External Resources

Alongside BCG Pro's expansive offerings, you may find the following books, organisations and people of interest.

Writers' Guild of Great Britain
  • Writing

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) is a trade union representing professional writers. If you write, you should join - collectively they work to secure the best pay rates and conditions, whilst individual benefits include support and advice, free and discounted training and contract vetting.

Live Comedy Association
  • Performance

An industry body aiming to represent those who make up the UK's live comedy scene - from comics to promoters, and venues to technicians.

Equity
  • Performance

Equity is the trade union for performers. If you perform live you should join. Even if you don't use any of their other services, your membership includes automatic Public Liability Insurance up to £10 million - which is worth the membership fee alone.

BBC Writersroom
  • Writing

The BBC Writersroom website is where you can find advice and insight from the BBC. They have published a number of TV and radio scripts for you to analyse.

ALCS
  • Writing

The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit membership organisation started by writers for the benefit of writers. If you have written something that is broadcast on TV, they'll help you get money for repeat fees.

Sitcom Geeks
  • Writing

A podcast that was hosted by Dave Cohen and James Cary, discussing comedy writing in depth, including interviews with well-known comedy writers. Much of the advice is still very relevant.

James Cary
  • Writing

Via his blog, James Cary talks about comedy writing - offering advice and opinions.

The Comedian's Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith
  • Performance

Stuart Goldsmith has interviewed nearly 300 stand-up comedians about their craft via his Comedians' Comedian Podcast. Listen in for tips on preparing for gigs and how to write material.

Comedy Crowd
  • Production

A platform for comedy creators to showcase their work, including the annual Chorts! video competition.

The BBC Academy Podcast
  • Production

A podcast series from the BBC focusing on the skills around broadcast production, journalism and technology. Some episodes will be relevant to those who film/record comedy.

Comedy 50:50
  • Writing

Comedy 50:50 is an initiative to address gender imbalance in UK comedy writing. It creates opportunities for female writers.

Arts Minds

ArtsMinds aims to help with the mental health of performers and creative practitioners.

Comedy Support Act
  • Performance

A benevolent fund set up by professional comedians for professional comedians.

Get Off
  • Performance

An independent and confidential HR strategy that deals with sexual harassment in live comedy. If you're an act you can speak to the HR personnel. If you're a promoter you can sign up to their sexual harassment policy and get HR advice.

Writing

Writing Sitcoms

Writing Sitcoms Paperback

Almost every writer, whether professional or beginner, has thought of a good sitcom idea at one time or another, but fleshing that idea out is a long and complicated process of character development, plotting, dialogue writing and rewriting and then putting the whole package together in a way that will...

James Cary - Writing That Sitcom

James Cary - Writing That Sitcom eBook

Writing That Sitcom is part handbook, part pep-talk, part intervention, helping you get your sitcom idea from your head and into the script. Working through developing characters and stories that jump off the page, Writing That Sitcom is a step-by-step guide which includes advice on generating ideas, writing original dialogue...

Chris Head - Creating Comedy Narratives For Stage And Screen

Chris Head - Creating Comedy Narratives For Stage And Screen Hardback, Paperback and eBook

This accessible and engaging text covering sketch, sitcom and comedy drama, alongside improvisation and stand-up, brings together a panoply of tools and techniques for creating short and long-form comedy narratives for live performance, TV and online.

Referencing a broad range of comedy from both sides of the Atlantic, spanning several...

Marc Blake - How To Be A Comedy Writer: Secrets From The Inside

Marc Blake - How To Be A Comedy Writer: Secrets From The Inside Book

Think you're funny? Writing successful comedy isn't just about having a gift for gags; you need to hone your talent and polish your humour to earn a living from making people laugh.

If you want to write stand-up comedy, sketches, sitcoms or even a comic novel or film, [i]How to...

Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them

Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them Paperback and eBook

We all love stories. But why do we tell them? And why do all stories function in an eerily similar way? John Yorke, creator of the BBC Writers' Academy, has brought a vast array of drama to British screens. Here he takes us on a journey to the heart of...

John Vorhaus - The Little Book Of Sitcom

John Vorhaus - The Little Book Of Sitcom Audiobook and Paperback

Writing situation comedies isn't really that hard. So much of what you need to know is already defined for you. You know that your script needs to be a certain short length, with a certain small number of characters. You know that your choice of scenes is limited to your...

Lesley Bown - Creative Writing Masterclass: Writing Comedy

Lesley Bown - Creative Writing Masterclass: Writing Comedy Paperback and eBook

Creative Writing Masterclass: Writing Comedy will reveal to both beginners and experienced writers the distinctive features that mark out comedy from other forms of creative writing. Having identified these, it will help you then to unlock your inner anarchist, and explore the different elements of comedy, using a combination of...

