Episode 162 - Fun With Father Ted - Lissa Evans
Writer, producer and acclaimed comic novelist Lissa Evans tells us what it was like directing and producing Father Ted - and what makes a funny script.
Mar 24, 2021•56 min
Sitcom Geeks
A podcast series for those interested in the mechanics of situation comedy. James Cary and Dave Cohen discuss the art of sitcom writing for TV and Radio.
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Episodes
Episode 161 - Funny Business
James and Dave discuss the importance, if you want to get on in comedy, of having A Plan. Plus we announce the winner of Dave's Making A Scene Of It competition.
Mar 11, 2021•49 min
Episode 160 - We've Scene The Results
Dave announces the shortlist for the Making A Scene Of It competition, James reports back from his sitcom webinar about character - plus some surprising conclusions are drawn from the great Tuesdays Are Funny experience.
Feb 25, 2021•46 min
Episode 159 - The Lost Voice Guy Tells All
Top stand-up and BGT winner Lee Ridley aka Lost Voice Guy shares his amazing story of comedy success, the influence of heroes The League Of Gentlemen and Lee Evans, the new series of Ability on Radio 4 and his hilarious book I'm Only In It For The Parking, out in paperback on 11 March.
Feb 11, 2021•55 min
Episode 158 - Why Tuesdays Are Funny, And Jessica Too
In today's episode James explores creating new characters using Jessica the fictional celebrity chef. And Dave launches #TuesdaysAreFunny the weekly 8:30pm Twitter Sitcom Geekery Watchalong.
Jan 28, 2021•51 min
Episode 157 - Rejection And Waste And Other Jolly News
Welcome to a new year of comedy writing, as Dave talks about writing topical comedy (hence the rejection and waste), James tries to enforce good habits for writers (other jolly news) and Dave launches If Only I Had The Time, his short book about trying to write when there's a pandemic going on.
Jan 14, 2021•46 min
Episode 156 - 2021 Vision
Dave and James reveal their plans for next year, including the launch of The Situation Room, home for James's brilliant new online sitcom writing masterclass. Meanwhile Dave will be finding out again what it's like to be starting out as a new writer as he plans the spring publication of his first novel.
Dec 31, 2020•50 min
Episode 155 - So That Was 2020
Dave and James look back on the closed down year - what is comedy drama, scene competitions and a little shard of light and love for our fellow comedy scriptwriters. Recorded infuriatingly three days before the BIG BBC COMEDY ANNOUNCEMENT we had been trailing for the last three episodes - but still lots to report here about BBC changes.
Dec 17, 2020•57 min
Episode 154 - Writersroom Changes and Let's Do It Some More
Big changes at BBC Writersroom - they want your comedy drama scripts NOW. Plus part 2 of our fascinating chat with Victoria Wood biographer Jasper Rees. He reveals all about her hopes and successes, extraordinary confidence, and relationships with Julie Walters and the gang who stayed with her through years of fabulous shows.
Dec 03, 2020•56 min
Episode 153 - The Real Victoria Wood
Part one of our revealing interview with Jasper Rees, author of the brilliant Let's Do It Victoria Wood biography. 'Everyone thought they knew her but they were wrong, it was she who knew them.' The story of dinnerladies, and Victoria's advice to aspiring sitcom writers.
Nov 19, 2020•45 min
Episode 152 - Making A Scene Of It Part 2
Ahead of the deadline for Dave's scene writing competition the Geeks discuss how you can learn from the greats: specifically Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Blackadder The Third. Plus a surprisingly upbeat prognosis about the future of comedy writing (spoiler alert: plenty of positives but it's still bloody hard to breakthrough).
Nov 05, 2020•50 min
Episode 151 - Making A Scene Of It
Dave and James discuss Dave's new BCG Pro scene-writing competition and what we might learn from Blackadder, plus news about news - topical comedy's moment. And bonus sitcom writing advice from James's 'Writing That Sitcom' book.
Oct 22, 2020•32 min
Episode 150 - Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton
Dave and James celebrate the big 150 chatting to the great writing pair who brought you Drop The Dead Donkey, Outnumbered, Kate & Koji and tonnes more. Great stories of rejection (how many pilots turned down by the BBC since Outnumbered?), acceptance (yes sometimes that happens too), and some novel advice from Andy about how to sit.
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr
Episode 149 - The Future Is Now
Self-Publishing guru Joanna Penn explains why the future of comedy lies in doing it yourself. Why we must write what we love, embrace AI and produce our own audio. A must listen if you're keen to make a career of comedy writing.
Sep 24, 2020•59 min
Episode 148 - Cancel Your Hero
Dave and James with news of an exciting new competition, plus keeping your plots clear and what to do when your main character isn't funny (clue is in the title).
