Good point, the question is whether they are good..... 
The Show What You Wrote Page 11
Quote: Pete Turton @ April 2 2013, 7:56 PM BSTI took kitchen sink to mean soap opera
For. Fucks. Sake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_sink_realism
The annoying thing is that I should end this post by saying 'You're too thick to be a comedy writer' but the truth is 'You're exactly what they are looking for'!!!!
Don't worry I'm aware of the mistake I've made hence why I've said that two out of the three were entirely off target.
Having said that, the example they gave us of kitchen sink on the website read more like a soap scene then a gritty northern drama.
I'm not sure whether to be offended or not....
Quote: Pete Turton @ April 3 2013, 12:19 AM BSTI'm not sure whether to be offended or not....
Being ignored is more offensive.
Quote: Pete Turton @ April 3 2013, 12:19 AM BSTDon't worry I'm aware of the mistake I've made hence why I've said that two out of the three were entirely off target.
Having said that, the example they gave us of kitchen sink on the website read more like a soap scene then a gritty northern drama.
I'm not sure whether to be offended or not....
You haven't made any mistake. The guidelines specifically mention 'Early Coronation Street' as an example of something that could work in the Kitchen Sink Drama episode.
They say these titles are to be leaping off points for sketches not hard and fast categories that every sketch must rigidly fit into. To be honest it would be pretty repetitive if e.g. every sketch in episode 4 was in a documentary format.
As the Writers' Room page says - 'There are no wrong answers here'
Quote: ash williamson @ April 2 2013, 11:58 AM BSTDon't worry, there's always that other thing with the stuff and people more like you and junk.
I hope all your 33 sketches aren't as nonsensical as that sentence or it might've been a pretty severe waste of your time, no?
The points of my posts were that this thing isn't as big a deal as some like you appear to think it is. Please delude yourself if you want, but if you believe getting a sketch aired on this gravetime slot show will get you onto other shows or even get you anywhere with the Beeb then you are silly - very.
This is a PR stunt by them to appease the growing throng of scribblers unhappy at not getting anything through WR. It keeps the more easily satisfied among you off their case and lets you think you're a real script writer of sorts, if that's the sort of thing you're after.
Also, it possibly does give their contracted writers more material to use on bigger and better shows. All the readers reading your sketches will work in the industry in some way, and this is like being given a free supermarket sweep for them. So if you see Armstrong & Miller doing one of 'your' sketches there won't be thing you can do about it.
cue evil laugh again
Couldn't disagree with you more there Alfred. What are some of the things this show can lead to?:
- Getting a Radio 4 credit. That in itself is an achievement.
- Getting asked to write for other shows for BBC radio, which has happened to some people on here via Newsjack and other open sub shows
- Getting a commission to write for a BBC radio show, which again has happened to some people
- Getting freelance work for the BBC by first coming to their attention through these type of shows, which has happened to several people through Newsjack
- Getting offered a job at the BBC which has happened to people like Tom Neenan and James Kettle
Yes as you go down that list fewer and fewer people to make it to the next one but the BBC are genuinely looking for sketch writers through shows such as this.
But of course if none of those appeal then you are free not to enter.
Apart from which, getting your stuff nicked is kind of a compliment too, isn't it?
I wish someone would nick my sketches. 
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ April 3 2013, 8:48 AM BSTThe points of my posts were that this thing isn't as big a deal as some like you appear to think it is. Please delude yourself if you want, but if you believe getting a sketch aired on this gravetime slot show will get you onto other shows or even get you anywhere with the Beeb then you are silly - very.
Harsh. But almost certainly true.
Still, as long as people realise the 'prize' is having a sketch on Radio 4 and being able to tell people "I've been on Radio 4" then there's no harm done.
Sadly, as each year goes by the number of people who can say "I've been on Radio 4" has gone from 7 (1966) to 2,436 (2012) with the total thought to reach 10,000 by 2054.
This means ever increasing competition in the 'Making fit young birds want to sleep with you by telling them you have written for the BBC' department which is a bad thing.
Quote: Jinky @ April 4 2013, 10:24 AM BSTSadly, as each year goes by the number of people who can say "I've been on Radio 4" has gone from 7 (1966) to 2,436 (2012) with the total thought to reach 10,000 by 2054.
Where are you getting your statistics from? Because in 1966 it was called The Home Service and since there was only BBC1, BBC2 and ITV more people would be writing for radio (at least for whole series).
Discovered it on Wikipedia, maybe?
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ April 3 2013, 8:48 AM BSTThis is a PR stunt by them to appease the growing throng of scribblers unhappy at not getting anything through WR.
I was thinking about this the other day.
I've read a few established writers talk about how they started off on Weekending and how they could go to production meetings where there would be roughly 20 Daniel Kitson lookalikes sitting around trying to think of something funny to say about Jim Callaghan.
Here we are today where, if the BBC announced a meeting for anybody who wanted to write for Newsjack, they'd have to hire The Albert Hall to fit everybody in.
There seem to be a lot more people nowadays who think they are funny compared to yesteryear. I suppose it's just because everybody has the internet but not many people had a fax machine back in 1979.
I don't really understand why some people are so against contributing to this show. We are comedy writers and as such this show is a perfect opportunity for us to showcase our wares as it were. We get paid if the sketches are used, we get credited as writing for the bbc and we are putting ourselves in the way of producers etc. For me it's a no-brainer.
Quote: Otterfox @ April 4 2013, 11:15 AM BSTI don't really understand why some people are so against contributing to this show. We are comedy writers and as such this show is a perfect opportunity for us to showcase our wares as it were. We get paid if the sketches are used, we get credited as writing for the bbc and we are putting ourselves in the way of producers etc. For me it's a no-brainer.
I suppose it's about using our energy constructively. It's meaningless to sub to places where you are constantly rejected-which in my case would include some theatres, but because it's the BBC we still do.
Most people aren't against it. That's very much the problem.
Quote: Otterfox @ April 4 2013, 11:15 AM BSTI don't really understand why some people are so against contributing to this show. We are comedy writers and as such this show is a perfect opportunity for us to showcase our wares as it were. We get paid if the sketches are used, we get credited as writing for the bbc and we are putting ourselves in the way of producers etc. For me it's a no-brainer.
Actually, you don't always get paid ... or credited.