The first heat of The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny competition was held in Manchester on May 3rd 2013. Five sitcoms, chosen from open entries invited from the public, were showcased in front of a paying audience who voted to choose their favourite. The cast then performed the ending of the audience winner while a panel of judges retired to choose which sitcom should go through to the semi-finals. (One sitcom will definitely go through, with the chance that a second might too. From the 30 sitcoms showcased in the 6 heats, 10 will be chosen). The sitcoms in contention were:

From Home by Darryl James
As Plain As Day by Richard Dowling
Cash & Currie by Bobby Finn
Out Of My Head by Colin McQuaid
Theatre by Andrew Tate

Video clips here.

And the winner is...? A long story.

The audience vote ended in a three-way-tie, with From Home, As Plain As Day and Theatre all proving equally popular. On an informal audience shout, Theatre was the sitcom whose ending got performed. During which time our three judges - Bethany Black (stand-up comedian whose solo sitcom has enjoyed the past year in development with the BBC), Lisa Connor (stage producer including Jack Rosenthal's The Best), and Brianne Edge (head of Comedysportz North and director of adaptations of The Likely Lads and The God Life) - adjudicated and decided that the sitcom that will definitely be going through to the semi finals is..

Cash & Currie by Bobby Finn.

A very successful night of entertaining comedies, all of which found their audience and acquitted themselves well. Congratulations to the winner (and fingers crossed to the rest, one of which could still find itself in the semi finals). The next heat of The Sitcom Trials So You Think You Write Funny is at The Camden Head in London on Friday May 10th.

Thanks for posting the video clips, Kev. The actors did a really great job. Well done to everyone!

Sitcom Trials SYTYWF London Heat 1 results

The second heat of The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny competition took place at The Camden Head, London, on May 10 2013. Five sitcoms, chosen from open entries invited from the public, were showcased in front of a paying audience who voted to choose their favourite, all under the watchful eye of guest MC Bec Hill. The cast then performed the ending of the audience winner while a panel of judges retired to choose which sitcom should go through to the semi-finals. (One sitcom will definitely go through, with the chance that a second might too. From the 30 sitcoms showcased in the 6 heats, 10 will be chosen). The sitcoms in contention were:

Alice & The Genie by Neil Tollfree
Three In Tow by Eoin Carney
Separate Parents by Dan Sweryt & Jim Spiers
Never Better written by and starring Rosie Holt
Most Likely To by Jamie Anderson & Sam Brayshaw

The audience's favourite was Never Better by Rosie Holt, which had its ending performed. And the winning sitcom that is definitely going through to the semi finals, as chosen by tonight's judges Paul Foxcroft from Monkey Toast, comedian and writer Amy Howerska, and Funny Women's Danica Priest, was Three In Tow by Eoin Carney. A runner up (kept under wraps for the moment) may join it in the semis, stay tuned until all the heats are finished.

The next heat takes place at The Wardrobe Theatre Bristol on May 31st. And tickets for the Grand Final at the Edinburgh Fringe on August 21st are already on sale, do please feel free to start booking.

Well done to the winners. Fun night out. Can I just say thanks to judges who took time out to give me feedback which was a nice bonus...

When do we find out the line-up for the second round of Heats? You know, so we can make arrangements and what have you?

Thanks.

Quote: Martin H @ May 12 2013, 4:17 PM BST

When do we find out the line-up for the second round of Heats? You know, so we can make arrangements and what have you?

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Thanks for reminding me, here they are.

Manchester Heat 2 Fri June 7
-Waiting, Martin Holmes
-Oh Be Joyful, James McMellon
-Networking, S Davenport
-The Thrift Collection, Graeme Knowles
-Is It Just Us? Olly Allsop & John Barron

Bristol Heat Two: Thursday June 13th.
-Situation Normal, Naomi Carter (WP)
-Alien Hunter, Richard Hattersley
-The Last man, Dan McKee
-Trainspotting, Graeme Knowles
-I See A Penguin, Richard Dowling

London Heat 2 Fri June 14
- Medicine to Follow, Keyworth & Maguffins (WP)
-Cuz Zombie, Belgrave & Coppin (animation)
-Shirley's Temple, Chen & Leigh (Sarit)
-You Banker, Richard Dowling
-Cast, Peter Etherington

Thanks Kev. Much appreciated.

