Bristol Sitcom Trials meeting report

Bristol Sitcom Trials meeting - Sunday 26th Feb.

On a pleasantly warm and sunny Sunday afternoon (the kind of day the Small Faces might have written about) the Bristol Sitcom Trials team convened in a Totterdown pub to read scripts and discuss the pain threshold of people who regularly go paintballing.  In t-shirts, sunglasses and sheer disbelief that no food is served in the pub, we read four shortlisted entries for the fifteen minute slot at "The Secret Comedians" show in Clifton, Bristol, on Thurs March 1st.

In attendance were Angie, Becky (a newcomer, hello!), Elf, Hannah (another newcomer, hello!), John, Linda, Luke, Nigel (our third newcomer), Robin, Sarit, Vince, and Vivian.  

The scripts we read were:

"You Banker!" by Richard Dowling, read by Hannah, Luke, Sarit and Viv.  Lots of great ideas, good characters (espec. the stroppy secretary who won't let the theft of her sandwiches go unremarked) and a pleasingly surreal vibe to the piece (the Kafka brothers reference was particularly inspired).  This was a strong opener and prompted lots of discussion about the merits of grounding situation comedy in reality or taking off into flights of the absurd. Running time: 16:39.

"Neighbourhood Watch" by Angie Belcher (one of the Bristol team), read by Angie, Elf, John and Robin.  This had a high gag rate, an easy-to-follow narrative, and characters that ranged from the monstrous to the endearing.  Discussion mainly centred on pacing and sex toys, and the male/female power balance. This definitely has series potential, and was enjoyed by all. Running time: 11:41.

"Outgoings" by Dan Sweryt, read by Becky, Linda, Lorna, Nigel and Viv.  Dark, witty and with a very high gag-per-page rate, this had a plot point which caused a few eyebrows to be raised (for a sitcom about assassins, this kind of thing is unavoidable).  Everyone loved the mother-in-law character, jokes about teachers, the hit list and the Ronnie Corbett on the horizon gag.  One very clever dialogue exchange prompted a long discussion about highbrow writing.  Running time: 15:23.

"Twelve Knight Street Motors" by Bart Hulley, read by Angie, Elf, John and Robin.  A storming closing script, this very rude and very funny reworking of Shakespeare had everybody laughing at its sheer audacity and monstrous characters. A brilliant opening gag about a make of car had us all won over and fueling the argument that children shouldn't be allowed in pubs, a curious six year old girl who had been left unattended by her parents wandered by, and seemed to take an awful lot of interest in one particularly risque scene involving pubic hair and lesbian seduction.  We ploughed on with a mix of embarrassment and amusement and thankfully the young girl had left by the time we got to the bit where an annoyed customer takes a crap on a doorstep.  Running time: 11:45.

We then voted on which one we liked the best, and I'm pleased to announce that "Twelve Knight Street Motors" had the most hands raised in its favour (even the little girl came back to vote for it) and will be performed at "The Secret Comedians" gig on Thursday.

Thank you to the team for making this an especially fun meeting, and to all the writers who were kind and brave enough to submit material.  Sorry if your script didn't make the shortlist, or if it was read at the meeting and pipped at the post.  We'll hopefully be doing more of this sort of thing, so keep an eye out for further call outs for scripts.

Meanwhile, here are details of "The Secret Comedians"

- It's at the Richmond pub, Clifton, Bristol, in spitting distance of the Students Union.  

http://www.therichmondclifton.co.uk/bar.html

- Doors open at 8:00pm, entry is £3.  

- Luke Honnoraty will be doing a little warm-up set (cheers Luke).

http://lukehonnoraty.weebly.com/about.html

-  "Twelve Knight Street Motors" will be performed by Angie, Hannah, John and Robin, script-in-hand radio style.  

- Finally, rising star Tania Edwards will headline with a preview of her forthcoming Edinburgh show.

http://taniaedwardscomedy.com/

- The event is run by Elf Lyons, and we'd very much like to see you there, so please do spread the word and come along.

The next Bristol Sitcom Trials meeting is on Sunday March 11, 2-4pm, Oxford pub, Totterdown.  We'll be reading the five scripts which will have been voted by peer review to be the finalists in our show at the Wardrobe Theatre on Fri March 30th (tickets available now). 

http://thewardrobetheatre.com/#/sitcom-trials/4559558932

Exciting times!

Kind regards, 

Vince.

