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Jargon
I guess we’d file these under “words for things I didn’t know there were words for”. Comedy writers’ jargon, taken from John Rogers’ excellent Kung Fu Monkey blog. It’s fairly US-centric, but the terms...
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The Sitcom Trials
The Sitcom Trials is the show where new sitcoms compete, the audience vote for their favourite, and they only see the ending of the winner. Having been in hibernation since the end of 2005, the show...
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Writing BBC Radio Sitcoms
The BBC Writer’s Room offers these tips for would-be radio sitcom writers: Avoid characters, themes and situations that have recently been done. Radio is not like film, where a hit will spawn a host of...
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When clams go stinky
A joke that has outlived its shelf-life is consistently referred to as a “clam.” I’ve talked a little about these before, I believe. You know a clam when you hear it. Here are a few of them: “I’m...
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How To Write A Sitcom
From Graham Linehan’s recent “masterclass” in sitcom writing at the Edinburgh International TV Festival: Don’t be afraid to procrastinate: ‘Even playing a computer game is valuable. The subconscious...
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Jan Jung on Sitcom Writing
How do I turn ideas into script? If you have an idea, ask yourself where the idea originates. What is your starting point? Is it a character, is it a funny situation, or is it an idea of a setting?...
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Tucker’s Law
I might have to get one of those teatowels, although I suspect I may be one of the c-bombs in question. Ths clip is an out-take, of course, from the simply excellent The Thick of It, whch I’ve just...
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Hank Meets Elvis
Hank Kingsley is one of the finest comic creations in… ever. Jeffrey Tambor just inhabits the character: selfish, venal, needy, greedy, insecure, mean, loving, pathetic and very, very funny. And all...
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15 Storeys High
Without a doubt the most cruelly overlooked comedy of this century so far, Sean Lock’s 15 Storeys High is an absolute gem. I’ll write more about it later. For now just enjoy this wee clip of Vince and...
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Writing a Sitcom – Creating Characters
If, for example, you were writing a sitcom, and you were researching your favourite sitcoms to find nuggets of character-creating inspiration, this is the sort of stuff you might find. If you were...
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