Creativity Rules!: A Writer's Workbook

Creativity Rules!: A Writer's Workbook Paperback and eBook

There is a gap between the writers we are and the writers we want to be. This book helps to close that gap with a lively examination of the creative process and an engaging set of exercises designed to shake you free of the doldrums and quickly plunge you into...

David Quantick - How to Write Everything

David Quantick - How to Write Everything Book

How To Write Everything is the ultimate writer's handbook. It tells you about every aspect of writing, from having an idea to getting the idea out into the world and getting paid for it, too. It covers everything from journalism to screen-writing, from speeches to sketches, from sitcoms to novels....

Tony Kirwood - How To Write Comedy

Tony Kirwood - How To Write Comedy Paperback and eBook

First you have to come out with a flow of ideas and decide which ones will work. Then you must give them a tight structure, and then write crisp dialogue which builds in constant laughs. This practical but inspirational book guides new and more experienced writers step by step through...

The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny

The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny Paperback and eBook

While other books give you tips on how to write funny, this book offers a paradigm shift in understanding the mechanics and art of comedy, and the proven, practical tools that help writers translate that understanding into successful, commercial scripts. The Hidden Tools of Comedy unlocks the unique secrets and...

The Naked Jape: Uncovering The Hidden World Of Jokes

The Naked Jape: Uncovering The Hidden World Of Jokes Book

Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves

Is Man the only animal that laughs? Why are clowns so scary? Do jokes make children more intelligent? Are men funnier than women? Can God take a joke? What's brown and sticky? What do you get if you cross a joke book with a vivid, funny and fascinating look at...

The Writer's Guide to Character Traits

The Writer's Guide to Character Traits Hardback

From serial killers to business tycoons to politicians, The Writers Guide to Character Traits profiles the mental, emotional and physical qualities of dozens of different personality types. Featuring a highly accessible format, writers can mix and match the traits of specific personality types to create original, complex characters. Unique personality...

Save the Cat!

Save the Cat! Audiobook, Paperback and eBook

"Save the Cat" is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying, including: The four elements of every winning logline; The seven immutable laws of screenplay physics; The 10 genres that every movie ever made can be categorised by - and...

The Art of Script Editing: A Practical Guide to Script Development

The Art of Script Editing: A Practical Guide to Script Development Paperback and eBook

The Art of Script Editing; A Practical Guide is a valuable resource for anyone developing a script no matter where they are in the process, for writers and producers interested in expanding their understanding of how a script is advanced, and for those pursuing a career in script development.

[i]The...

Rocliffe Notes: A Professional Approach to Being a Writer

Rocliffe Notes: A Professional Approach to Being a Writer Paperback and eBook

This is a manual for screenwriters and filmmakers in the form of notes. These provide a step-by-step, common sense guide, with suggestions on how writers can best present themselves to the industry. This book does not explain how to write a screenplay. Instead, it provides insider confidences from established industry...

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, 2nd Edition

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, 2nd Edition Paperback

In this tenth anniversary edition, The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, 2nd Edition peers into the lives and workspaces of screenwriting greats-including Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean), Aline Brosh McKenna (Morning Glory), Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu), Derek Haas and Michael Brandt (Wanted), and Tony Gilroy (the Bourne franchise)....

James Cary - The Sacred Art Of Joking

James Cary - The Sacred Art Of Joking Paperback

Every few weeks a politician, pundit or soap star causes a media storm by making a gaffe or tweeting a joke that some people do not find funny. Comedy is very hard to get right and yet we think it's important to have a sense of humour and not take...

Rib Davis - Developing Characters for Script Writing

Rib Davis - Developing Characters for Script Writing Paperback

This work deals with the creation and writing of characters for the script media of stage, radio and screen. Citing numerous examples, chapters address the character's roots, complexity, relationship with plot, and audience identification.

George Evans & Vince Powell - Get Writing

George Evans & Vince Powell - Get Writing Paperback

A simple and practical book offering advice and information for people wishing to develop their creative writing skills. The main emphasis is on novels, short stories and plays, but there is also coverage of poetry and writing for personal pleasure, including diaries, letters and family history.

Accompanying the Radio 4...

This product has been discontinued.

Whilst it does not focus on script-writing, this book was penned by sitcom scribes George Evans and Vince Powell.

Performance

Logan Murray - Get Started In Stand-Up Comedy

Logan Murray - Get Started In Stand-Up Comedy Book and eBook

A new edition of Be A Great Stand-Up, now fully revised and updated with new material on setting up and running a comedy night and mining almost any subject for jokes.

Logan Murray has successfully taught the techniques of stand-up comedy to thousands, and in this book he distills his...