Great Lost Sitcoms: Colin's Sandwich

It is one of the undoubted truths of the situation comedy that few sitcoms become Britain's Favourite. Indeed many are actively despised throughout their brief lifetimes. But some comedy creations are gems that enjoy a brief moment twinkling in the light of day, then disappear, to be forgotten.

As a long time lover of the sitcom, I've seen many of these Forgotten Sitcoms come and go and it's a delight to find that many of them can now be seen for the first time in years on DVD or YouTube. Some, however, are really hard to find clips of, let alone the whole thing. These are the Lost Sitcoms. I have some favourites. One such is Colin's Sandwich.


Written by Terry Kyan and Paul Smith it starred Mel Smith as a wannabe TV writer working for British Rail. He writes horror, he has a mate with glasses who accidentally erases the script on his new-fangled word processor, they do a location scene in France, I think there's even a graveside scene where someone falls in the grave - none of the memories I conjure up and describe sound particularly good. But it was a sublime, witty, intelligent and funny sitcom. And quite possibly the best thing the late Mel Smith ever did on the telly (yes, even better than Rocking Around The Christmas Tree with Kim Wilde). It got a second series and even got repeated once. You can find both series on Youtube, but your conscience may prefer you to buy the recently released DVDs.

See also Grown Ups, Mornin' Sarge

If you would like to create the next great lost sitcom, The Sitcom Trials are running this summer in Birmingham, Cardiff & Manchester. Deadline for scripts is May 22nd.  See here for details.



Next shows:
June 21 2015 - Manchester Sitcom Trials
Kings Arms Salford

July 3 2015 - 1st Midlands Sitcom Trials
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

July tbc - 1st Cardiff Sitcom Trials
Porters Bar, Cardiff

Great Lost Sitcoms: Grown Ups

It is one of the undoubted truths of the situation comedy that few sitcoms become Britain's Favourite. Some comedy creations are gems that enjoy a brief moment twinkling in the light of day, then disappear, to be forgotten.

These are the Lost Sitcoms. I have some favourites. One such is Grown Ups.



Written by Paul Makin, who wrote the longer-running and better-remembered Channel 4 series Nightingales and sadly died aged 54 in 2008, it starred Tony Gardner, Pippa Haywood (pictured) and Jason Watkins, was on BBC2 in 1997, and gave rise to a phrase which became a sort of in-joke in our house: "You're a locum, you're not a proper Doctor."

Sharing a title with a much more successful American TV series, no connection, and a movie and various books, it's impossible to find much more about. It seems never to have made it into DVD on even onto YouTube. Anyone who knows better, do please let us know.

See also Grown Ups

If you would like to create the next great lost sitcom, The Sitcom Trials are running this summer in Birmingham, Cardiff & Manchester. Deadline for scripts is May 22nd.  See here for details.



Next shows:
June 21 2015 - Manchester Sitcom Trials
Kings Arms Salford

July 3 2015 - 1st Midlands Sitcom Trials
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

July tbc - 1st Cardiff Sitcom Trials
Porters Bar, Cardiff

Scripts needed for bonus show - deadline Feb 25th

(Message posted by Vince Stadon, producer Bristol Sitcom Trials)

Hello!

The Bristol Sitcom Trials have been offered a fifteen minute slot at the next "Secret Comedians" gig at the Richmond pub, Clifton, Bristol, on Thursday March 1st. This is all thanks to Elf Lyons, a member of the new Bristol team, who also does a marvelous job of running "The Secret Comedians".

They've a Facebook page here.

I'm looking for scripts which need very little rehearsal and which can be easily performed script-in-hand style. There's very little time to write new material (though have at it if you want to give it a go!) so feel free to rummage through your old files and pick out something that matches the following criteria:

* A run time of between 10 and 15 mins. * Includes funny female characters. (Maximum cast is six, minimum is three - a good mix of male/female characters would be ideal). * Can be performed "radio-style" with minimal stage directions. * In PDF format.

Scripts currently in competition for the March 30th show at the Wardrobe Theatre are exempt.

We'll get the team to read each script at the meeting on Sunday 26th Feb at the Oxford pub (please feel free to come along), and we'll vote on which one we'd like to perform at the Richmond.

(In the sad event that no scripts are sent in, or none are suitable, I'll pull a classic Sitcom Trials script from the archives and we'll perform that.)

A few things -

- If your script has been entered into a past Trials (or any other competition), it's perfectly fine to send it in for the Richmond show.

- Cliffhangers are fine, no worries if your script has one or not (we'll perform the whole thing anyway).

- Please spread the word about "The Secret Comedians" and come along to the show on Thurs March 1st, Richmond pub, Clifton, Bristol.

