Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2013, 3:19 PM BSTTrue, but I think they have a very distinctive style they rarely move from.
That's a very different argument. The quote Tim posted was about being told "this is a funny thing so you must write it".
Richard Curtis on Newsjack Like Writing Page 2
I don't think you do have to start with topical writing. I know it's frequently advocated on here, but there's plenty of other avenues. Writing a sitcom which impresses a production company for example.
Quote: Ben @ September 24 2013, 7:11 PM BSTI don't think you do have to start with topical writing. I know it's frequently advocated on here, but there's plenty of other avenues. Writing a sitcom which impresses a production company for example.
This is also true. There's also the development manager route through the BBC, though I'm not sure what the process is.
If you don't want to write topical jokes then you could always choose the Richard Curtis route which appears to have been, go to private school, get a scholarship to Oxford, meet the ridiculously talented Rowan Atkinson, write for him, go to Edinburgh, get signed up to write a TV show, continue to write for the ridiculously talented Rowan Atkinson, write a sitcom which (with the help of Ben Elton to rescue the second series) becomes a stonewall classic featuring the aforementioned ridiculously talented Rowan Atkinson, then write successful comedy films.
Quote: Ben @ September 24 2013, 7:11 PM BSTI don't think you do have to start with topical writing. I know it's frequently advocated on here, but there's plenty of other avenues. Writing a sitcom which impresses a production company for example.
Agree with this. Topical writing is the easiest way to get noticed by BBC radio comedy producers as Newsjack provides a genuinely great ongoing opportunity.
But if you want to get noticed by production companies/get into sitcom writing then sending good sitcoms to production companies/BBC is a much better way.
And if you're much better at writing non-topical stuff, then again a much better use of your time to avoid topical comedy. If you work out how much time you spend on a Newsjack series then imagine that would get you a long way towards a sitcom script or allowing you to write great non-topical sketches.
That said, if you're starting out then practice is key and Newsjack makes you write sketches every week for 6 weeks/listen to a show that will show you how you should have written your sketches!
Quote: The Producer @ September 25 2013, 12:09 PM BSTAgree with this. Topical writing is the easiest way to get noticed by BBC radio comedy producers as Newsjack provides a genuinely great ongoing opportunity.
But if you want to get noticed by production companies/get into sitcom writing then sending good sitcoms to production companies/BBC is a much better way.
And if you're much better at writing non-topical stuff, then again a much better use of your time to avoid topical comedy. If you work out how much time you spend on a Newsjack series then imagine that would get you a long way towards a sitcom script or allowing you to write great non-topical sketches.
That said, if you're starting out then practice is key and Newsjack makes you write sketches every week for 6 weeks/listen to a show that will show you how you should have written your sketches!
I think it depends what you want to do as well. You need to have some idea of what your goals are and see if opportunities fit into them. There isn't one single route to success. Or one single definition of success.
That said there a lot more opportunities in radio comedy than in TV for beginners and in practice radio comedy almost always means BBC Radio Comedy. And Newsjack can be a way in to that.
There's quite a gulf between the gag-writing world and the sit-com writing world.
A mate of mine who does a LOT of gag writing for some of the big panel shows can't even get a meeting when it comes to a sit-com.
People like to pigeon-hole you early.
Quote: Lazzard @ September 25 2013, 12:55 PM BSTThere's quite a gulf between the gag-writing world and the sit-com writing world.
A mate of mine who does a LOT of gag writing for some of the big panel shows can't even get a meeting when it comes to a sit-com.
People like to pigeon-hole you early.
Interesting...I had no idea. Do you reckon it's the same with sketches? Or does the fact you've shown you can write characters/dialogue give you more of a chance?
David Renwick moved from sketches to sit-coms.
Interesting to look into how many others came via that route.
Quote: Lazzard @ September 25 2013, 2:35 PM BSTDavid Renwick moved from sketches to sit-coms.
Interesting to look into how many others came via that route.
Interesting. I always looked at sketch writing as a way to hone the skills that you would need to write a sitcom. In the same way I see the short story as a way to hone the skills needed to write a novel.
StephenM you mentioned a non topical show called Short Stories, what's that?
Quote: blahblah @ September 25 2013, 2:46 PM BSTInteresting. I always looked at sketch writing as a way to hone the skills that you would need to write a sitcom. In the same way I see the short story as a way to hone the skills needed to write a novel.
I think they are definitely related, but neither short stories nor sketch writing provide you with exactly the right skills for longer pieces, in my opinion (though not saying they're not helpful). Depending on the type of sketch, I'd say characterisation is more important to sitcoms than sketches; and I'd say there's a key skill in sitcom writing that is not present in sketch writing - structure and arcs. I wouldn't be surprised if some people are terrible at sketches but amazing at sitcoms and vice versa. But there is a crossover there, more so than gag writing.
Is Newsjack really that topical? It's certainly inspired by topicality, but often the sketches go very silly very quickly. It's certainly not satirical and feels very different from The News Quiz or The Now Show.
Dan
Yes Dan, I was alluding to that earlier. You aren't forced into writing political stuff if you don't want to and even if you do you can take all sorts of different paths from the same starting point. It does have a style though, which won't suit everyone.
Well, you should allude more explicitly then, shouldn't you?!
Dan
Quote: Lazzard @ September 25 2013, 2:35 PM BSTDavid Renwick moved from sketches to sit-coms.
Interesting to look into how many others came via that route.
Andy Hamilton works across sketch and sitcom.
James Cary started on Concrete cow.
And I think that guy that played Basil Fawlty might have been in a sketch group... 
I know it's dangerous to argue from really successful people, but I think the gap is likely to be bigger between gags and sketch than between sketch and sitcom.