Dean Hardman wins The Sitcom Trials 2009

The final of The Sitcom Trials, a stage show held at the Leicester Square Theatre which aims to discover great situation comedy scripts through a series of elimination rounds, was been won by new comedy writer Dean Hardman.

His script, From Riga To Rotherham, follows the fortunes of immigrants Marian, a Latvian who has moved to Britain to realise his dream of competing at the Olympic games, and Patience a Nigerian hair stylist who wants to be closer to her family who have already settled in the UK. They find themselves living in shared accommodation with Jay, a British man who makes ends meet by working in the local tourist office. We see the social quirks and oddities of Britain through their eyes. In this first episode Patience and Marian arrive in Rotherham before Patience discovers that her mother is to visit and that she needs a boyfriend-and fast. Is there anyone who could take on the role?

The judges choosing the best comedy last night were Lucy Lumsden (BBC Comedy Commissioner); Andrew Newman (Head of Entertainment at Channel 4); Michaela Hennessy-Vass (ITV Comedy Commissioner) and Jane Berthoud (Head of Comedy, BBC Radio).

The other scripts in the final were Boarders by James Parker; The House On Cedar Street by Julie Bower; Trainspotting by Graeme Knowles; and Welcome To The Jungle by Peter Higgins.

Organisers Declan Hill and Simon Wright will be announcing details about The Sitcom Trials 2010 in a few weeks time. The duo will also be holding workshops about writing for The Sitcom Trials. For details email info@every1scritic.com