- We'll hopefully be videoing the performance, but that's not guaranteed.

Basically, this is just a little warm up for the Bristol Team as we prepare for the Wardrobe show (Fri March 30th - tickets on sale now from the Wardrobe Theatre).

Please send all scripts to: Vince Stadon (stadonclan@hotmail.com) by midnight Saturday 25th Feb.

Kind regards,

--Vince

Great Lost Sitcoms: Mornin' Sarge

It is one of the unchallenged verities of the situation comedy that most sitcoms don't become Britain's Favourite, indeed many are actively despised throughout their brief lifetimes. But some comedy creations are gems that enjoy a brief moment twinkling in the light of day, then disappear, to be forgotten.

As a long time lover of the sitcom, I've seen many of these Forgotten Sitcoms come and go and it's a delight to find that many of them can now be seen for the first time in years on DVD or YouTube. Some, however, are really hard to find clips of, let alone the whole thing. These are the Lost Sitcoms. I have some favourites. In no particular order, the first is Mornin' Sarge.



Created by the Cliff Hanger comedy team of Tony Haase, Pete McCarthy, Robin Driscoll (all three pictured above, with guest actor Tony Hawks) and Rebecca Stevens, it was set in a police station and was very much the forerunner of the Thin Blue Line, without the advantage of being written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and starring Rowan Atkinson. Which is a shame, as those of us who remember it do so more favourably than we do the TBL. Google Mornin Sarge on Youtube and you can now find the complete series (though no DVD as of yet).

If you would like to create the next great lost sitcom, The Sitcom Trials are running this summer in Birmingham, Cardiff & Manchester. Deadline for scripts is May 22nd.  See here for details.



Next shows:
June 21 2015 - Manchester Sitcom Trials
Kings Arms Salford

July 3 2015 - 1st Midlands Sitcom Trials
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

July tbc - 1st Cardiff Sitcom Trials
Porters Bar, Cardiff

Sitcom Trials Bristol meeting report Feb 12

Thanks to everyone who came along to today's Bristol Sitcom Trials meeting at the Oxford Totterdown - oh and thanks to Vince for being in charge of the meeting despite my overbearing presence (don't worry everyone, I go to Australia on Wednesday, you'll be shot of me for a month). Bring new meaning to the words focus and out of, I took some very poor photos...



I know. But you can possibly glimpse through the camera shudder brand new potential group members Elf, Viv, Robin, Tom, James, Janna and Luke. Just out of shot were Sarit (of the old London team, thanks for making the journey), Angie (of the last Bristol team, welcome back), Mel, Linda, Lorna, John and Gary, and of course Vince (Stadon, the new producer) and myself, plus two writers who were long-suffering enough to have us read out their scripts, Ted (from Bristol) and Oliver who had schlepped down to Bristol all the way from Catterick. That's right, Catterick.

I hope Ted, Oliver and Angie benefitted from hearing their scripts (respectively Social, You've Missed A Bit and Totterdown Neighbourhood Watch) given a blind round-table reading. We also gave a reading to Vic Gore's Bewilderment. I look forward to hearing the group's feedback on everything they heard. Amongst other things I learned about The Bechdel Test which, I think, two thirds of today's scripts failed. But don't worry, that's not a problem for getting into the Trials (most sitcoms fail the test I believe).

I hope I didn't take over too much at the meeting and that everyone wants to stay on board to be part of the Bristol team. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labours when I return in March. Meantime, if everyone wants to stay in touch, might I recommend joining:

- The SitsVac eGroup (where you can upload and download the scripts that will be contenders to be in the show)

- The British Comedy Guide Forum (where you can talk to fellow writers and where you might prefer to post your script reviews)

- The Sitcom Trials Facebook group (speaks for itself)

+ subscribe to this Sitcom Trials blog, which is where everything I post appears first.

See you all soon

Kev F
The Sitcom Trials



Next show March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.

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Dreams of whistles and bells for Sitcom Trials website

Over on the British Comedy Guide forum, Tom G writes: I would really love to enter this but, unless I'm doing something wrong, it appears I need a degree in 1990s internet technology!

Kev F: I completely agree that the SitsVac forum is antiquated. I set it up when it was called OneList then it became an eGroup and finally it was a YahooGroup, this was all back in 1999 when the Sitcom Trials began.

If anyone is a dab hand with technology, I would love a state-of-the-art system by which people could upload their scripts then signed-in members (who would include all people who had entered scripts) could read, review and vote on the scripts that have been uploaded.


