
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.
Episode 160 - We've Scene The Results
Published: 25th February 2021. Length: 46 mins. Size: 85.8mb
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.
Previous episodes
Episode 159 - The Lost Voice Guy Tells All
11th February 2021. 55 minutes.
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...
Episode 158 - Why Tuesdays Are Funny, And Jessica Too
28th January 2021. 51 minutes.
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.
Episode 157 - Rejection And Waste And Other Jolly News
14th January 2021. 46 minutes.
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...
Episode 156 - 2021 Vision
31st December 2020. 50 minutes.
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...
Episode 155 - So That Was 2020
17th December 2020. 57 minutes.
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....
Episode 154 - Writersroom Changes and Let's Do It Some More
3rd December 2020. 56 minutes.
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...
Episode 153 - The Real Victoria Wood
19th November 2020. 45 minutes.
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...
Episode 152 - Making A Scene Of It Part 2
5th November 2020. 50 minutes.
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...
Episode 151 - Making A Scene Of It
22nd October 2020. 32 minutes.
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...
Episode 150 - Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton
8th October 2020. 60 minutes.
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...
Episode 149 - The Future Is Now
24th September 2020. 59 minutes.
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...
Episode 148 - Cancel Your Hero
9th September 2020. 45 minutes.
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).
Episode 147 - Jenny Eclair
27th August 2020. 59 minutes.
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...
Episode 146 - Rufus Jones has something to write Home about (Part 2)
13th August 2020. 53 minutes.
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....
Episode 145 - Rufus Jones on the road to Home (Part 1)
30th July 2020. 30 minutes.
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...
Episode 144 - The Office: How It All Began, with Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto (Part 2)
16th July 2020. 55 minutes.
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...
Episode 143 - Gracious Me! It's Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto (Part 1)
2nd July 2020. 38 minutes.
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.
Episode 142 - How Do You Write About Race?
18th June 2020. 58 minutes.
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...
Episode 141 - Producing Your Own Media
4th June 2020. 39 minutes.
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...
Episode 140 - Galton, Simpson and Pixar Returns
21st May 2020. 65 minutes.
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...
Contact Us
Email questions to sitcomgeeks@gmail.com
Biographies

James Cary is a comedy writer for BBC TV and Radio. His latest series is Bluestone 42 for BBC Three, which he co-created and wrote with Richard Hurst. He met Richard working on Series 1 & 2 of BBC's award-winning sitcom, Miranda. James has also written episodes of My Hero and My Family for BBC One. His radio credits include three series of Hut 33, four series of Think the Unthinkable, and sketch show, Concrete Cow. He has also written four series of Another Case Of Milton Jones with, er, Milton Jones for BBC Radio 4. sitcomgeek.blogspot.co.uk @sitcomgeek

Dave Cohen, a Perrier nominee in a previous century, was a founder member of the Comedy Store Players. In recent years he has become more known as a comedy writer, having written for Have I Got News For You and Not Going Out, and as a comic songwriter, co-creating the Radio 4 hit 15 Minute Musical and writing loads of songs for the hit BBC Childrens' Show Horrible Histories and ITV's Newzoids. His book How to be Averagely Successful at Comedy was published in 2013. davecohen.org.uk @cohendave
Theme music: Jane Watkins