Sitcom Geeks

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 Spaced. Yes. Spaced. I know, right? Lots of good advice here, including two rules about notes.

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 - and Dave uses this to try to convince James about the benefits of the EU. James unsurprisingly isn't buying it.

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 the shows they wished they had written.

The Likely Lads is available on DVD and Blu-ray from networkonair.com

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. Rufus Jones is also declared an Ian Botham of Comedy and Derry Girls a Costume Comedy.

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 Brexit TV hit Soft Border Patrol - producer Marie McDonald, writer Marc McElroy and performer Alan Irwin.

Bonus episode, in which Dave and James catch up with the latest comedy news. Will we have to wait for Coronation Street to finish before ITV commission any more comedy? Is it curtains for comedy writer conferences? And are you all set for this year's BBC Writersroom window for comedy scripts? Plus, how to approach radio sitcom, writing one-liners, and lots more.

Top British novelist and audience sitcom connoisseur Jonathan Coe talks to James and Dave at Chortle Book Festival about 1970s sitcom books, Yes Minister, working with Clement and Le Frenais, and, when we can get him off the subject of sitcom, his brilliant new novel Middle England.

Dave and James talk to writer and producer Paul Mayhew-Archer, about his massive four-decade career making audience sitcoms: shows he co-wrote that went well, like The Vicar Of Dibley, shows he helped onto the screen that didn't go so well, like Chalk and 'Orrible. Paul also shares a wealth of advice and experience as well as a lovely story about a man trying his hand at comedy and then drama.

Today's special guest is none other than James Cary. Well he has a great new book out called The Sacred Art of Joking and it offers a fresh perspective on the evergreen topic of causing offence in comedy. Find out what makes people get angry at comedy, why Jesus was funny and listen to the rare sound of James and Dave disagreeing with each other.

Dave and James talk to Moose Allain, otherwise known as the most consistently funny man on Twitter @MooseAllain about jokes, cartoons and Twitter (of course).