The first heat of The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny competition was held in Manchester on May 3rd 2013. Five sitcoms, chosen from open entries invited from the public, were showcased in front of a paying audience who voted to choose their favourite. The cast then performed the ending of the audience winner while a panel of judges retired to choose which sitcom should go through to the semi-finals. (One sitcom will definitely go through, with the chance that a second might too. From the 30 sitcoms showcased in the 6 heats, 10 will be chosen). The sitcoms in contention were:
From Home by Darryl James
As Plain As Day by Richard Dowling
Cash & Currie by Bobby Finn
Out Of My Head by Colin McQuaid
Theatre by Andrew Tate
And the winner is...? A long story.
The audience vote ended in a three-way-tie, with From Home, As Plain As Day and Theatre all proving equally popular. On an informal audience shout, Theatre was the sitcom whose ending got performed. During which time our three judges - Bethany Black (stand-up comedian whose solo sitcom has enjoyed the past year in development with the BBC), Lisa Connor (stage producer including Jack Rosenthal's The Best), and Brianne Edge (head of Comedysportz North and director of adaptations of The Likely Lads and The God Life) - adjudicated and decided that the sitcom that will definitely be going through to the semi finals is..
Cash & Currie by Bobby Finn.
A very successful night of entertaining comedies, all of which found their audience and acquitted themselves well. Congratulations to the winner (and fingers crossed to the rest, one of which could still find itself in the semi finals). The next heat of The Sitcom Trials So You Think You Write Funny is at The Camden Head in London on Friday May 10th.