Finding Your Comic Genius: An In-Depth Guide To The Art Of Stand-Up Comedy

Finding Your Comic Genius: An In-Depth Guide To The Art Of Stand-Up Comedy Paperback and eBook

Adam Bloom

This is possibly the most advanced book ever written about stand-up comedy. It will be extremely useful to anyone who already performs stand-up, regardless of their experience. Since 17 of the 32 chapters are dedicated to writing material, it will also be beneficial to anyone who's thinking about doing stand-up...

Chris Head - A Director's Guide To The Art Of Stand-Up

Chris Head - A Director's Guide To The Art Of Stand-Up Paperback and eBook

Stand-up: it's the ultimate solo art form. Yet, behind the scenes, you will increasingly find the shadowy figure of a director. For comics themselves and for those who support them, this is the first book to give the director's perspective on creating and performing stand-up comedy. Drawing on his own...

Adam Meggido - Improv Beyond Rules

Adam Meggido - Improv Beyond Rules Paperback

An inspiring, hands-on guide to narrative improvisation, by the co-creator and director of the Olivier Award-winning improv show Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.

Improvisation is a craft that anyone can learn. When freed from endless rules and rigid approaches and allowed to relax, react instinctively and work seamlessly as a group,...

Louise Stevenson - How To Be A Comedian And Smash Your First Gig

Louise Stevenson - How To Be A Comedian And Smash Your First Gig Hardback and eBook

Louise Stevenson is a stand-up comedian, writer and comedy coach with over 20 years comedy industry experience. As CEO of Brighton Comedy Course, Louise has a solid background in helping aspiring comedians realise their dreams and has acquired a reputation for delivering quality stand-up comedy courses with consistent 5-star reviews...

Louise Stevenson - The New Comedians Handbook

Louise Stevenson - The New Comedians Handbook eBook

Louise Stevenson is a stand-up comedian, writer and comedy coach with over 20 years comedy industry experience. As CEO of Brighton Comedy Course, Louise has a solid background in helping aspiring comedians realise their dreams and has acquired a reputation for delivering quality stand-up comedy courses with consistent 5-star reviews...

Joe Dieffenbacher - Clown: The Physical Comedian

Joe Dieffenbacher - Clown: The Physical Comedian Hardback, Paperback and eBook

Clown: The Physical Comedian is a detailed and comprehensive workbook for anyone interested in the art of clowning, including actors, directors, improvisers, stand-up comedians, circus acts and commedia ensembles.

An extensive and diverse compilation of tried-and-tested exercises and games, the book aids ensemble-building, character development, devising theatre, physicalising text, vocalising...

Ian Fox - How To Produce, Perform And Write An Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Show

Ian Fox - How To Produce, Perform And Write An Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Show Paperback and eBook

This book shares fourteen years experience of producing shows at the Fringe for the price of a café latte and a muffin, without the social awkwardness of having to sit with the author in a coffee shop.

This guide is aimed at performers interested in producing their first shows at...

Cracking The Fringe

Cracking The Fringe Paperback and eBook

With a decade of Fringe experience between them - as performers, press and punters - Jon Gracey and Viv Egan decided to write down everything they know to help future generations of Fringe hopefuls, and attempt to recoup some of the many thousands of pounds they've sunk into going to...

Mark Fisher - The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide: How To Make Your Show A Success

Mark Fisher - The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide: How To Make Your Show A Success Paperback and eBook

It is the world's largest arts festival, attracting everyone from student first-timers to Hollywood stars. Thrilling, inspiring and bewildering in equal measure, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can make you a star or break your bank. So what is the secret of making it work for you?

[i]The Edinburgh Fringe Survival...

The Quintessential Guide To Compering

The Quintessential Guide To Compering Paperback and eBook

The compere is a staple of every comedy club in the world. They are the ones that go on in-between the acts and chat to the crowd, magically making funny quips and comments about the audience members. This book outlines all the tips and tricks of the comedy compere -...

This short book runs to 33 pages.

Production

Jon Plowman - How To Produce Comedy Bronze

Jon Plowman - How To Produce Comedy Bronze Hardback and eBook

In How To Produce Comedy Bronze, legendary TV producer Jon Plowman lifts the hood on the comedy industry so you can peer inside and wonder how any of it ever got made in the first place.

In a career spanning 30 years Jon has learned (almost) everything there is to...

Harold Snoad - Directing Situation Comedy

Harold Snoad - Directing Situation Comedy Paperback

Director/producer Harold Snoad's account of the way in which he has worked over many years producing comedy programmes for television from first script, right through to studio production in front of an audience.

For more than 20 years, Harold Snoad has produced and directed some of the BBC's best-known comedies...