Funny or Die, a surviving example of the online uploading and voting I'd like to emulate

I dream of a system where this happens automatically and looks flashy and impressive, having seen such things operated by websites in the past (there have been a few where you uploaded videos and people voted for the best - all of whom seem to have gone out of business after 6 months).

But it's not my area of expertise. Is there anyone out there who can help?

For those of you able to wrestle your way through some 90s low-tech - think of it as a nostalgia trip - you upload files here in the SitsVac files (which will involve signing into Yahoo and joining the group, which is at least automatic). There are currently 6 scripts in there for us to choose from for tomorrow's meeting.



The next Sitcom Trials is on March 30th at The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol. Details of what The Sitcom Trials wants and how to enter are here. Any questions ask here, there, or anywhere, and we'll try and answer.

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Threesome's A Crowd, new vid from McNeil & Pamphilon

Steve McNeil & Sam Pamphilon (Twitter @mcneilpamphilon were the winners of The Sitcom Trials 10th Anniversary Season, (see their heats here), and have gone from strength to strength since. Here's their latest funny video.

If you think you could be the next McNeil & Pamphilon, The Sitcom Trials welcomes entries from writer-performers. All you need to do is include a YouTube video with your script entry and say "by the way, we'll be performing this ourselves" and, if your script gets selected, so do you.

Have we find the new Miranda? The new Roseanne? The new Horne & Corden? You decide.

The next Sitcom Trials is on March 30th at The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol. Details of what The Sitcom Trials wants and how to enter are here. Any questions ask here, there, or anywhere, and we'll try and answer.
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Pint-Sized Plays competition now open

At a recent event I had the pleasure of meeting Derek Webb, creator of Pint-Sized Plays, with whose blessings I pass on the following opportunity:

The 2012 Pint-sized Plays writing competition is now open!



Now in its fifth year, Pint-sized Plays has grown to become a premier international competition for short plays. So how much drama or comedy can be packed into a five or ten minute play? Pint-sized Plays is your opportunity to show just how imaginative and original you can be. It can be funny, it can be poignant... if it can be performed in a pub, with two or three characters, you could be one of the six winners (or four runners up) of Pint-sized Plays 2012!

The closing date is May 31st 2012 and we're now able to accept all scripts as uploaded files with payment by PayPal. The winning plays will be announced by early August and will be performed in pubs throughout Pembrokeshire, starting 24th and 25th September during Tenby Festival week. All ten plays will then be performed at the Script Slam in 4U, Fishguard on October 6th, where the audience get to vote for their favourite script - and the winner gets to walk away with the coveted 'Pint-Pot' award - with a 'Half-Pint' award for the runner up!

On top of which, selected plays will be recorded and broadcast as radio plays on an internet radio station: audiobookradio.net. To find out more, go to www.pintsizedplays.org.uk



The next Sitcom Trials show is on March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
For the latest news on The Sitcom Trials, including calls for script submissions, subscribe to the blog here at sitcomtrials.co.uk

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Sitcom Trials & Sitcom Mission books

Following my forays into Sitcom Trials script-book publishing, there are some more books are out there with quite a close Sitcom Trials link that you might care to check out.


Hamlet, Boy Reporter by Barth Hulley hails from the Shakesperian Sitcom Trials, an event way back in 2005 that also spawned The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre (who subsequently have kept me too busy to produce the Sitcom Trials singlehandedly since).

Sitcoms by Barth Hulley is subtitled "Featuring winning scripts from The Sitcom Trials", which very much tells you what to expect.



And Your Sitcom Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It is a guide to writing sitcoms by Declan Hill & Simon Wright, producers of The Sitcom Trials seasons 07-09 and subsequently The Sitcom Mission.



It's a step-by-step guide to writing a sitcom episode in 20 minutes a day, especially useful for entering The Sitcom Mission. Co-written by best-selling author John Vorhaus.

Next show March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
For the latest news on The Sitcom Trials, including calls for script submissions, subscribe to the blog here at sitcomtrials.co.uk

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Period Comedies from The Sitcom Trials TV series

The Sitcom Trials first (and so far only) TV series showcased 16 brand new sitcoms over 8 weeks on ITV 1, going out live on a Friday night. Two sitcoms went head to head, the viewers at home voted for their favourite and only saw the ending of the winner. In this episode two Period Comedies compete.



