British Comedy Guide

Development / pilots

Many projects get stuck in development hell. Here's some articles to try and stop that being your situation too.

The Comedy Doctor. Credit: BCG

The Comedy Doctor on meetings

  • Monday 25th March 2024

A member wonders whether they should meet a producer in person or on Zoom.

The Comedy Doctor. Credit: BCG

The Comedy Doctor on producers

  • Thursday 8th February 2024

The Comedy Doctor answers a question from a member who doesn't like the work of the producer they've been placed with.

Old Harry's Game. Image shows from L to R: Satan (Andy Hamilton), Gary (Steven O'Donnell). Copyright: BBC

Development hell

  • Monday 29th January 2024

You've all heard the phrase "development hell". But what does the development phase of a sitcom look like? We explore.

Gina Lyons

BCG Pro Sessions video: Gina Lyons

  • Wednesday 1st November 2023

Here's the recording of our October 2023 BCG Pro Sessions Q&A with TV producer Gina Lyons. The hour-long discussion goes in-depth on topics related to developing comedy projects for TV.

Generic picture of a laptop

3 ways to make your first page pop

  • Wednesday 13th September 2023

Getting the first page of your script right is crucial. Here are some tips.

Dreaming Whilst Black. Kwabena Robinson (Adjani Salmon)

Crafting Dreaming Whilst Black

  • Friday 4th August 2023

Co-creator, writer, star and producer Adjani Salmon talks to BCG Pro about the making of his 2016 web series, Dreaming Whilst Black, and its journey through pilot to fully-fledged BBC Three comedy in 2023.

Radio

Audio comedy tips

  • Monday 31st July 2023

We analyse some pointers issued by the BBC in relation to a new initiative trying to develop new radio comedies to transfer to mainstream TV hits.

Five hands, counting on fingers to five

The five stages of sitcom

  • Thursday 18th May 2023

We thought it might be useful to run through, in brief, the barebones of the sitcom writing and production process.

Sitcom Mission 2010: Thunderer

Why you should write a play

  • Tuesday 28th June 2022

Writing a sitcom? Have you thought about staging a play? Working through the drafting process, collaborating with actors, and hearing an audience react will be hugely beneficial to you.

The Watch. Image shows from L to R: Simon Allen, Corporal Angua (Marama Corlett)

Simon Allen on creating The Watch

  • Thursday 1st July 2021

Simon Allen talks about writing and producing The Watch, the comedy drama based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. There's some great insights from him in this piece.