Oh well. I should sportingly say good luck all you chaps and chapesses.
Sitcom Trials Autumn '09 Page 26
Quote: Chappers @ September 7 2009, 1:05 AM BSTOh well. I should sportingly say good luck all you chaps and chapesses.
And to you Chappers.
I just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck with the Sitcom Trials (especially me as I've entered again also).
If you don't get through to the finals, then it means you're shit.
ONLY JOKING!!!! 
I do imagine that compeition will be very fierce this year. I've already read one of my competitors scripts and it is very, very good, bordering on excellent.
The important thing is that if you don't make it, you shouldn't give up on your writing. The people who usually make it in the biz are the ones who are persistent, resilient and who can take rejection as a learning experience and not a personal attack.
Of course, if you have a famous Mum or Dad who works for the BBC, this helps too.
Again, I wish everyone the best of luck! Kapla!
That's right Marc, not taken out of its own episode anyway, and not before the whole thing has been sent to a producer/agent. I have a fear about extracts being more nickable than whole episodes, it may be unfounded, and it's the idea I get scared of losing, not the material structure. I prefer always to try to get their interest with a 2nd or 3rd best piece and then I still have my best one to convince them that their hunch was right.
Of course, it hasn't worked yet in practice but as a theory I can't fault it.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ September 6 2009, 6:48 PM BSTAs a super plus mega bonus, I got to meet several of the posters here on the BCG and what a lovely bunch of coconuts people they turned out to be.
Ditto.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 7 2009, 1:38 AM BSTOf course, it hasn't worked yet in practice but as a theory I can't fault it.
I think that's a fear a lot of new writers have but less common than they imagine. The best lines in sitcom come from character and are not inter-changeable. I'm not saying it never happens but if you're writing brilliant stuff you'll be snapped up as you'll stand out and they'll want you to write more. Don't show your script to everyone you meet but if you want to impress a potential producer (and you haven't already) then you should be sending them your best work. Once they're interested they'll be happy to look at more from you.
Ponderer's back. 
I've sent mine off but I won't hold my breath - I think they're back to picking 16 as opposed to last year's 32, which is when I snuck in, so most of us will be disappointed. But good luck to the best (15) of you, especially my favourites - you know who you are. 
And good luck to James P who, if last year is anything to go by, will have to read over 300 scripts now!
Jx
So when will we find out? I'm quite optimistic. Everyone has as good a chance as anyone else don't they. I felt that ours was an original idea, but it wasn't in the traditional arc of conventional types of comedy.
Adam, I'm worrying because of the opposite, I sent in a very traditional type of sitcom but I'm worried these days that producers just want something new, experimental and spikey to keep the modern young sitcom viewers interested. After We Are Klang made it onto the BBC, I sort of haven't stopped worrying about what they look for.
I'd say you're never gonna know what kind of things producers are looking for, because even they probably don't know, until something is infront of them, and they see what kind of reaction it gets from an audience. Sometimes traditional works, but it depends in what sort of context. The Office is very traditional but it's just in that normal everyday environment. So it looks fresh and new.
But then Garth Marenghi was an original idea, but that also looked fresh and new; it's something that people won't really be able to replicate very often
Sitcom Trials deadline has passed, so sadly you're too late to make it into the 10th Anniversary Season at the Leicester Square Theatre, which begins on Monday October 19th. Don't worry, if this goes well it'll return in the new year.
Meanwhile, why not enjoy this trailer for Land Girls, a new series about to start on BBC 1 written by Roland Moore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aloot11C84
Roland wrote for the Sitcom Trials from 2002, and was in the 2003 TV series with A Producer's Tale. He met his now wife Wanda on the set of the Sitcom Trials TV, and his script Man's Best Friend was showcased in our Edinburgh 2004 show and went on to appear in the first Hollywood Sitcom Trials in 2005. Land Girls is a 5 part series running on BBC 1 next week.
If you've got your entry in to the Sitcom Trials, this could be you in a few years time. If you missed the deadline, stay tuned, and we hope to see you in the audience when the new season starts in a few weeks.
Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials
Just in case you don't get my message Kev F, when will the trial line up be announced?
Quote: Jane P @ September 7 2009, 7:57 AM BSTAnd good luck to James P who, if last year is anything to go by, will have to read over 300 scripts now!
380 is the total number of entries this year, of which over 120 came in on Sunday alone - that's almost a third of people adopting The Sitcom Trials equivalent of leaving your homework until the bus journey into school.
Thanks to you all for your entries (assuming you entered - shame on you if you didn't) and particularly for your patience whilst we pick the finalists. I'm afraid that I can't tell you exactly when you'll hear the outcomes of the judging, because it will depend on a number of factors. But I'll try to keep you guys updated.
J
If we fail to make the shortlist, are we still eligible to marry someone who does? The rules are not clear on this.
Quote: Rhubarb @ September 7 2009, 12:15 PM BSTIf we fail to make the shortlist, are we still eligible to marry someone who does? The rules are not clear on this.
Re Sitcom Trials 10th Anniversary Season, I've uploaded the dates and details to the Facebook Fan Club <http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=5951180247&ref=ts>
Put these in your diary:
Heats Mondays Oct 19, 26, Nov 2, 9
Semi Finals Monday Nov 16, 23
Grand Final Tuesday Dec 1st
The heats and semis have two shows per night, at 6pm (£5) and 8.30pm (£10) and take place in the Leicester Square Theatre's Basement (which means they fill up quick, so you'll need to get booking fast).
The final is one performance only in the Main House of the Leicester Square, doors 7.30pm (£10)
James is in charge of the scripts, the directors et al (the directors will then be doing the casting, but James is the person to go to get on a list of actors), and we'll let you know between us which industry names will be judging.
More news when we have it. Ee, exciting ain't it?
Kev F
EP ST
I've got to say that 6pm and 8:30pm are much more reasonable times than last year. I wouldn't have to give myself hernia running to get there!
Dan