...when a similar joke to one you've written pops up on tv. It's happened me loads of times but really sickened me tonight. Kevin Bishop had a "The Bill" sketch where the WPC was asking the crim "exactly how many of these have you made?" whilst showing a "World's number 1 mum" mug. In a sitcom script I'm about to send out two characters are shown to have "World's number 1 Man U Fan" mugs.
A) Should I get rid of it?
B) Ever happened you, where a similar idea/line has popped up to sicken you?
It's even worse when a sitcom bases a whole episode around a really original idea that you've had. It's frustrating, because nobody will ever believe you had the idea first.
It doesn't matter a toss. There is nothing new in comedy. Leave it in. Your sketch is only 'original' in your own mind anyway. They've all been done before, it's just that you may not have seen them. This time you saw it, that's all. 
I think your joke is different enough for you to leave it in. The same or similar jokes appear all the time on TV. I've got a few that aren't too dissimilar to ones that appeared before. Hell, this post isn't that different from the ones above.
Quote: Griff @ August 22 2008, 11:55 PM BSTI came up with a joke about the M&S ad, "this isn't food this is S&M food" and thought I was clever, and within a couple of weeks realised every other hack had come up with it too.
Who are you calling a hack???
http://www.channel4.com/4laughs/enjoy/userMediaDetails.jsp?userMediaId=889
Quote: earman2009 @ August 23 2008, 3:27 PM BSTI think your joke is different enough for you to leave it in. The same or similar jokes appear all the time on TV. I've got a few that aren't too dissimilar to ones that appeared before. Hell, this post isn't that different from the ones above.
This one is. I'm starving.
I was really proud of this joke about anthropomorphic animals having pockets I used in my webcomic: http://beartholomew.smackjeeves.com/comics/28538/page-46-airport-fun/
Then I found out this comic had done it about a year before me: http://www.beaverandsteve.com/index.php?comic=67
The guy who makes Beaver and Steve comes up great jokes all the time, it was special for me that I wrote that and he just has to come along and casually ruin it by not only using the same joke, but using it in a more creative way.
Gutted.
Yeah, on my To Do list, I have a film screenplay planned where a man pretends to be gay to get close to the girl he fancies.
But...yeah, the same idea was on Kevin Bishop. 
So what would happen if I'd already written the screenplay?
(and it was dated earlier than they made that programme)
Or is it "person who gets it n TV first claims the idea"???
How about guy pretends to be a fish to get close to a woman who runs a fish and chip shop?
Or a man pretends to be himself to get really close to a woman who fancies him, but he's too shy to ask out himself?
Yeah, I suppose MOST things have been done before, but, like you say, the trick is to find a new angle.
Quote: sootyj @ August 23 2008, 8:56 PM BSTHow about guy pretends to be a fish to get close to a woman who runs a fish and chip shop?
Or a man pretends to be himself to get really close to a woman who fancies him, but he's too shy to ask out himself?
ha ha! Great storylines.
Quote: Mikey J @ August 23 2008, 7:30 PM BSTYeah, on my To Do list, I have a film screenplay planned where a man pretends to be gay to get close to the girl he fancies.
Just make it a histotrical one about the true story of Oscar Wilde and how his plan went horribly wrong.
Quote: Marc P @ August 24 2008, 1:27 PM BSTJust make it a histotrical one about the true story of Oscar Wilde and how his plan went horribly wrong.
Heh heh... but surely that's already been done in the film "Oscar." (which I must say, Stephen Fry was perfectly cast for)
Anyway, doesn't matter now. It's now on my "Don't Do It - It was a dumb idea anyway, and even if it was used, it would just end up as one of those vomit-inducing, unfunny Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler vehicles" list
The second play that I wrote and the first one I took to the Edinburgh Festival was called Pressing Engagements - the story was about a guy who pretends to be gay so that his Guardian Aunt will not mind when he says he wants to marry the Maid.
The first one I wrote was called 'By Jove Benkins' about a hapless Bachelor about town who receives a lot of bad advice from his Butler?valet, and the third was called 'The Virgins Kiss', set in the thirties about a hapless Bachelor getting bad advice on how to win the girl of his dreams - Miss ANgela Dundee a nice slice of Scottish cake.
I cannot for the life of me remember whose work I was heavily influenced by!
Sounds like premises for Carry On films that never got made.
Quote: Mikey J @ August 24 2008, 1:37 PM BST
Sounds like premises for Carry On films that never got made.
I'm betting Griff will know.
But Yes 'Carry On My Good Man' works for me.