Am I copying?

I am working on a Sitcom and recently have had my confidence knocked my a new programme which is very similar to mine "lead balloon" the new jack dee sitcom which has been on BBC 1,2,3,19 cant remember and I've been watching it and it has alot of the same basic storyline to mine.

in simple terms mines about a young comedy writer who trying to find his feet following dreams blah blah blah.(There are a few more niches to mine but I dont want my idea copied again )

lead balloon - a comedian who hates life doing corperate gigs blah blah blah.

Should I drop this idea or continue, send it out (when its done) and hope for the best. I could do with some advice on this.

Lead Balloon was a comedy? I thought it was a fly-on-the-wall documentary. At least you can't do worse than it.

No idea is copyright. Everything has a predecessor. How many flat-share comedies have there been? What you need is an unique angle. What is it about the character that is new? What is it about his situation that is different from Lead Balloon? Emphasise those differences with carefully placed key words to draw a synopsis reader away from comparisons.

What the Slagg Brothers do is think of a character, then list characteristics of other similar TV characters. For example, we once needed a robot so we listed all the characteristics of Kryten, Bender, Hal, etc. We then worked on a new list, adding characteristics to our character that didn't appear in the others' lists. We ended up with Dwarfius, a character in our novel and sitcom, Big Bang. He's unique because we consciously avoided shared traits with society's social stereotype.

So the answer for me (imo) would be if you can make it funnier than its predecessors, if you can make it your own by putting your own unique slant on situation and character, if you can sell it in a form that avoids comparisons then do it.

that is a better response than I was hoping for. I've just finished character development and although my main character "Danny" is nothing much like spleen I understand where you are coming from and will work to making it less like lead balloon and I'll go back to the old drawing board on some things.

Thanks for your help SlagA

I'm only guessing here, but sorry to be less positive than SlagA. The fact is, Lead Balloon has been pretty successful (even I like it, though many others don't). So it is likely that if you are doing a sitcom within the next couple of years with a comedian/comedy writer at its heart, you will be on a steep uphill climb to get it considered ("too much like Lead Balloon" etc). If you made the main character/premise sufficiently different (though he might still write comedy) then that might be your best bet.
But I'm still bitter about the cracking hotel-based sitcom idea I had in 1973.

another valid point badge I was affraid someone was going to say that, my character only really writes not performs... I am going to continue work and if I feel Im becoming to lead balloon or even series 2 extra's I may consider putting aside the idea for a few year. as I have an idea for another orginal-ish sitcom

The problem is Paul that you have to become a successful comedian before you nick other people's ideas, thats how Jack Dee gets away with doing an English 'Curb your Enthusiasm.' So my advice would be become a successful comedian, do a series of TV shows where you do your act and then pitch your sitcom. Or just try doing a 'British' version of an American TV show like 'Lorst' with midgets and the Royal Family. Hope that helps.

ahh so simple, why didn't I think of it sooner!