Inside Track
The latest news and insight from the British comedy industry, with many exclusive features for BCG Pro members.
Pro's Inside Track Library is full of timeless insight and advice. Why not find a topic?
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The Stand-Up Tune Up No.2 - Matt Green on lockdown material and keeping it unique
In recent years stand-up Matt Green has moved into directing shows too, so seems the ideal chap to ask: how do you keep your stuff original, as so many acts return from the same dark place?
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Channel 4 looks for new Blaps and Comedy Digital Originals
To coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Blaps, Channel 4 has released new comedy briefs for its digital and short form comedy offerings.
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How to go from an episode idea to structuring scenes
We've all been there. You have an idea for a sitcom that you absolutely love... You maybe even have an idea for an episode, but when you sit down to write it, you have no idea how to fit it all together. We discuss how to easily structure an episode.
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Shane Allen quits BBC to form Boffola Pictures
Shane Allen, the BBC's comedy commissioning boss for the past nine years, is to leave the broadcaster and establish a new production company, Boffola Pictures, with Kate Daughton.
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The Secret Reviewer #26: We didn't say that
Every month our clandestine critic reveals the murky truths behind that infamous trade, and live comedy generally. This month: Sometimes anger is aimed at the wrong target.
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Introducing SREP: set-up, reveal, escalation, payoff
In this exclusive extract from Chris Head's new book, he introduces SREP: a structure that can be used in writing sketches, sitcom scenes and stand-up.
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Free excerpts from Creating Comedy Narratives For Stage & Screen by Chris Head
Here - for FREE - are the first 17 pages of Chris Head's new book Creating Comedy Narratives for Stage and Screen.
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How to write great characters who work with the plot
Jack Bernhardt discusses how to ensure that your plots and characters are working together... so there's never a scenario where you character ends up doing something they absolutely would never do.
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My Comedy Career: Sebastian Thiel
Sebastian Thiel has just finished directing the TV sitcom pilot Dreaming Whilst Black. We caught up with him to find out how he has built up his career. He has some great tips around focusing on yourself.
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BCG Pro Sessions video: Robert Popper
An hour-long video with top comedy writer, script editor, producer and performer Robert Popper. He chats about creating Friday Night Dinner, his writing process, and many other topics.
Library
Our archive of insight: interviews, advice and materials from those at the top. View all
In this article we discuss ten ways that comedy writers can deal with writer's block. From questioning your characters to the 45 minute rule, this advice should help you fill that script page.
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Feedback and suggestions appear at every step of the writing, producing or pitching processes. In this article we talk about the best ways to both give and receive notes.
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A 55 minute video in which Laura Lexx and Bilal Zafar discuss online comedy, and going viral. They talk about creating content, building fanbases, how to capitalise on successes, and much more.
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Top writer Steven Moffat discusses creating characters, plotting, working with directors, dealing with failure, and why writing comedy is harder than drama.
ReadInteresting articles from other websites
Is there comedy in trauma?
I wrote my show All Aboard! At Termination Station, an autobiographical comedy cabaret about abortion, because duh! What else you gonna write one about, with an industry that has a thirst for trauma stories?
Lilly Burton, Funny Women, 7th May 2021Screenshot winner named
South Of The River Pictures and SISTER have announced the winner of their Screenshot programme, designed to seek out new comedy writer/performers for TV. 31 year-old Bahraini/British performer Jenna Al-Ansari won, with writing duo Dawn Sievewright and Brennan Reece, sisters Madelyn and Rose Smedley, Krishna Istha, Sophie Bentinck and Natasha Brown confirmed as the five runners up.
Televisual, 5th May 2021Bloods: Mining a fresh vein of comedy
Samson Kayo, Nathan Bryon and Ash Atalla explain how a sliding-doors moment led to the two young talents being entrusted with a major sitcom.
Broadcast, 5th May 2021Tommy Tiernan company saw record profits before Covid
New accounts for Tiernan's Mabinog Ltd show that it enjoyed a bumper year in 2019 before the pandemic last year decimated the Co Meath's man's stand-up income revenues, which was the mainstay of his business.
Gordon Deegan, The Independent (Ireland), 27th April 2021The other key to sitcom success
There will be sitcoms that fail for whatever reason. On the Sitcom Geeks podcast, we enjoy talking about them, partly because failure is funny. But also examining failure is often more informative than the successful show where success seems inevitable. (It wasn't).
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 27th April 2021Latest podcasts
ComComPod: Episode 370 - Stuart Laws
Is Stuart Laws an absurdist rambler who froths up a load of increasingly hilarious nonsense whilst honking in a gilet? Or is he an astute and quite private man who...
Sitcom Geeks: Episode 165 - He Did It Himself
Sitcom Geeks/BCG Pro Script Challenge winner Peter C Hayward took our advice, went out there and made a pilot of his radio sitcom. Yes, it can be done! He tells...
Sitcom Geeks: Episode 164 - Where Do You Start?
As viewing habits change, we have to find new ways to hook our viewers. Dave and James talk about big entrances, life changing starts, tough choices and when you should...
ComComPod: Episode 369 - Catherine Bohart
Scintillating comic, podcaster, and co-host of Gigless, one of the online success stories of the last year, Catherine Bohart knows herself inside out and has a powerful mental toolkit for...
Sitcom Geeks: Episode 163 - The State of Things
What will the comedy writing landscape look like as we come out of covid? James and Dave are surprisingly upbeat about the future for comedy writing despite the demise of...