The Comedy Writers Group

This week I'm joined by the brilliant Mish Wittrup. You may know Mish from Aunty Donna, Fisk, Sam Pang Tonight or her excellent stand-up shows.

We chat the realities of a full-time freelance comedian where every week is a little bit different, swapping theatre for comedy, getting out of debt, the value of a director, warm-up, and a whole lot more.

Stick around at the end to hear a special bonus appearance from Dan Hough and Tamara Absalom.

Follow @mishwittrup

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode I'm joined by Jess Bray, creator of the new Channel 4 rom-com Break Clause, and writer, actor (and best fried) Nathan Foad.

We chat about Jess and Nathan's origin stories before getting into Break Clause's journey to the small screen. We chat about writers rooms, SNL UK, "re-writing" the pilot, stress-testing the premise, and a whole lot more.

Break Clause sees Channel 4 revisit the rom com genre and follows Ben (Samuel Bottomley) and Lil (Lara Ricote) as they navigate their breakup whilst stuck in the same flat… Their relationship is over, but their tenancy isn’t.

The six-part series is led by Lara and Samuel and hosts an incredible array of comedy stars in its ensemble, from SNL UK’s Jack Shep and Hammed Animashaun to Charly Clive (Rooster) and Cat Cohen (Sentimental Value).

Follow @_jessbray

Follow @nathan_foad

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicolette Minster (The Weekly, Cop That) returns to the podcast to chat about her screenwriter origins. Nicolette has a load of great advice when it comes to getting your script made.

We also chat about her first role appearing on screen alongside Sam Neil and Meryl Streep, writing for light entertainment, and what it's like having parents in the industry. We cover everything from sleeping your way to the top to getting a panic attack live on television.

Follow @nic_minstergram

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hayley Edwards returns to the podcast to talk about their new show The Carrot Show coming to the Melbourne Fringe. We dig into what led Hayley to make the show along with what led to ten months of isolation.

We cover Edinburgh Fringe, icky industry interactions, the value of collaboration, ethical conundrums and a whole lot more.

Stick around at the end to get a special preview of this week's bonus episode The Superhero Quiz Show.

Follow @hayley.jemma

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're workshopping new bits with Nicole Chapman and Theo Rylan, who are joining me in our new Melbourne Fringe show, Uh-Oh Laugh Comes to Town.

We chat about Nicole and Theo's first six months on the stand-up scene before breaking into some fresh material. We chat about the Aussie tradition of going barefoot to the shops before getting into Theo's desire for dates to arrive on schedule.

Uh-Oh Laugh Comes to Town is at Theory Bar from the 9th - 18th of October.

Follow @blackchickabroad

Follow @theorylanhaha

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've hit 200 episodes so to celebrate we put on a live show on Humdinger's iconic stage with special guests Ivan Aristegueta (Thank God You're Here), Kirsty Webeck (Guy Montgomery's Spelling Bee), Janty Blair (Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala), and featuring band-leader Blake Everett (Wham Bam Thankyou Jam.)

We chat tours, writing buddies, catching up for content, then dig into some joke workshopping with Ivan's dog poo bit and Janty's over sixties sex scenes.

Thanks to everyone who came along and everyone who helped out behind the scenes to make it special.

Follow @ivancomedy

Follow @kirstywebeck

Follow @janty_blair

Follow @blakeyoufilthycow

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode I'm joined by multi-award nominated Andy Balloch!

Andy is a brilliant Melbourne comedian with a string of top-tier solo shows under his belt. We chat about how his development process helps him steer away from that pesky burnout that seems to come for so many creatives.

We also chat about being a child actor, The Silver Brumby, Gantt charts, the value of a team, and a whole lot more.

The Comedy Writers Group is a podcast keen to explore how comedians make what they make and how they make a career doing it.

Follow @theandyballoch

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm joined by comedian and celebrity social worker (as seen on Netlfix), Esky Escandor. Esky has been a member of The Comedy Writers Group since the early days and it's time for him to make his solo debut at the Sydney Fringe.

Come and be a fly on the wall as I offer my two-cents in the development process of the show. We chat about shortform versus storytelling, Esky's fifteen minutes of fame, finding the music in the delivery, and a whole lot more.

Stick around at the end of the episode to hang out with Theo Rylan and Nicole Chapman. We have an exciting announcement.

Follow @esky.esk

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup

The CWG Podcast is a behind-the-scenes exploration of how comedians make what they make and how they make a career doing it.

The Comedy Writers Group offers weekly online meetings for comedy writers to develop their material with professional comedians.

Join the patreon and access the following:

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm joined by the great Paul Williams. Paul is a comedian, musician, and the Taskmaster's assistant on Taskmaster NZ. He's also the creator of the new TV show, New Zealand Spy available to watch now on ABC iView and TVNZ.

We chat about the origins of the new show, being cast in Taskmaster, Paul's relationship with confidence, stunts, problem-solving, music-making, and a whole lot more.

Follow @paulwilliams

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup and join the patreon.

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm joined by returning guest, Dylan Murphy. Dylan is an award-winning director, filmmaker, comedian, and actor. We chat about his recent success landing a major role in ABC's Ground Up alongside Sam Pang and Emma Harvie.

We chat about the audition process, working with director Wayne Hope, and what it's like filming comedy. We also get into what else is on Dylan's slate and chat more about about his approach to directing as well as his solo show aspirations.

Follow @dylanpat

Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian

Follow The Comedy Writers Group on @comedywritersgroup and join the patreon.

• Unlock our online meet-ups and workshops
• Access weekly bonus episodes
• Access the first 90 episodes of the podcast
• Exclusive access to our discord and facebook groups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.