Press clippings Page 5
Surrealism: There's something fishy about it
Up until about twenty years ago you rarely saw the word 'surrealism' used to define anything other than a certain type of painting.
Dave Cohen, 18th June 2014Why isn't Mark Steel more famous?
Why isn't Mark Steel one of the biggest stars in British comedy today? It's a question I've been asking getting on for 30 years now.
Dave Cohen, 4th June 2014Dave Cohen - Time for your 15 minutes
I've spent some time working through the new free BBC ebook - 'How To Write Radio Comedy' - and I'm a little surprised by the number of omissions.
Dave Cohen, 9th May 2014Writer? Don't fear the writer-performer
The situation isn't quite as bad as James Cary makes out. Writers do still have some clout in the comedy creation process - Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, for instance, continue to create their own shows, while Graham Linehan can choose what he wants to write, and when.
Dave Cohen, 1st May 2014Write What You... No!
I've had cause to revisit a phrase that has always irritated me, the first one every writer is told when they are starting out, which is 'write what you know.'
Dave Cohen, 9th April 2014Bye Newsjack... Now What?
As we approach the end of the latest series of Newsjack, you may be wondering what the point is, now, of a blog piece on comedy sketch writing.
Dave Cohen, 3rd April 2014In the beginning...
Recently I was asked to read the first ten pages of a bunch of sitcom scripts, then meet and chat with the writers. While it's impossible to tell from such a small sample of work if your script will be a hit or miss, there are plenty of things a script reader can learn that will tell them whether or not the script has potential.
Dave Cohen, 20th March 2014How to not care about failing to crack Newsjack
Don't expect to get ANYTHING on. Seriously, nothing at all. So why even bother? Because it's really good practise to write to a deadline, and to try and write to order for a show that is not necessarily a match for your talents.
Dave Cohen, 13th March 2014You Can Be Funny About Anything... Can't You?
So now that you've decided that a life of comedy awaits - performing stand-up or writing, or both - what are you going to joke about?
Dave Cohen, 6th February 2014Book review: How to Be Averagely Successful At Comedy
So you want to be a comedian? The chances are that if you have landed on my website you are thinking about dipping a toe in the shark-infested waters of comedy. Then take a leaf out of Dave Cohen's book about the industry and his life in it. No, don't just take a leaf, go out and bloody well buy the whole book.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 18th December 2013