I'm planning to attend the show mine is on. How do I go about getting tickets?

Also, if anyone is going to the Manchester one, please laugh at mine lots. Thanks!

Oh sure, when Martin asks...

Thanks Kev.

Quote: Ponderer @ May 13 2013, 8:57 AM BST

Oh sure, when Martin asks...

Thanks Kev.

View original

Sorry Ponderer. Is it happens I hadn't agreed the final line-up when you asked, and now I have. Hope the delay didn't inconvenience anyone too much.

Quote: Martin H @ May 13 2013, 12:22 AM BST

Thanks Kev. Much appreciated.

I'm planning to attend the show mine is on. How do I go about getting tickets?

Also, if anyone is going to the Manchester one, please laugh at mine lots. Thanks!

View original

All writers get a freebie and a plus one (writer duos get the same each). Email kevf@sitcomtrials.co.uk and your name will go on the door.

Kev F

Yes, Friday night was very much good fun and I enjoyed it immensely. Echo Trinder's point re: the judges -- all of them were very helpful in their feedback and I'm very appreciative of the time they took to provide their POVs on my and Jim's sitcom.

The sitcoms were all pretty solid, though one fell a bit flat unfortunately. Three of them (1 -- Alice and The Genie, 3 -- Separate Parents and 5 -- Most Likely To) were script-in-hand with similar casts, whilst the 2nd (Never Better) and 4th (Three In Tow) had 'exclusive' casts (for want of a better word!) who knew all the lines.

Never Better won the audience vote. Very funny show with the writer being the main performer. (The voted-for ending left me completely baffled though)

Three In Tow won the judges' vote and made it through to the semi-final. It was also a very good show, with the 'boyfriend' actor completely stealing the night for me. He was superb.

Given how unstageable our sitcom was (many people told us this and we knew it ourselves), the director and cast did a remarkable job of making it work on what is essentially a very small performing space and I even enjoyed it (something I rarely do when it's my own work, instead preferring to over-analyse the audience reaction). That said, we got the biggest laugh of the night for a gag, loud enough to overcome even my own overcritical analysis, and people laughed throughout. So, enjoyed it a lot.

Cheers Kev, MC Bec Hill, the judges and all the cast and crew (and the Kirrin Islanders who kindly turned up to support us). Really good fun.

Dan

Quote: Kev F @ May 13 2013, 10:35 AM BST

Sorry Ponderer. Is it happens I hadn't agreed the final line-up when you asked, and now I have. Hope the delay didn't inconvenience anyone too much.

Kev F

View original

Nah. Thanks for sorting it out.

Quote: Kev F @ May 13 2013, 10:35 AM BST

Sorry

All writers get a freebie and a plus one (writer duos get the same each). Email kevf@sitcomtrials.co.uk and your name will go on the door.

Kev F

View original

Thanks Kev. I've sent you an email.

Just a reminder - "So You Think You Write Funny?" Bristol Heat 1: Friday May 31st, Wardrobe Theatre, St Michael's Hill, Bristol, 8pm.

http://thewardrobetheatre.com/#/the-sitcom-trials/4559558932

The sitcoms in competition are:

"Detatched" by Brian Collins & Gareth Taylor

"Fall From Grace" by Eoin Carney

"HMS Bagworth" by Gary Stocker

"None of the Above" by Lewis Cook

"Project Romance" by Harriet Cummings.

Looks to be an excellent show, so please do come along to see it if you can.

Can I just confirm when the Manchester Heat 2 show starts? On the Sitcom Trials website it says 8pm but on the Lass O'Gowrie website it says 7pm?

Quote: Martin H @ May 30 2013, 1:17 PM BST

Can I just confirm when the Manchester Heat 2 show starts? On the Sitcom Trials website it says 8pm but on the Lass O'Gowrie website it says 7pm?

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Doors open 7pm, show starts 8pm.