British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
Chris Head
Chris Head

Chris Head

  • Writer, director, script editor and tutor

Chris Head features

Chris Head Pro

Chris Head on writing jokes: implication

Friday 30th August 2024

Chris Head discusses the challenges of - and techniques for - writing more jokes for characters in existing scripts.

Blackadder. Image shows left to right: Baldrick (Tony Robinson), Mr. Edmund Blackadder, Esquire (Rowan Atkinson). Credit: BBC Pro

Bosses, strivers, fools and foils: Getting the character dynamic right in your script

Friday 12th January 2024

Comedy coach and director Chris Head offers a model to help you get a strong, funny dynamic between the central characters in your sitcom or comedy drama script.

Alma's Not Normal. Image shows from L to R: Lin (Siobhan Finneran), Alma Nuthall (Sophie Willan), Joan (Lorraine Ashbourne), Jim (Nicholas Asbury) Pro

Video: How to structure your 30 minute TV comedy script

Sunday 17th September 2023

If you're writing 30 minute sitcom or comedy drama scripts, you'll want to get the structure right. Here's an hour-long video in which Chris Head uses clips and script excerpts to look at the three act structure often seen in TV comedy.

Monty Python's Flying Circus. Image shows from L to R: Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam. Copyright: BBC Pro

Games, Subgames and Character Games in comedy writing - as seen in original Monty Python scripts

Tuesday 4th April 2023

Chris Head is running a comedy writing course at the British Library in London where you will see original Monty Python scripts! Here he writes about 'games' in comedy sketches.

Q&HA! The Question Tools of Comedy Pro

Chris Head introduces his comedy writing podcast

Wednesday 23rd November 2022

Chris Head has launched Q&HA! The Question Tools of Comedy, a podcast in which he gives writing inspiration.

Three notes hung up by pegs Pro

Turning Point / Midpoint / Crunch Point: Structuring your 30 minute TV sitcom / comedy drama script

Thursday 3rd November 2022

Chris Head talks through the structure of a thirty minute script and explains how focusing on the turning point, midpoint and crunch points can really help with the storytelling.

That Mitchell And Webb Look. Image shows from L to R: David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Robert Webb Pro

How to come up with funny ideas for sketches & scenes using "As if"

Thursday 1st September 2022

Looking for a funny angle for a sketch or sitcom scene? Try an 'as if'...

A Bit Of Fry & Laurie. Image shows from L to R: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry Pro

Seven great ways of ending comedy sketches

Tuesday 11th January 2022

Chris Head addresses that most challenging part of sketch writing - ending them!

Friends. Image shows from L to R: Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer Pro

How to Structure Sitcom Scenes

Friday 15th October 2021

Chris Head uses some excerpts from US comedy Friends to highlight the set-up / reveal / escalation / payoff structure of sitcom scenes.

Murial. Image shows from L to R: Sally O'Leary, Janine Harouni, Meg Salter. Copyright: Jon Holloway Pro

Make online comedy (and go viral)

Wednesday 18th August 2021

Have you got into making and sharing online comedy yet? Ahead of his Zoom sketch comedy course, Chris Head writes about the kind of comedy you can make, how to find the funny, and offers up tips on how to go viral.

Smack The Pony. Doon Mackichan. Copyright: Talkback Productions Pro

Introducing SREP: set-up, reveal, escalation, payoff

Friday 30th April 2021

In this exclusive extract from Chris Head's new book, he introduces SREP: a structure that can be used in writing sketches, sitcom scenes and stand-up.

Creating Comedy Narratives For Stage & Screen Pro

Free excerpts from Creating Comedy Narratives For Stage & Screen by Chris Head

Friday 30th April 2021

Here - for FREE - are the first 17 pages of Chris Head's new book Creating Comedy Narratives for Stage and Screen.

BCG Pro's Yellow Door Script Call Pro

Finalists announced for BCG Pro's Yellow Door Script Call

Friday 24th July 2020

The finalists selected for the second round of BCG Pro's Yellow Door Script Call have been revealed.

Steve Whiteley Pro

Stand-Up Meets Sitcom

Monday 1st April 2019

Chris Head discusses how stand-up and sitcom cross-pollinate, and explains how he applied his character model of 'boss, striver and fool' to bring Steve Whiteley's character Wisebowm into a Radio 4 sitcom format.

Christmas Cracker Joke Telling - The Art Of Delivery, from Bath Spa University Pro

How to write and tell a Christmas Cracker joke

Friday 22nd December 2017

Lecturers from Bath Spa University have looked at the 'science' behind Christmas Cracker jokes. In this article they explain how to write a good festive gag, and how to deliver your seasonal one-liner.

Daphne. Image shows from L to R: Jason Forbes, Phil Wang, George Fouracres Live

Sketch Comedy Reawakens

Thursday 27th August 2015

As sketch group Daphne get nominated for the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Best Newcomer Award, Chris Head detects stirrings in the world of sketch comedy...

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