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TV Comedy Day – 29th April 2006 Click here for other Masterclasses & booking info.
“Writers are increasingly wary of
going into mainstream comedy writing because they know they are going to be very
exposed… and if you don’t pick up an audience immediately – and there’s little
likelihood of that with the need for ratings and instant presence - you will not
be recommissioned.” The decline of new British sitcoms in this decade compared to the 1990s or those before is a growing worry in the industry. Greg Dyke recently said, “The difficulty is finding the writers and artists who want to do more traditional fare,” harking back to the days of Steptoe and Son, Monty Python, The Likely Lads and Fawlty Towers.
We are gathering together four
comedy giants to give specific advice on different areas of comedy, all with the
aim of drawing out new talent and helping you breach the walls of the comedy
establishment.
10am to 11.15am Childhood friends and Arsenal supporters, Marks & Gran started writing together following their attendance at British Drama League’s writer’s group. They worked on BBC Radio but it was ITV’s acceptance of Holding The Fort that launched them into television comedy. They penned various sitcoms before launching Birds Of A Feather, one of the longest running sitcoms on British TV.
The writers and creators of some
of Britain’s best-loved comedy, including Goodnight Sweetheart, will
discuss the centrality of character in comedy.
11.30am to 12.45pm Brother to Oscar-winning Anthony, Dominic script-edited the first series of Hamish Macbeth, and wrote episodes across all three series. He has also written radio drama (Matt Black and Chrome), sitcom (Holding the Baby), adaptations (e.g. The Prince and the Pauper for Hallmark) and wrote and created ITV's hit comedy-drama series, Doc Martin. Dominic next project is the BBC's ambitious Robin Hood, a 13-part series he has created for Tiger Aspect, which he is also showrunning with Foz Allan.
From drama dwarf to comedy giant,
Dominic charts his own journey and sings the praises of American-style
showrunning.
2.00pm
to 3.30pm Paul started out by writing plays in school and later at Cambridge University. “I wrote shows for mental homes, prisons and hospitals, anywhere where the audience couldn’t get away.” His big break came when he won the job of BBC Radio comedy producer (replacing Griff Rhys Jones, who had left to do Not the Nine O’Clock News) making seven comedy series a year. He has worked on Spitting Image and co-wrote The Vicar Of Dibley with Richard Curtis.
Currently a consultant to the Head
Of Comedy at the BBC, Paul’s section will examine the idea that the key to
comedy is simplicity, and what pitfalls you should avoid when creating a sitcom.
4pm
to 5pm Born on the Isle of Wight, Ray was originally a reporter before joining the RAF. After 15 years of mixing part-time jobs with midnight writing, 40 rejections had almost killed off his dreams, and he was cleaning toilets for a living when he got his big break. The BBC accepted his situation comedy, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, which has since been shown in over 60 countries. He's also written material for various comedians including Frankie Howerd, Dave Allen, Little & Large and Jimmy Cricket. Ray’s talk is entitled: Are You Trying to be Funny? Or How I Escaped from the Toilet and Nearly went Round the Bend.
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