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 128 - What's The Difference?
Published: 12th December 2019. Length: 51 mins. Size: 71mb
This episode Dave and James ask what's the difference between character and characters, story and stories, stand-up and acting? (Spoiler - it's not 8 quid). Also not to be missed - James's theory that all sitcoms are like biscuits. Nice.
Previous episodes
Episode 127 - How To Plot Your Sitcom
28th November 2019. 52 minutes.
Dave and James revisit the dos and don'ts of plotting, adding sparkle to your stories, with added jeopardy for comedy drama fans.
Episode 126 - Honing Your First Ten Pages
14th November 2019. 53 minutes.
Here's plenty of valuable last-minute tips from James and Dave before you send your script out to a producer or competition. And don't worry if you miss the Sitcom Geeks...
Episode 125 - Creating Comedy Characters
31st October 2019. 43 minutes.
With the November 17 deadline approaching for the Sitcom Script Challenge, Dave and James talk about extracting maximum mileage from your characters. Spoiler alert: they don't have to be likeable.
Episode 124 - What's Your Sit?
17th October 2019. 40 minutes.
It's half of our name but we don't talk often enough about the situation. Dave and James talk to producer David Tyler (Cabin Pressure, Dinnerladies, Milton Jones and loads more)...
Episode 123 - Building A Writing Career
3rd October 2019. 37 minutes.
Dave and James look at the recent Emmy successes for British shows Fleabag and Succession, and talk about what makes a successful career, and why overnight success can be years...
Episode 122 - Cole Moreton: My Life with The Krays & Jeffrey Archer
19th September 2019. 45 minutes.
James talks to Cole Moreton, multi-tasking multi-talented writer/author/journalist about books, the Krays, and writing tips from Jeffrey Archer. Dave chimes in helpfully with a list of rock stars called Colin.
Episode 121 - Rules of Sitcom
5th September 2019. 35 minutes.
Back to school as Dave and James update the complete guide for writing the best sitcom script. Plus news of an exciting new competition for all aspiring sitcom writers.
Episode 120 - What We Did On Our Holidays
22nd August 2019. 44 minutes.
James wrote a script, Dave read eight novels thanks to not having WiFi and now they're ready to guide you through the start of a new term and a new...
Episode 119 - Vomit Drafts, Joke Rates and Gavin and Stacey
8th August 2019. 43 minutes.
"The show is the cheap and easy bit, the accommodation is the nightmare" - Dave and James discuss the true cost of Edinburgh; plus selling yourself, revisiting what type of...
Episode 118 - Anna Nicholson: Woman Of The Year?
25th July 2019. 43 minutes.
With the Edinburgh Fringe about to start, could this be the festival where the rest of you discover Anna Nicholson, whose Woman Of The Year show won best comedy at...
Episode 117 - Time Management
11th July 2019. 46 minutes.
Whether you have a day, an hour, or five minutes waiting for the bus to spare, Dave and James offer lots of practical advice on how best to use your...
Episode 116 - Improv and Dialogue
27th June 2019. 43 minutes.
This week James and Dave discuss improvisation, how to make dialogue sound like what real people talk like, like, and women in comedy writing rooms.
Episode 115 - Soup To Nuts
13th June 2019. 44 minutes.
Ever thought: "I've had a great idea for a sitcom"? Then wondered what to do next? Dave and James are creating an entire sitcom before your ears - and in...
Episode 114 - Stand Up For Your Writes
30th May 2019. 68 minutes.
Live from the Leicester Comedy Festival, Dave and James discuss writing and performing and the trials, tribulations bitching and loneliness of the long distance stand-up with Dan Evans, Joe Bor,...
Episode 113 - Characters In Search Of A Plot
16th May 2019. 49 minutes.
Dave and James catch up, slightly breathless, on the feast of narrative comedy from across the entire range of TV channels since March. There's more twists to the ongoing comedy...
Episode 112 - Gareth Edwards
25th April 2019. 73 minutes.
Dave and James sit down for a nice long chat with BBC Executive Producer Gareth Edwards who's managed to steer the ship on Upstart Crow, Still Open All Hours and...
Episode 111 - Polishing Your Script
11th April 2019. 38 minutes.
Dave and James talk about how you can buff up your script so it's ready to send off to someone important. They also talk a bit about residuals and royalties...
Episode 110 - Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
4th April 2019. 61 minutes.
A fabulous hour spent in the company of the undisputed kings of narrative TV comedy, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais - Likely Lads, German building sites, American TV and...
Episode 109 - Book Writing
21st March 2019. 40 minutes.
James and Dave talk about what we learn from all the new comedy that's tumbling out of our tellies, the BBC Writersroom window, writing books, self-publishing and London Book Fair....
Episode 108 - Soft Border Patrol
7th March 2019. 45 minutes.
You may have missed this item in the news, but apparently something called Brexit is about to happen. James is detained entertainingly with the team behind the unlikely Northern Ireland...
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