Sep 09, 2020•45 min
Episode 147 - Jenny Eclair
Dave and James talk to the stand-up star and top writer about her brilliant radio monologues Little Lifetimes, the Edinburgh Festival that wasn't, her fondly-recalled Channel 4 sitcom with Henry Normal and Frank Skinner - and exactly how close she came to becoming the new host of Bake Off.
Aug 26, 2020•59 min
Episode 146 - Rufus Jones has something to write Home about (Part 2)
Part 2 of our fascinating interview with the creator, writer and star of Channel 4's hit series Home about how the show came about and how they found their star. Plus BAFTA Rocliffe script tips, Comedy Crowd comes clean and life without Edinburgh.
Aug 13, 2020•53 min
Episode 145 - Rufus Jones on the road to Home (Part 1)
The writer and star of Channel 4's hit TV series Home talks to James and Dave about the journey, via the distinctly-named Dutch Elm Conservatoire sketch group, a dramatic role in White Teeth and... financial journalism?
Jul 30, 2020•30 min
Episode 144 - The Office: How It All Began, with Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto (Part 2)
James and Dave update on sitcom news (including jingle), then a fascinating insight into how The Office came about from producer Anil Gupta, and more tales of TV mayhem from Anil and Richard Pinto, the writer-producer team that gave you Goodness Gracious Me, Citizen Khan and more.
Jul 16, 2020•55 min
Episode 143 - Gracious Me! It's Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto (Part 1)
A great interview with the writer-producer team behind Goodness Gracious Me, Citizen Khan, The Kumars and more - and we haven't even got to The Office yet.
Jul 02, 2020•38 min
Episode 142 - How Do You Write About Race?
Dave and James catch up with the latest comedy news - is there a future for Channel 4, why writing a new sitcom is like coming out of lockdown, and how we need to approach writing race in comedy.
Jun 18, 2020•58 min
Episode 141 - Producing Your Own Media
Dave and James talk to inspirational DIY moviemakers Danny Stack and Tim Clague about seizing the initiative and producing your own media - plus some delightfully optimistic predictions for how coming out of lockdown may be most helpful for writers who are starting out.
Jun 04, 2020•39 min
Episode 140 - Galton, Simpson and Pixar Returns
Last minute tips for ensuring you send your best work to the BBC Galton & Simpson bursary competition, news of more contests and fabulous prizes (Prizes!), and learn from the best as Dave and James dissect Pixar's comedy rules 12-22.
May 21, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Episode 139 - Housebound Guest
Dave and James talk to multi-talented writer-producer-director-editor Justin Sbresni (The Worst Week Of My Life, The Robinsons) about the new lockdown sitcom Housebound and plenty more besides, including hot tips on the best new comic actors and great advice on creating visual comedy.
May 06, 2020•57 min
Episode 138 - Pull Apart, Simplify, Do Better Next Time
Pixar are the most successful movie makers of the last 50 years. This week Dave and James examine the first 11 of their 22 rules of storytelling, judging how they might apply to the current series of Friday Night Dinner.
Apr 23, 2020•58 min
Episode 137 - A Winning Writer Speaks
Dave and James chat with Australian writer Peter C Hayward, writer of Night Crew, the winner of our first BCG Pro/Sitcom Geeks Sitcom Script Challenge. Featuring giant toasters, Finnemore fandom, and a bee plot. You can read the first 10 pages of Night Crew via Dropbox: https://bit.ly/NightCrewScript
Apr 09, 2020•55 min
Episode 136 - Chortle Book Festival
Dave and James talk to John O'Farrell and Brenda Gilhooly at the Chortle Book Festival about all things writing, including coming up with the right idea at the right time.
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Episode 135 - Make Your Script Stand Out
With the BBC comedy writing window all set to open on 16th March, Dave and James find out from Writersroom Comedy overseers Simon Nelson and Amanda Farley how to dazzle them with your comedy entries. They're joined by one of last year's winners and current Felix Dexter Bursary writer, Athena Kugblenu.
Mar 12, 2020•47 min
Episode 134 - Sitcom Scripts Q&A
James and Dave answer your sitcom script-based questions about turning your idea into a sitcom, making sure your idea hasn't been done (it has), what makes a studio sitcom script, resolving plots, series arcs, budgets and how much writers actually get paid. Plus exciting news about the upcoming BCG comedy writers' conference.
Feb 27, 2020•46 min
Episode 133 - Where Did We Go Right?
Dave and James dig deep into the 15 scripts on the longlist of the BCG Pro Sitcom Geeks Script Challenge and explain what works, and how you can all move your scripts forward.
Feb 13, 2020•50 min
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