Have we found the new Blackadder? The new Chelmsford 123? The new Maid Marian and Her Merry Men? You decide. (Lines are now closed. Indeed the once proud HTV Television Centre on Bath Road, Bristol where this series was made and which once had been home to such TV classics as Tales From The Unexpected and Robin Of Sherwood, is now no more, having since carved itself up and rented its offices out to various media companies.)



If you would like to create the next great period comedy, The Sitcom Trials is an opportunity for your sitcom to be seen live.
Next show March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
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Sitcom Trials sweary word cloud

Writers entering scripts for the The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny might be interested in this Word Cloud, a graph put together by James Parker, producer of 2009's Autumn season of The Sitcom Trials. It shows the most popular sweary words used in the hundreds of scripts entered. Will your scatology, blasphemy, and invective be more original than these? Think on...

If you would like to create the next great sitcom, The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny is running throughout 2013. The deadline for entries is March 31st, with heats in London, Bristol & Manchester and a grand final at the Edinburgh Fringe. See here for details.



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Sitcom Mission gets 400 entries

The latest season of The Sitcom Mission (the show that grew out of The Sitcom Trials and is now sponsored by Hat Trick) made a significant change in its entry policy, deciding to charge entrants to submit a script.


Declan Hill, Kev F Sutherland and Simon Wright, winning the Fringe Report Award for Best Enourager of Talent for The Sitcom Trials in 2008. Declan and Simon went on to produce The Sitcom Mission

Having had around 1200 entries last year, this was a pragmatic move to both reduce less serious entries and to help maintain the running of the show. Previously they were having to read a thousand scripts for free, with the only income for the operation coming from the door takings of the live events and for the occasional workshops they run. This year there was an earlybird fee of £10 or a last minute fee of £15 to enter a script.

Having always resisted such a move for The Sitcom Trials, I was curious to see what the result would be. Would it turn out that wannabe writers only want to submit scripts for free, or would they turn out in just as great force as before? The answer is that they received just under 400 entries.

Given that the prize on offer from Hat Trick is worth £5000, this would suggest there's more money to be made running a sitcom competition than entering it!

The Sitcom Trials remains free to enter, and offers no big-TV-company prize to the winner. Yet. (Currently the new Trials season has received... 1 entry



Next Sitcom Trials show March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
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US Pilot Season - UK successes

British TV lovers might be interested to see some of the shows being made for the forthcoming US TV pilot season. My thanks to Mark Olver for tweeting this article which usefully explains how the pilot season works then lists all the projects the various networks have in the pipeline.



Of particular interest on ABC's list of shows is White Van Man, the BBC 3 show written by Adrian Poynton and starring Will Mellor, being remade by formar My Name Is Earl producer.

And over on Fox they're not only remaking ITV's prison drama Bad Girls, but also Robert Popper's domestic comedy Friday Night Dinner.

In other news, Roseanne Barr is making a new sitcom as a woman who runs a trailer park, and there's a contest for least-catchy comedy show title being fought over between Untitled Jimmy Fallon Project, Untitled Sarah Silverman Project and Untitled Louis CK Project. It'll be interesting to see who wins that one.



Next Sitcom Trials show March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
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Calling Drag Queens & Leather Marys - be on TV tomorrow

Calling all Leather Marys - can I just point out at this juncture I have no real idea what a Leather Mary is, but I can have a pretty good guess - I'm passing on this call for extras cos it looks like fun and I know some of my & the Sitcom Trials' Twitterati may be up for it. Please reply to the contacts shown, not to me.

Join us part of a select crowd of supporting artists for a new television drama (TOMORROW: FRIDAY 3rd FEB!)

A series of high profile, low budget shorts are currently being produced for television and broadcast on SKYARTS this year. We need an enthusiastic fun crowd for the finale of one of the shorts which is being shot at the Vauxhall Tavern between 3 and 7pm on Friday 3rd February (but those of you in shows in town could be released by 6pm if necessary).

The period is mid 1970s and the audience are a mix of flamboyant drag queens, leather Mary types and assorted 70s hip and stylish patrons (Male and Female). It’s all very camp and fun. Paul O'Grady and Sheila Hancock star in this often touching and hilarious mature coming of age story.

We aren't able to pay but it should be a fun few hours with two of the UK's biggest television stars. You will be required to be part of a small raucous crowd and there may be some improvised moments whilst you are watching Neville (Paul O’Grady) & Melba (Sheila Hancock) perform their finale.

