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 95 - Al Murray (Part 1)
Published: 15th November 2018. Length: 30 mins. Size: 41.9mb
Part one of an entertaining journey with comedy legend Al Murray around the joy of making audiences laugh out loud at proper funny jokes - The Windsors, Spitting Image, Time Gentlemen Please and... Game Of Thrones?
Previous episodes
Episode 94 - Zapped
8th November 2018. 53 minutes.
James talks to Dan Gaster, Will Ing and Paul Powell about the astonishingly long gestation period of their Dave sitcom, Zapped.
Episode 93 - Julie Bower
1st November 2018. 47 minutes.
James chats to Julie Bower about watching Red Dwarf as a kid, quoting jokes in the school playground, the awfulness of conference calls, and creating the CBBC sitcom So Awkward....
Episode 92 - Tim Telling
25th October 2018. 39 minutes.
Return of the Mash. It's back! Surprise TV hit of the year, The Mash Report, returns for a new series. Dave and James talk to Tim Telling, the man who...
Episode 91 - Steven Moffat (Part 2)
18th October 2018. 33 minutes.
Dave and James continue their chat with comedy writing legend Steven Moffat about time travelling on a budget, the triumph of Coupling and The Mystery Of Whether Or Not Sherlock...
Episode 90 - Steven Moffat (Part 1)
11th October 2018. 41 minutes.
Part one of a fascinating interview with the great Steven Moffat - one of our most successful writers whose work includes Sherlock, Coupling and a certain Doctor who he discusses...
Episode 89 - DIY Comedy
27th September 2018. 46 minutes.
Dave and James talk about kickstarting - and continuing - your career by making comedy yourself, in all its forms. What are the options?
Episode 88 - Geoffrey McGivern
13th September 2018. 42 minutes.
Dave and James talk to the brilliant character actor from both Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and Blackadder, Geoffrey McGivern. He has many years of experience, reading and performing the...
Episode 87 - Is Bake Off A Sitcom?
30th August 2018. 54 minutes.
Dave and James back from the summer with lots to report including the return of Newsjack, the great audience sitcom revival part 897 and several attempts to answer the impossible...
Episode 86 - Saskia Schuster
16th August 2018. 45 minutes.
Dave and James have a strangely therapeutic conversation with Saskia Schuster, Controller of Comedy at ITV; about how sitcoms get on to ITV and the agony of turning shows down....
Episode 85 - Jonathan Ames
2nd August 2018. 52 minutes.
James talks down the line to top US comedy writer and novelist Jonathan Ames about the hilarious HBO series Bored To Death, being championed by David Letterman and... Are You...
Episode 84 - Hayley McKenzie
19th July 2018. 48 minutes.
"My job isn't to tell the writer how to be better, my job is to help them figure out what they want to write." Plenty of excellent advice for ALL...
Episode 83 - Lucien Young
5th July 2018. 54 minutes.
An interview with comedy writer Lucien Young (Siblings, Murder In Successville, Alice In Brexitland) about all things comedic, including the spec Frasier script he wrote aged 11. Back his Shakespearean...
Episode 82 - Laurence Howarth
21st June 2018. 45 minutes.
Dave and James chat to comedy writer, and performer, Laurence Howarth. He talks about writing the controversial Tracey Ullman Corbyn sketches, a sitcom about arms dealers, and how Dead Ringers...
Episode 81 - Dave Cohen Craft of Comedy Keynote Address
18th June 2018. 26 minutes.
Dave Cohen flies the flag for studio sitcoms at the Craft of Comedy 2018 in Llandudno. He also invents a new word that might make you feel ill. Introduced by...
Episode 80 - Jack Docherty
14th June 2018. 62 minutes.
A fascinating hour spent in the company of the multi-talented writer-performer-producer and all round good guy who was one of the main creators behind Mr Don And Mr George, The...
Episode 79 - Paul Merton (Part 2)
31st May 2018. 45 minutes.
Dave and James discuss the magic of Tony Hancock and Steptoe And Son with Paul Merton, who talks about his great friendship with the brilliant creators of both those shows,...
Episode 78 - Paul Merton (Part 1)
17th May 2018. 29 minutes.
Dave and James talk to Paul Merton - one of Britain's comedy superstars - about silent movies, class, and his phenomenal 30 years at the top of the profession.
Episode 77 - John Finnemore (Part 2)
3rd May 2018. 28 minutes.
We're back with more John Finnemore talking about his Souvenir Programme, Mummo in Cabin Pressure and basking sharks. Recorded at the Bill Murray in Angel, Islington.
Episode 76 - John Finnemore (Part 1)
19th April 2018. 27 minutes.
James and Dave talk to John Finnemore about Double Acts, Cabin Pressure and the Souvenir Programme at a live event and Patreon subscriber meet-up at the Bill Murray in Angel...
Episode 75 - Words For Window
5th April 2018. 42 minutes.
Just over a week to go before the BBC Writersroom Comedy window closes - still time (just) to craft your own comedy gold, with the help of James and Dave's...
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