Alan O'Brien is a freelance scripted comedy writer with professional credits based in Liverpool
| Year | Production | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dom - The Play | Writer |
| 2021 | Istanbul - Universally Challenged | Writer |
| 2020 | The Skewer | Writer |
| 2020 | Union Jack Radio | Writer |
| 2013 | The Football Special | Writer |
- Born
- Thursday 14th May 1981 (43 years-old)
- Nationality
- English
- Home town
- Liverpool
- Resident of
- England (Liverpool)
Alan O'Brien was born and raised in Liverpool, England. His interest in creative writing was there from an early age, as he would regularly scribble down stories and scripts in school and at home. He would also keep lists of his favourite television programmes, which would often feature sitcoms, a genre he would begin writing in his late twenties after he moved to Poole, Dorset.
In 2012, he entered his first comedy script "All the Fun of the Fair" in The Sitcom Mission, which earned warm praise from the producer. The same script made the top 40 of more than 2,000 entries in the ShortList competition in that year. Also in 2012 he was invited to discuss another of his scripts, based on a paranormal investigator, by Manchester production company SDMC. In 2013, and back living in Liverpool, Alan made the latter stages of The Sitcom Mission with two different scripts as well as achieving his first paid writing credit, contributing to animated football sketch series The Football Special.
In addition to crafting short-form radio adverts of various tones for US company Write Label, Alan has earned other professional writing credits for BBC Radio 4's The Skewer, Dom - The Play, and Union Jack Radio, for whom he created quizzes for call-in listeners based on The Two Ronnies Mastermind sketch. He has also won British Comedy Guide's Gag of the Week three times, as well as contests run by Comedywire. In 2020 he began MA Comedy Writing with Falmouth University, where he feels his writing ability, knowledge and confidence went up to another level. He graduated with a Distinction, being described by tutor and comedy producer Simon Nicholls as "a talented, positive smart funny writer".
In terms of self-produced work, Alan has written and produced audio sketches, self-published a book of short stories ("The Paranormal Calling"), and co-written a Zoom-recorded episode of a sitcom.
Alan has also written, co-written and helped produce drama plays for the stage. He also enjoys giving people feedback on their own scripts. He is a professional proofreader, copy-editor and copywriter.
- BCG Pro Gag-a-Week 2024
- Winner (Winner)
- BCG Pro Gag-a-Week 2021
- Winner (Winner)
- BCG Pro Gag-a-Week 2020
- Winner (Winner)
