BCG Pro Success Stories: BAM!

Comedy duo BAM! - married couple Bec Bartley and Sam Bartley - won the Starter category in the BCG Pro Production Awards in 2021. Since then, they've continued to build up their online following via @bamcomedyuk, and - as they explain here - they have just had their biggest success yet.

What the heck? Our comedy song, Living With My Parents has absolutely exploded on socials, gaining over 18 million views on Instagram alone. After nine years of posting comedy content online, it turns out that the secret to comedy gold is telling the truth - or at least making fun of your truth in an annoyingly catchy tune.

So, here's the tea. We've been living with Bec's parents for 11 months, all in the name of saving money for a hefty deposit. Because as "self-employed content creators/comedy writers/actors/professional procrastinators" trying to get a decent mortgage is like trying to convince dad to trim his nose hair. Spoiler alert: it's not easy.

Making the decision to move out of London as actors and comedians was like deciding to leave Disneyland before trying all the rides. All the comedy action happens in London, and we couldn't help but wonder, what if we miss out on the next big thing? What if we become the comedy equivalent of the floppy disk, slowly fading into oblivion while everyone else is living it up in the city? We pictured ourselves telling jokes to seagulls in Herne Bay while our comedy friends in London basked in the glow of the spotlight. But it was the quickest way we'd ever get a foot on the property ladder.

Fast forward to May: we got an offer accepted on a house in Folkestone (just 55 minutes to London, woop woop!) Suddenly, living with Bec's parents didn't seem quite so dire. We thought, "Hey, why not share our hilarious housing saga with the world?" And girl, did the world respond! Turns out, there's a global audience for tales of scrounging off your parents. Who knew?

We'd been sitting on the idea for a while, having already produced Living in a Mansion and Living in a Flat back in 2021. Given our current living situation, it was a no-brainer to whip up a parent edition.

Thankfully, Bec's usually camera-shy parents were all in for the filming. They even offered creative input, although we had to gently decline Dad's idea of adding a cornet solo. And don't worry, we made sure to pay our actors handsomely - in Chinese takeaway! Because nothing says "thank you for letting us use your faces" like a generous helping of chicken balls.

We've been absolutely blown away by the response! Suddenly, our notifications are lighting up with likes and comments from legends like Ncuti Gatwa, Dizzee Rascal, and even Bradley from S Club 7! Who knew our housing woes would resonate with pop royalty? It's also clear that many people from our generation are in the same boat, thanks to the housing crisis. It's comforting to know we're not alone in this wild ride.

This isn't our first dive into musical comedy. Our debut masterpiece, dropped on YouTube in 2015, was a whimsical ode to sipping Gin-In-A-Tin on the Tube (aka Tube Gin). Fast forward nine years, and with a staggering 936 views, it's clear the world just wasn't ready for our gin-soaked genius!

Last week we jumped on the hype, threw the track up on Spotify and whipped up a sequel Living With My Parents 2 where Bec & Sam get kicked out and try to live in a car, a shed, and even a bin. Things escalate when Bec's parents call the police, and they end up in a jail cell. That's had nearly 5 million viewers now. And guess what? Part 3, Living in a Jail Cell, is coming soon! Seriously, when will it stop?!

We're thrilled with how our comedy journey is going and wanted to give a massive shoutout to BCG Pro for their endless wisdom and support over the past four years. Winning the BCG Pro Production Award in the Starter category in 2021 was like finding a golden ticket in our comedy Wonka Bar. It gave us the confidence boost we needed to keep going and the hope that what we were producing was actually funny.

The moral of the story? When life hands you lemons - or in our case, a housing crisis - embrace it! What might look like a step in the wrong direction could actually be the secret recipe for success. So, lean into the madness, find the humour in every awkward moment, and turn that chaos into comedy gold. Because sometimes, the best punchlines come from the messiest situations!

---