Merry Christmas!

Well, another year is coming to an end. Here at BCG Towers, it's certainly been a busy one.

Back in March, we held our Big Comedy Conference, where hundreds of members got together with a plethora of high-level industry professionals for a range of insightful panel discussions - as well as plenty of opportunity for informal networking.

We'll be releasing videos of the discussions over the coming months (including our headline session with Lee Mack) - but you can already catch up with the commissioners' panel and the panel on avenues to success.

The conference went extremely well - and we're looking forward to announcing plans for an even bigger and better gathering in the near future.

If you're looking for more material to watch, recordings of this year's Pro Sessions are currently available. We'll be bringing you more of these exclusive and intimate discussions next year.

For now, check out this conversation with Bluestone 42 and Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps producer Michelle Farr-Scott or this conversation with Dreaming Whilst Black's creator and star Adjani Salmon if you're looking for a place to start.

We've also conducted some fascinating written interviews, with professionals at every stage of their careers.

Our well-established My Comedy Career column engaged with a wide range of professionals, including actor and comedian Helen Monks, stand-ups Stuart Mitchell and Scott Agnew, producer Ed Morrish and writer Nancy Harris.

And we've branched into long-form, too.

This two-part conversation with legendary sitcom director Ed Bye was particularly entertaining, and should be of interest to all fans of his work.

We're also grateful to Ed for the fantastic pictures. Here he is with Johnny Vegas, covered in shit (we've been assured it's fake):

Writing an original sitcom or comedy drama is an ambition for many of our members - and over the past year we've published legions of articles to try and help with that.

Our advice covers everything from the nitty-gritty of scene construction to getting an agent and the development process.

Check out our Features section for more. No matter what your issue, we should have published something which can help - and we will have many more advice and insight columns winging their way to you next year.

We're always keen to platform our members, too - both to celebrate their successes and share their valuable advice.

This piece from stand-up comedian Ben Wearmouth offered some fascinating insight into his attitude to his work, and we were delighted when writer Lisa Houston wrote us this piece, celebrating her first ever television credit.

We realise building a list of legitimate credits is a key aim for many of our members.

Whilst topical joke writing and sketch writing are covered by the BBC, we've noticed a gap in the market for a professionally produced sitcom where writers can cut their teeth.

We hope Pro can offer that opportunity with our new audio sitcom The House. If you haven't already, register your interest in the project here.

And many congratulations to all members who secured professional writing, performance and production credits this year - whether these are your first credits, or the latest stage in an established career. Each one is a testament to our members' hard work and talent.

On that note, have a wonderful Christmas - and we're looking forward to seeing you in the New Year. We certainly have big plans ahead, which we can't wait for you to be part of.

Merry Christmas!