Sitcom Geeks

Make 2022 The Year Of The Comedy Writer. James and Dave offer a great guide for ensuring that next year is your best for writing yet. Includes hopes and goals, brutal frankness and the number one key to comedy writing success.

Still time to polish that Hat Trick sitcom script to perfection. In this episode we answer your last-minute queries. What's a self-contained episode? How do we introduce characters? How much rewriting should we do? How can we be sure you won't steal your ideas? (SPOILER: we won't)

The Hat Trick Sitcom Script competition window is now open. Brrr! You've got five weeks to bash that script into shape. Everyone talks about the first ten pages but how do you write the end? James and Dave explain why "it's not about the pumpkins."

Good news - TV's top comedy commissioners want the same as we do for our Hat Trick Sitcom Script Competition. Dave and James discuss Broadcast magazine's Commissioners Panel meet in which Channel 4, Sky and UKTV are all asking for broad, multi-generational, family-like sitcoms by new writers, and not a narrative arc in sight. Plus details of when to send us your scripts. And how to make the leap from episode outline to first draft. James's Sitcom Supercharged online course is here https://jamescary.samcart.com/products/sitcom-supercharged

Also: if you want to sign up for Dave's free email series Make 2022 The Year Of Your Comedy Career write to [email protected]

You've got two months to write your script for our Hat Trick Sitcom Contest. In this episode Dave and James talk about the pros and cons of setting your sitcom at work, home, in outer space or the land of the fairies. Find out which settings are most likely to work for this particular competition.

Exciting news - today Sitcom Geeks launch our Sitcom Script Competition in association with the mighty Hat Trick and BCG Pro - with £1000 for the winning script. What we're looking for, what we're not looking for, why it's free to enter and what to do next, all discussed in breathless excited detail by James and Dave. Competition website: www.comedy.co.uk/hattrick

Stuart Goldsmith is a great stand-up and host of the superb long-running podcast examining what makes people funny. Great advice for freeing yourself up, going to Edinburgh "every show this year was a work in progress". And a searingly honest examination of his own favourite question "why aren't I more successful?".

Dave and James go deep into smelling the flowers, keeping perspective and learning to love Bill Gates - all of which can help you to become better comedy writers. Also exciting news about the autumn's topical shows The Skewer and Breaking The News.

Top comedy writing teachers Chris Head and Kay Stonham join Dave and James with great tips for how to develop your career. A big shout out for the solo comedy writers in this age of the comedy-performer, understanding there's room for everyone - plus The Joy Of Sketch, and the excellent 'Big hat little hat' theory of comedy writing.

You've created a great character - congratulations! Now all you need to do is create another, and another, and build your stories around them. This episode Dave and James delve deep into creating relationships between characters.