You are asked to bring your own outfits so if you have any mid 70s gear (polo necks, period jackets, hats etc.) or period drag queen outfits: please let us know what you have (if you can attach any pictures that would be most useful). We will have a few costumes for those without their own but if you require something please could you email through your measurements. Please bring dark shoes. Long hair is useful and long sideburns or moustaches for men is a preference, long undyed and without highlights for women is preferred. Please make sure your pictures are current for hair and make up department reference.

WE WOULD ASK YOU TO PLEASE REPORT TO THE 2ND AD ALEXANDER HOLT IN THE PRODUCTION/ MAKE UP AND COSTUME TRAILER IN GODING STREET NEXT TO THE TAVERN AT 3PM. THEN WARDROBE AND MAKE UP WILL SEE IF ANY ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED. BEFORE WE MOVE YOU ONTO SET WE WILL NEED TO CONGREGATE IN THE PRODUCTION DINING TRAILER AND BE GIVEN A PREP CHAT BY ALEX AND GEORGE AND HANDED A BASIC SUPPORTING ARTIST RELEASE FORMS TO SIGN. PLEASE DO NOT GO DIRECTLY TO SET AS IT MAY DISRUPT FILMING. WE WOULD HOPE TO WRAP AS MANY OF YOU BY 6PM, BUT WILL NEED TO HANG ON TO SOME KEY PEOPLE FOR CONTINUITY FOR THOSE THAT COULD STAY TILL WRAP AT 7PM.

ANY QUERIES SHOULD BE SENT TO NELLIEANDMELBA@GMAIL.COM. WE WILL SEND A CONFIRMATION EMAIL TOMORROW NIGHT. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED PLEASE DO FORWARD THIS INVITE TO THEM. IF YOU CAN ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Alexander Holt



Next Sitcom Trials show March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
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Bristol Sitcom Trials Q & As

Discussion of the forthcoming Bristol Sitcom Trials is taking place over on the British Comedy Guide Forum. Do please join in. Here are some recent Qs and As:

Marc P: Shame there is a limit to only four characters. Presumably writers performers can bring more to the party if they are doing it themselves?

Kev F: We've used the standard template from the Trials, where the stipulation of four characters proved to be a great discipline and a pragmatic move when it comes to staging. Dec & Si and James (Parker) relaxed the rules when they ran their seasons of the show, and if Vince is willing to handle the extra logistical problems of more characters, then he's welcome to. But I would urge writers to stick to the four characters if they can. You've only got approximately eight minutes, that's not very long to make proper use of two characters, let alone more than four.

Writer-performers, if they come in a gang of five, would get to bend the rules as, I suppose, would anyone who brings their own complete cast. But, hey, why am I butting in? Vince is the boss.

Remember, if it's funny that's what counts.



evan rubivellian:...I'm having second thoughts about entering scripts that have already been part of previous sitcom trials. Both scripts made it to the finals, so it's fair to say they've had their moment.

Is there any potential clash if I rework this year's sitcom mission entry and submit that?

Kev F: I don't think so. In the past (when I produced the shows, 99-06) the Sitcom Trials were all about testing out sitcoms and developing them for potential sale to telly and radio. This meant we regularly re-wrote things after their first performance, learning from the lessons of the audience test, and re-performed them. We staged different episodes of favourite sitcoms (see these scripts for The Lavender Millbank Mob, created by Rich Johnston and written by Rich, myself, Brainstopping and various others), encouraged team writing (see this collaboration between myself and Geoff Whiting, Didn't You Used To Be..?[) and made use of the format of the show to keep the audience involved while not losing sight of the important aim of developing comedy, making it better through seeing our writing performed live. (See also Situation Murder, an attempt to mix sitcom and murder mystery, developed in 04/05 by the then Bristol Sitcom Trials team).

With the Edinburgh Fringe shows (2001-4) the format slightly took over, and with the TV series the emphasis moved to showcasing different scripts every week and giving new writers a break. In 2007-9, under Dec & Si, the Trials became a tournament with a grand prize, and the idea of concentrating on developing individual sitcoms was left behind.

Whether the new Bristol group sets itself up as a tournament or a workshop, a showcase for scripts from around the world or a hotbed for the comedy talents of the West Country is entirely dependent on Vince and how the meetings go, starting on Feb 12th. Let's see what happens.

As for whether there's a clash with the Sitcom Mission, I don't know if there's something in their contract that precludes involvement with another show. But since they only shortlist a very small number of scripts (and we're assuming they've had another 100 entries this year), err on the side of keeping your script out there. If they choose you and tell you you have to pull your script from the Trials, I think we'll cope.

Next Sitcom Trials March 30, Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
Script deadline Feb 29 - enter here.
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