1 There's tonnes of shows here hardly any one has a bad word about here. Like Father Ted, Rising Damp, Snuff Box, Peep show.
2 I like watching really good stuff that's way beyond my ability to write. Not only is entertaining it gives me something to aim for.
Quote: sootyj @ October 7 2008, 10:05 PM BST1 There's tonnes of shows here hardly any one has a bad word about here. Like Father Ted, Rising Damp, Snuff Box, Peep show.
2 I like watching really good stuff that's way beyond my ability to write. Not only is entertaining it gives me something to aim for.
MJ also ignores the near 100% praise of The Inbetweeners, Peep Show and The IT Crowd.
Hmm, all on Channel 4 . . .
Snuff Box was awful.
Peep Show is a great watch, well-written, and has a great cast - but not all that funny.
There's two things.
Quote: Aaron @ October 7 2008, 10:10 PM BSTSnuff Box was awful.
You didn't like Snuff Box?! I thought that show seemed like it was made with you in mind. I may be being sarcastic there.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 7 2008, 10:12 PM BSTYou didn't like Snuff Box?! I thought that show seemed like it was made with you in mind. I may be being sarcastic there.
To be fair, I wasn't (being fair). I have no place to judge it.
Snuff box was ace.
Aaron you'd argue to be the first person shot in a hostage situation.
Get rid of the waste first.
Wasn't a massive Snuff Box fan myself - although it did have flashes of genius. I cracked up at the sweary song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN1L3HN0cvg&feature=related
But a lot of it was like a bad dream, just randomly disturbing imagery with no real jokes. Maybe that's why nobody in the entire world watched it.
Except me.
Why does every one always undermine me?
I love it!
In fact you just reminded me I ordered it ages ago... where the jiminy heck is it?
Quote: sootyj @ October 7 2008, 10:37 PM BSTExcept me.
Why does every one always undermine me?
And me. I watched it. Not trying to undermine you Sooty, honest!
I agree with Michael that some aspiring writers do want everything to fail and we writers do tend to go a bit OTT at times in the face of a bad series. I also agree with posters that say if you write consistenly good stuff and get it out there, you will eventually get spotted. Michael seems to be an example of a great champion of new writers, provider of advice etc and I wish there were more people like him.
On the other hand, it's not suprising that aspiring writers can get annoyed when they get letters from e.g. Writers Room saying their scripts aren't good enough because they failed for X and Y reasons, and then see a broadcast series that consistently makes the same errors (not on purpose). Or series that must have been commissioned (at least I hope that was the case) without seeing a script or without any sign of an innovative feature in the concept. Plus, we all got into writing because we love watching good comedy - I bang on and on at everyone I know when i see a really good show because I want them to be seen and similarly good/innovative shows to be commissioned.
2 Pints does get unfair criticism in that it does what it says on the tin (I liked and always watched the earlier series), but when you repeat one series a million times on BBC3 then you are bound to get people's backs up. I'm surprised he chose My Family though as it's a bad example to support his argument. If you gave most sitcom concepts that quality of star actors and gave them long runs in a prime time slot then most would acquire those sort of viewing figures. If you took out Lindsay, Wannamaker and Marshall and replaced them with bog standard actors, then gave it a 6 episode run in a non-flagship slot, My Family would have died a death straight away because in terms of concept, character and plots it doesn't offer anything that hasn't been seen before countless times (or in 100 scripts Writers Room rejects every year).
I bet you gave yourself a little pat on the back after typing that.
I was pleased, but there was a certain amount of self-loathing at being quite so familiar with Doctor Who episode titles.
Quote: The Producer @ October 7 2008, 10:41 PM BSTMichael seems to be an example of a great champion of new writers, provider of advice etc and I wish there were more people like him.
Without wishing to sound too much of a disgusting toadying bootlick, Micheal is one of the reasons I'm still plugging away at trying to become a fully-paid-up comedy writer. He's an absurdly busy man but still found time to correspond with me and offer sound advice on my scripts over a period of many months - even bolstering my confidence when I pathetically whinged about giving it all up. It'll be a sad day for television when he finally buggers off to play full time in his folk band, that's for sure. AND he even bought me a chocolate Freddo when I was in the throes of a diabetic hypo. So he saved me f**king life too! Top man, is MJ.
I hope he doesn't read this, he'll think I'm a proper arsekisser.
Quote: Perry Nium @ October 7 2008, 9:23 PM BSTBut (aside from talent) those are the most important qualities of any writer, no?
In the ecosystem we now inhabit, yes, ambition and persistence are vital. But is the highly motivated writer with a cast-iron self-belief necessarily capable of producing higher quality material than the sluggard plagued with self-doubt who requires nurturing and encouraging? Douglas Adams is the classic example of the latter, and I really wonder how he would fare today.
In any case, in my experience the people who do their job well tend to be not so much the go-getters, as those who stumble into it and then apply themselves out of conscientiousness and self-respect. Whether this applies to a creative career such as writing I am not certain, but I suspect it does. I am sure that for every successful writer there are countless individuals who could be just as good if they applied themselves to that craft.
Quote: Perry Nium @ October 7 2008, 11:17 PM BSTIt'll be a sad day for television when he finally buggers off to play full time in his folk band, that's for sure. A
He plays in a folk band? I like him even better.