British Comedy Guide

Tips for New Comedy Writers Page 3

MCharsley: Do you think everyone who writes their first script will have similar success?

The article gives the impression that it's simply a matter of dashing off a sitcom and the world falls at your feet. Fair enough, it seems to have done so in the case of the writing team who won the Rocliffe competition but you'd have to agree that it's not going to happen in most cases.

Obviously, new comedy writers (as well as the old ones) are going to have ambitions and hopes, but they should also have realistic expectations. Or do you think otherwise?

Quote: evan rubivellian @ May 20 2013, 11:56 AM BST

MCharsley: Do you think everyone who writes their first script will have similar success?

The article gives the impression that it's simply a matter of dashing off a sitcom and the world falls at your feet. Fair enough, it seems to have done so in the case of the writing team who won the Rocliffe competition but you'd have to agree that it's not going to happen in most cases.

Obviously, new comedy writers (as well as the old ones) are going to have ambitions and hopes, but they should also have realistic expectations. Or do you think otherwise?

I don't think it does give that impression, to be honest. She gives 15 tips, most of them are good. Maybe quite straightforward and not revelatory, but they're worth being reminded about, and some which people who have been trying to write for years still haven't learned.

To be clear, you're objecting to Rocliffe building up false hopes for first-time writers in order to earn more money from new entries? I don't know enough about how and why Chortle publish their articles to speculate, really. Maybe you have a point though. I was really just jumping in because the writer was getting some very unfair criticism.

As for realistic expectations, I have no strong feelings either way. I don't think it does any harm to encourage new writers to enter competitions on the off-chance. The lessons about perseverance and dealing with rejection come whichever way you go!

Seems like pretty good advice in the main. I hope she does get a sitcom on sometime.

It smells like someone jizzed in to a bag of Fritos and then threw it at the Christmas tree' is funny.

Not sure I agree with this though :)

Yeah that is rubbish.

I didn't even know what Fritos were.

I heard a rumor that you and Queen Liz are working on a sitcom together?

Did she suggest to you a game of sip and go naked? Involving the crown jewels and a solid gold teapot containing neat rubbing alcohol?

Quote: Marc P @ May 20 2013, 12:49 PM BST

Seems like pretty good advice in the main. I hope she does get a sitcom on sometime featuring it.

I was surpised she jizzed in to a bag of Fritos and then threw it at the Christmas tree' its funny it was f**king Easter! But the Easter Bunny still found his warren know what I mean.

Not sure I agree with this though :)

Well neither do I you treasonous blaggard.

Quote: MCharsley @ May 20 2013, 1:04 PM BST

Yeah that is rubbish.

I didn't even know what Fritos were.

They're those things you jizzed on.

Quote: MCharsley @ May 20 2013, 1:04 PM BST

Yeah that is rubbish.

I didn't even know what Fritos were.

I've just checked on Google and it seems they're an American brand of corn chip.

You see, one BAFTA-funded trip to New York and the woman has lost touch with UK reality!

Cheesy-Wotsits would have been the ideal go-to gag crisp.

I'm surprised 'be funny' isn't one of the tips.

She's nothing but a sellout.

I take back everything I said.

It's perfectly understandable to jizz into a bag of crisps, but why throw it at a Christmas tree afterwards? What if it's not Christmas? There's enough gratuitous surrealism as it is.

Quote: beaky @ May 20 2013, 8:40 PM BST

There's enough gratuitous surrealism as it is.

Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more, but my liquorice submarine is about to take off, and I'm in a rush to get to Clarks - my pet centipede, Rosalind, needs new sandals (preferably pink with steel-caps), and their Sale finished in 1883.

Quote: George Kaplan @ May 21 2013, 12:18 AM BST

Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more, but my liquorice submarine is about to take off, and I'm in a rush to get to Clarks - my pet centipede, Rosalind, needs new sandals (preferably pink with steel-caps), and their Sale finished in 1883.

I think this helps prove how difficult it is to do surreal stuff well.

Of course nobody writes as well as lovergirl from Rocliffe.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ May 21 2013, 8:56 AM BST

I think this helps prove how difficult it is to do surreal stuff well.

Image

You've nailed it.

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