Sitcom Mission 2024 feedback
Monday 29th April 2024
We had over 200 entries and, as often happens, many arrived on the last possible day.
Which makes sense. Why not take as long as possible to make sure that your script is as good as you can make it before sending it off? You don't have to send your script as soon as the competition is announced. Why not use the time before the deadline to gain feedback, do a live read through or make further tweaks based on our FAQs and guidelines? You might even get some fresh ideas on your scenes between Jan and April. If you've done that already of course, well done, give yourself a pat on the back and feel free to add 'smarty pants' to your social media bio. 😃
We've already given feedback on our Gold and Silver entries, so have a fair idea of how they compare to previous years. Our feeling is that there seem to be fewer obvious mistakes. There's no reason for them. There are some excellent books out there which will help you enormously. Dave Cohen and Chris Head's particularly (and our own book, of course). There are so many brilliant videos on BCG Pro (Steve Speirs on plotting, for example), and great advice from industry insiders at the Comedy Conference. But still basic mistakes rear their head.
The biggest? Not having a story to tell. Second cousin to that is getting so bogged down in backstory and exposition that there's no room left for a story. In this example, the first third of the script is often just information. People don't watch sitcoms for information, so get to the funny and get to the story as quickly as possible.
A final note is that we're always surprised by how few people who want to write sitcoms actually read them. So before entering Sitcom Mission 2025, why not have a look at these fabulous resources:
BBC Writersroom script library
And don't just read sitcom scripts either. Here's George R.R. Martin (Mr Game Of Thrones himself) on reading:
"The most important thing for any aspiring writer, I think, is to read! And not just the sort of thing you're trying to write, be that fantasy, SF, comic books, whatever. You need to read everything."
Good luck to all those who entered. If you submitted a Bronze entry we should have your feedback to you in the next couple of months. In the meantime, our longlist of scripts that will go to the Public Showcase will be announced late May and the Public Showcase itself will take place in the first week of June.
If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, please follow and direct message us on social media. Our Facebook, X and Instagram accounts are also the place to hear announcements on our longlist and the competition in general. Alternatively, feel free to ask to be added to our mailing list by emailing us directly: info@sitcommission.com
As we read your scripts, we look forward to hearing from you again on social or email, so don't be shy!
Simon, Lawrence, Lorna, Amy & Teresa
Sitcom Mission