British Comedy Guide

Writing sketches, part two

That Mitchell And Webb Look. Image shows left to right: Robert Webb, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph

In Writing sketches, part one, we examined issues such as finding an idea and formatting, and simple comic techniques such as misdirection and callbacks.

In this piece, we'll discuss further elements of successful sketch writing.

Remember: our Writing Award is now open, and looking for sketches. Why not see if you can win a cash prize?

It can help, particularly earlier in your writing career, to know precisely what type of sketch you're writing.

Types of sketch

Understanding different sketch formats gives you more options for your writing.

Blackout sketches deliver quick hits with immediate punchlines. They're over in seconds...

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For an in-depth walkthrough of sketch writing see our tutorial

Published: Thursday 29th May 2025

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