Sitcom Trials double bill (of sorts) in Surrey

Stretching The Sitcom Trials connection to the limit (for want of any Trials news as much as anything else) there's what one might call a Sitcom Trials related double bill on in Redhill, Surrey on Friday 24th April. Mark Dolan, presenter of the Sitcom Trials So You Think You Write Funny final in Edinburgh in 2013 is on, along with The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre (who made their universal debut as part of the Shakespearian Sitcom Trials in 2005 and presented the Trials final in London on 2009).

That, sadly, is where the Sitcom Trials link ends, but it's always worth remembering there's life after the Trials. Stay tuned for news of the Trials themselves.

Sitcom Trials Bristol April 2014 - the video(s)

And here, for your pleasure, is a video of the highlights from The Sitcom Trials in Bristol, April 4 2014 (click to play). Five excellent sitcoms, with a well deserved winner. Enjoy the clips.

And here, with the blessing of author Rupert Aspden, is the winning sitcom in its entirety:



And I learn, via Simon Wright on the Comedy Forums, that three of the four runners up were developed courtesy of our sister show The Sitcom Mission.  Writers Gwen Cheeseman, Jen Cockburn, Aja Scanlon, Ella Vize (Amen), Joe Brand (Civil Defence) and James (And The Lord Said) Alleyne's scripts were developed through the Sitcom Mission's City Academy workshops.  Congratulations all.

The next Sitcom Trials is... yet to be announced, Watch this space, and Facebook and Twitter, for news.

Sitcom Trials Bristol April 4th report

The latest Sitcom Trials took place in Bristol on April 4th, under the expert control of long time producer Vince Stadon who is, very sadly, stepping down from the show. For the last three years he has run the consistently most professional and well attended Sitcom Trials you could imagine, tonight's being a splendid swan song.

The sitcoms in contention were
"Amen" by Gwen Cheeseman, Jen Cockburn, Aja Scanlon and Ella Vize
"A Civil Defence Matter" by Joe Brand
"Good Grief" by Rupert Aspden
"Pub" by the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
"And the Lord Said" by James Alleyne.

And the winner, announced by tonight's brilliant co-hosts Naomi Carter and Laura Ollerton, was Good Grief by Rupert Aspden, an impressive medical comedy, performed by John Lomas and Naomi with Kevin Restall (who last appeared in the Trials way back in 2006, welcome back).

You can see, from the group photo, that the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre guested with their sitcom Pub, and came joint fourth along with the others (Good Grief really did win by a landslide).

Will the Bristol Sitcom Trials survive without Vince? Who knows? Watch this space.