British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide

Sketches

Sketches are one of the fundimental building blocks of scripted comedy.

Note: We also have a full tutorial on how to write great comedy sketches

Kröd Mändoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire. Image shows left to right: Bruce (Marques Ray), Krod Mandoon (Sean Maguire), Aneka (India de Beaufort), Loquasto (Steve Speirs), Zezelryck (Kevin Hart)

Magic moments

  • Thursday 7th November 2024

Should you write a fantasy sitcom? There are several reasons to potentially avoid the genre.

BDNS

Become a 'BDNS' writer

  • Monday 30th September 2024

Radio shows Breaking The News, DMs Are Open, Noising Up and The Skewer all accept comedy material. So far just a handful of people have managed to write on all four programmes - can you become the next?

Mike Wooles

Doing it yourself

  • Tuesday 20th August 2024

Pro member Mike Wooles on taking matters into his own hands.

More Money Than Sense. Copyright: ABsoLuTeLy Productions

Money Shot: your first time

  • Thursday 1st August 2024

In our new Money Shot column's debut, we look at how to secure your first paid work in the comedy industry.

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford). Copyright: BBC

A LOT of laughs

  • Friday 5th July 2024

This simple acronym will help you devise visual jokes for your sitcom script.

The One.... Image shows left to right: Harry Enfield, Ronnie Corbett

Avoiding confusion

  • Thursday 16th May 2024

Sketch or sitcom script, clarity is key.

Yes Minister. Image shows from L to R: James Hacker (Paul Eddington), Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne), Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds). Copyright: BBC

The key comic idea

  • Thursday 2nd May 2024

Sketch, sitcom scene, story or joke - they all need a key comic idea.

Big Comedy Conference 2023. Image shows left to right: Stevie Martin, Sarah Campbell, Stuart Laws

Big Comedy Conference video: Satire & sketch

  • Wednesday 7th February 2024

A video from last year's Big Comedy Conference, in which Bill Dare digs into the topics of short-form narrative (sketch) and satirical comedy with Sarah Campbell, Stuart Laws and Stevie Martin.

Episode 1 Read-Through Script. Copyright: Happy Tramp Productions

Back to basics: preparing a script

  • Thursday 14th December 2023

How do you prepare a script? The answer is surprisingly simple.

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches. Image shows from L to R: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore. Copyright: Alan Messer / REX / Shutterstock

The joy of sketch

  • Tuesday 17th October 2023

In this piece, we discuss the importance of sketch writing, and the key elements of a good sketch.