British Comedy Guide

BBC launches College Of Comedy

Tuesday 11th March 2008, 6:03am

The BBC formally announced details today about their new comedy writing initiative: The BBC College Of Comedy.

As we have reported previously, in a bid to help develop sitcom and sketch writing talent, the BBC is to launch a new mentoring scheme in an aim to nurture emerging comedy writing stars. The 'comedy college' idea was inspired by John Yorke's long-established fast track scheme for continuing drama.

The scheme (officially launching tomorrow) will take six writers and train them over a year by attaching them to sitcoms and sketch shows, giving each a mentor for original work, and running a series of masterclasses in all aspects of comedy writing.

Britain's top comedy writers are backing the new BBC College Of Comedy. Among those endorsing the scheme are Dick Clement and Ian la Frenais, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, Bill Dare, Jeremy Dyson, Andy Hamilton, Armando Iannucci, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, Paul Mayhew-Archer, David Mitchell and Robert Webb, Susan Nickson, Simon Nye, Ian Brown, James Hendrie and Ian Pattison.

The scheme is being run by Micheál Jacob (pictured), the former Creative Head of Mainstream Comedy at the BBC and the executive producer of comedies like My Family, Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps and The Smoking Room.

Micheál Jacob says: "I'm aspiring to be the Arsène Wenger of the comedy world by finding writers with talent and helping them to develop and express it. We hope to find people who are going to make our team-written shows better, and also writers with original voices who can develop their own shows. We also hope that people will like the BBC enough to bring us their work in the future."

The scheme, which has financial support from BBC Worldwide, is designed for people who have already begun their careers, and can demonstrate some achievement, such as broadcast material, a script commission or performance of their work.

Posting in our forum thread, Micheál Jacob explained: "To apply for the college, people will need to have achieved something rather than being absolute beginners, because the course isn't planned for absolute beginners. There are already many more mentors than we need to cover six 'students', so I will be able to arrange suitable matches".

Applicants are being invited to submit the first ten pages of a half-hour script, or six sketches by the closing date of the 14th of April. Twelve writers will be interviewed, and the successful six announced on May the 16th. They will then be matched with productions, and guaranteed a script commission.

They will also be given a mentor for original work, which will be showcased when the scheme ends in March 2009. There will be two residential workshops during the year, with sessions from leading writers, producers and directors.

Applicants should email their submission, and a writing CV to: [email protected]

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