Creating great comedy characters

What's the first thing you remember about your favourite sitcoms? The characters.

Captain Mainwaring's pomposity. Basil Fawlty's simmering rage. Alan Partridge's desperate need for validation.

Great comedy characters stay with us long after we've forgotten individual storylines or jokes.

So how do you create memorable comedy characters? Let's take a look.

Establish a key comic trait

Every great comedy character needs a core trait that generates conflict and comedy.

This trait must be consistent but not one dimensional. It's the foundation everything else is built upon.

Give them a blind spot

Comedy thrives on characters who lack self-awareness. The gap...