In January 2007, Declan Hill and Simon Wright of production company Every 1's A Critic took over the running of writing contest The Sitcom Trials, breathing new life into the format and rejuvenating it into a competition that was both audience and industry friendly.

So industry friendly, in fact, that Avalon, Baby Cow, Hat Trick, Big Bird Films, Rough Cut, So TV, Talkback Thames, Tiger Aspect and BBC Radio Comedy all came to see it. And the Grand Final was judged by Lucy Lumsden (then Head of Comedy Commissioning, BBC TV), Andrew Newman (Head of Entertainment, C4), Michaela Hennessy-Vass (Commissioning Editor, Scripted Comedy, ITV) and Jane Berthoud (Head of Comedy Production, BBC Radio).

Dean Hardman, winner of The Sitcom Trials 2008/09, has had a half-hour version of his winning entry commissioned by BBC Radio Production, and says: "I can't recommend enough working with Simon and Declan."

Now, Every 1's A Critic are running The Sitcom Mission. With an emphasis on script development, The Sitcom Mission aim is to showcase a series of 15-minute sitcom scripts. The 2010 showcase has just finished, with the top 16 taking part in a knock-out contest in front of a public audience and showcased for the industry at The New Diorama Theatre in London. It all culminated in the Grand Final on the 7th June, which was judged by commissioners from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky & Comedy Central. See our blog for more info.

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