Welcome to the fifteenth edition of ‘Meet the Writers'. This week in the grip of my velveteen claw is Doctor Tim Walker. But is he ‘the good doctor' or is he a prize shit? Let's find out…
Let's do this thing! Woo! I am on it like a bonnet!
So, finally you're so desperate for people to interview you've come to me?
Hello everyone - yes, it's probably the most boring poster on the site. You can read a mini-biog of me here if you like. You can even see a photo of me - handy if you want to avoid me at the BCG meet this Saturday.
Well, what can I say? I was a child actor both amateur and professionally. When I was in the National Tour of 'Oliver!' aged 14 I met Frankie Howerd and personally witnessed Jim Davidson getting arrested for drink-driving near to the Bristol Hippodrome stage door - a moment of pure comedy genius and the only time he made me laugh.
I went to medical school, eventually qualified, did stand up on-and-off for four years in London - never really comfortable with performing as myself, but never came up with the ideal stage persona. However, I did get to meet such people as Harry Hill, Al Murray and Matt Lucas. Oh, by the way, I have just turned 35, to puts the dates in context.
Anyway, eleven years qualified and having gone through impregnating my girlfriend during my first six months as a doctor, having twin girls, I only actually decided to give this comedy writing business a serious go just over a year ago. Much to my amazement, the first script I sent out landed me a meeting with Ash Atalla (a lovely chap, though nothing as yet has come from this, other than me writing a load of sketches for an as-yet uncommissioned sketch show). Anyway, bolstered by this I carried on writing sitcom pilots and sketches this last year. Marc Blake kindly sent my "special stuff" along to others and I started gaining some contacts in the industry.
A year or so on I now have a script commission with C4/Big Talk and have had my first meeting with Nira Park regarding moving forward with a sitcom and developing me as a new writer in general. I also have another sitcom on the go on which I am involved with Penny Croft and Roy Gould, both veterans and very educational to talk to. Many irons in the fire and I have been lucky enough to have Jan Jung from Screenplay Productions as the common link in the sitcom stuff. He found via my postings on this very BCG site itself.
So, yes, I would say that my first year as a "proper" writer has gone better than I expected. Plus, I don't think Aaron has ever corrected me on my grammar. Phew!
So, like Harry Hill, you made the leap from medicine to comedy. Tell us, what makes a man decide to sacrifice god-given skills that can save lives for the slim chance of making complete strangers laugh?
I think there was something in the water at St George's as a weird number of people who visited the place ended up writing/performing, including myself. The medical school revue (which mercifully wasn't just a load of medicine-themed sketches and songs) was always video-taped. Although Harry was some years above me, I remember us watching videos of him performing in previous years. The trade-mark Harry act was already blooming (though with slightly more hair). Also, a friend of mine, Paul Sinha (if-nominated stand-up) was there as well as a few others. Andrew Collins used to live with a bunch of St George's students and I remember as a student chatting to John Hodge (screenwriter of 'Shallow Grave', 'Trainspotting') in A&E the day after he's won a BAFTA. I myself am an anaesthetist, so I spend most of my time putting people to sleep. I occasionally reverse this pattern with my comedy.
I once met the actor who played the anaesthetist in Casualty. Small world.
I was hoping – desperately hoping – that you'd be a good deal older than me. Now I discover you're only a couple of years my senior I find myself deep in despair. How on earth have you managed to accomplish so much already and create not one but two humans?
I really don't think there's an age limit to being a writer, that's the great thing. I sent a submission script to the BBC when I was 18/19. A sitcom pilot, I think, set in a bank - it was the late ‘80's people! It was most likely awful compared with what I have written in the last year. That's sort of my point. There is no right age to write comedy. In my case, the last 12+ years not writing anything has given me a wealth of life experience from which I can draw upon. But that's what works for me. I have years of ideas in my head that I want to get out, sort of like, ahem, being constipated.
That's easy for you to say. I feel like I'm rolling the batteries of my youth around in the hope of one last, desperate charge. I'm hurting, Tim. Hurting real bad.
Why don't you stir some more anguish into the seething miasma that is my soul and tell us how you managed to go from a nobody to a player in a single year? Did you sit down and write a game plan for that?
There are a good number of talented writers on this site and loads of good of advice for writers who are even greener than I. What I will say is you do need some talent, some tenacity and some luck.
When I decided to try and make a go of this a year ago I had already been a job for a year, which I specifically took so that it would allow me the space to ambitiously write. Then I set myself deadlines. Always having the next project in your head as you're writing the current one I find helpful. My ambition for year one was to get somebody in the industry to sit-up and take notice, so far as saying "This bloke's got some potential". I was really lucky to get some recognition from a big name early on and that does help galvanise your aspirations.
So I wrote 3 sitcom pilots, 60 sketches and various other bits and pieces. I've been lucky and made some foot-in-the-door contacts much sooner than I thought. What I will say is that however disciplined with your writing you are, don't send off anything that you're not completely satisfied with. You will look at what you wrote a few months on and want to tear your eyes out, but we all feel that way. And don't rush your first draft out for the sake of some competition or out of a frustrated urgency. Be persistent when sending your stuff off but accept rejection gracefully. Show them you're determined but without coming across as an arrogant, self-regarding arsehole (always a problem for me as that's my default position).
Hey, I'm learning my trade and only know my way of doing things, but the advice I have followed and respect is quite simple. Write what you find funny, but consider your audience. Before you type scene one, really know and understand your characters. For a pilot I spend roughly a couple of months whilst writing something else thinking about the characters and the situation for the next piece. Don't worry about writing episodes 2-6, if you can write the pilot (the most difficult), you will be able to go further if you know what your show's about. Don't get obsessed with plot, let it grow from your characters. When I sit down to write a script I almost literally don't know where they're going to take me, nor have I thought of funny things for them to say. If it didn't make me sound such a tosser I'd say good writing is an "organic" process. You know what I mean... but then again, the melting of the polar ice caps and kidney failure are also "organic" processes.
Listen to you, King Solomon's Whines - rolling around on your big pile of gold with tears in your eyes! The world is your mollusc and you're feigning modesty and moaning about the frigging icecaps! What right do you have to act like a humanitarian anyway? You could be curing the sick but you're turning cheap gags for coin. You didn't see Patch Adams quit his day job the first tenner he got from News Revue! You make me sick, Walker! I'm so angry I could puke vomit!
I have never been so insulted in my whole life - both professionally and personally. I tried to be nice and give you your precious interview but it's over David. It's finished.
I was kidding! Don't go, Tim – take me with you! I just want to hang off of your raiment a while! I don't weigh much! I'll lose the skin of my arse scraping along the ground behind you and I won't even whimper, I promise! Just don't leave me here with these no-hopers! I'm not like the rest of them, can't you see that? Tim? Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!
Tim is represented by Screenplay Productions
Last week's ‘Meet the Writers' was with the distinctly inferior Simon Balch.
