did this thread title need a 'FFS'? Do you actually have what you think are genuine reasons for being so belittling to this opportunity or transgender people or did you just think it would be the most effective setting for your list of puns?
Are you actually disgruntled by something about this competition and feel that you are being discriminated against because you don't want to bother trying to write something that fits the brief?
Do you not think that transgender people also have a sense of humour and that your list of puns may well be, in the appropriately professional context, applicable jokes, or do you just assume that anyone who doesn't match the same descriptions as yourself is therefore 'other' and can't be related to, written for, or thought about objectively or even kindly?
And isn't it tiring constantly seeking out ways to feel opposed to other human beings?

Can any veteran of the BCG tell me the last time the BBC had a sketch show competition where you had a chance to get Jon Plowman to see your work?

Fair enough, I haven't a f**king clue how to make the concept of transgender both 'funny' and 'positive' but I'll try my hardest to send in Man stroke woman stroke transsexual stroke transvestite stroke genderqueer stroke androgyne stroke bigender by February next year.

But, as someone who initially read 'bi gender' as 'big ender' I've got a lot to learn....

How very dare the BBC offer another competition to us? It's political correctness gone MAD!

Quote: sootyj @ November 30 2012, 6:46 AM GMT

That explains so much Godot and yet so little

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A bit like this

Quote: AJGO @ November 30 2012, 1:05 AM GMT

Did this thread title need a 'FFS'? Do you actually have what you think are genuine reasons for being so belittling to this opportunity or transgender people or did you just think it would be the most effective setting for your list of puns?

View original

Perhaps the enterprise comes across as a bit worthy for my liking. It doesn't matter who it's about, transgender people, Eskimo naturists or grandmas with tourettes, I'd like a comedy to be funny first, rather than socially meaningful. What's more, I'd have thought the best way to help these people (if they actually need help, did anyone ask?) would be to present an honest picture, not a overly-positive one. We'll soon all hate them if we're told how fantastic they are.

btw, loved the puns.

This is a great opportunity the BBC are offering. It's not often you get the chance to have your work read but such influential people so hats off to them for giving us this opportunity.

I am slightly perturbed by some of the reactions on here. Is it so wrong the BBC are wanting to present a positive image of a particular group? I don't think it's particularly PC-gone-mad to look around the population and realise there's a significant number of people that aren't really represented in BBC programmes. And I don't think the BBC were thinking we must help these poor individuals but rather seeing a gap in what they offer and trying to fill it.

Some of the other comments I'll refrain from replying to except to say - Is that really the public impression of yourself you want to put out there?

I wouldn't want to be involved in anything which smacked of a diktat, especially a humourless one. PCness is killing comedy and this is a comedy writers forum!

Quote: Poirot @ November 30 2012, 9:02 PM GMT

I wouldn't want to be involved in anything which smacked of a diktat, especially a humourless one. PCness is killing comedy and this is a comedy writers forum!

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For "Diktat" read "brief", and for "PCness" read "Stuff I don't like".

AJGO and Stephen make excellent points.

Quote: Poirot @ November 30 2012, 9:02 PM GMT

I wouldn't want to be involved in anything which smacked of a diktat, especially a humourless one. PCness is killing comedy and this is a comedy writers forum!

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Political Correctness is about using language to minimize (or sweep under the carpet) offensive language.

Asking people to write comedy on a specific theme is not really 'Political Correctness'.

Anyway, it's the BBC, which means anything written on any theme has to get past Compliance. They could have announced that they were looking for sitcoms about rapists and we'd still have to make sure whatever we sent in was tasteful.

You are sending a script in to the Entertainment Wing of the Civil Service so there's no point complaining about 'diktats'.

There are plenty of other places on the internet to write without restraint.

Asking people to write on a specific scheme IN A PARTICULAR MANNER does sound like a diktat to me.

I wasn't getting into the discussion of how appropriate or necessary this is but now that you invite me to so so I will. It is licence-payers money so you have to question how relevant this is for the needs of the community as a whole. There are more stamp-collectors than transgender persons, does that mean the BBC has to commission programmes encouraging positive views of stamp-collectors?

It's the sort of competition that if it engages you to have a go, have a go. Life is a competition. There's nothing wrong with stamp collecting. And no one forces anyone to pay a license fee as far as I know. The BBC might be shit for a lot of reasons, but not all.

Quote: Poirot @ November 30 2012, 9:30 PM GMT

Asking people to write on a specific scheme IN A PARTICULAR MANNER does sound like a diktat to me.

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I still say that this isn't pre-1990's East-Germany and "brief" is the more common term, though I acknowledge your capitalisation.

Quote: Poirot @ November 30 2012, 9:30 PM GMT

I wasn't getting into the discussion of how appropriate or necessary this is but now that you invite me to so so I will. It is licence-payers money so you have to question how relevant this is for the needs of the community as a whole. There are more stamp-collectors than transgender persons, does that mean the BBC has to commission programmes encouraging positive views of stamp-collectors?

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I'm fairly certain I didn't invite this. Jinky did you invite this? Are you mad, Jinky?? Inviting someone on the internet to talk about licence-payer's money and the "needs of the community"?!!

Quote: Frantically @ November 30 2012, 11:02 PM GMT

Jinky did you invite this?

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This is what I read when I looked at the terms and conditions.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah JON FUCKING PLOWMAN MIGHT READ YOUR SCRIPT blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Any questions?

I mean.....

A few programmes produced by Jon Plowman

A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1986)
French & Saunders (1987)
Smith and Jones (1989)
Bottom (1991)
Absolutely Fabulous (1992)
The Vicar of Dibley (1994)
Alexei Syle's Merry-Go-Round (1998)
Goodness Gracious Me (1998)
The Ben Elton Show (1998)
This Morning with Richard Not Judy (1998)
The League of Gentlemen (1999)
The Office (2000)
15 Storeys High (2002)
The Thick of It (2005)
Psychoville (2009)

JESUS WEPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!