The return of the topical comedy show

Thinking of coming to the Big Comedy Conference 2023 in April? One of the areas we'll be looking at is how to get on in the industry through writing topical jokes for the radio.

In this article Dave Cohen explains why you should seriously consider developing your news-based joke writing skills.

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There are many ways to start making a living at comedy writing, but nothing gets you noticed faster than being able to write topical jokes for the radio.

Times have changed, as James and I have noted in the latest edition of Sitcom Geeks. The opportunities for a successful topical comedy writer are no longer as bountiful as they were when James and I started out - but it's still a great place to meet young radio producers.

Why do you want to meet young radio producers?

Because, like you, they are starting out in the business, and don't yet have that many contacts. Unlike you they will go on to become slightly older TV producers. At which point they're going to need writers. It will be a great help if they already know you.

Top writers who began their careers writing one-line jokes for radio include Simon Blackwell (Veep, Back, Private Life Of David Copperfield), Mark Burton (Madagascar, Wallace & Gromit) and Georgia Pritchett (Succession, The Shrink Next Door, The Thick Of It).

Young radio producers I met when I started out this way included Harry Thompson (who created Have I Got News For You), Phil Clarke (Peep Show, head of Channel 4 Comedy) and Armando Iannucci (The Thick Of It, Veep etc).

While the topical door closed slowly over the last decade it has been blown open again in the last couple of years.

In recent times a number of great opportunities have opened for new writers: Breaking The News, BBC Scotland's topical show that runs for 30 weeks a year is actively seeking material from writers with no previous credits (find out more).

And fabulous, multi-award winning The Skewer is guaranteed a place on Radio 4 for at least 15 weeks a year. Here's what producer, creator and all-round topical comedy genius Jon Holmes has to say about his show: "Nothing has made me prouder than being able to bring new writers into comedy."

Add Noising Up, another Scottish show and DMs Are Open, BBC Radio's replacement for Newsjack, and you can barely move for the bloody things.

In addition, that period when all news was like pulling teeth and no one felt like laughing at it for a long time, now appears to have fallen away. What fun was there in making jokes about Trump and Brexit? Year in, year out. Not a lot, judging by the interest in making topical comedy at the time.

Covid wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs either, but the demise of Donald and the implosion of the Tories seems to have brought a new creative spurt.

This is not the place to argue about whether there are any funny right-wingers. Or why most topical comedy traditionally skews left. Better instead to celebrate the fact that the current body of shows ranges from the traditional six-gags-a-minute stand-up fest of Breaking The News to the aurally innovative genius of Jon Holmes and his superb brainchild The Skewer.

In 2021 Jon joined James and I for a Sitcom Geeks Masterclass (the workshop with Jon was part of the Sitcom Geeks Patreon Monthly Masterclass season. You can find out more about this and other goodies at patreon.com). He talked about how to write for the show. And with the help of Dave and Dan's Topical Comedy Writing Course, a number of new writers achieved their first comedy writing credit on The Skewer.

From late January 2023 we'll be running a new improved six-week course that will help you break into topical comedy writing. And while the course is running we'll be pitching ideas and jokes for both shows.

Dan Sweryt has become a regular contributor to both shows. When he first heard The Skewer he couldn't imagine he could write for it, but, he says "You can! Also it's multiple award-winning and who doesn't want to write for a multiple award-winning show?".

The Skewer returns in February 2023, and Unusual Productions are open for ideas and pitches from the 1st February. The Skewer Contributor Guide

In October 2021 our first intensive course garnered several BBC writing credits for many new writers.

Eleanor Hayward took that course. After scoring a string of credits herself, she's joined our team in helping to bring new writers forward.

You don't have to be a news nerd, but it helps.

While that matters, the most important skills are learning how to get into THE ROUTINE and THE HABIT of writing topical. And how to REWRITE your jokes.

Be warned - it's a lot of work! But the credits are worth it. For Breaking The News, you'll want to have time available between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning. And The Skewer will eat into chunks of your weekend.

We can't guarantee that we'll get you a credit (but we have a very impressive success rate on that score), but hopefully you'll learn to take your first steps towards placing yourself in the mindset of a professional comedy writer.