Monday, 23 November 2015

You Say Potato - from 2001's Edinburgh show

Here's a treat from the archives for you, online in its entirety for the first time, it's You Say Potato, as performed in The Sitcom Trials debut Edinburgh Fringe show, at the Gilded Balloon in 2001.

The venue is now Cabaret Voltaire, on Blair Street, which was then used as one of the Gilded Balloon's performance spaces, their base being Cowgate. The following year those offices burnt down and the GB moved to its present base in Teviot, Bristo Square.

This particular sitcom was written by and starred Miranda Hart, with her Orange Girls double act partner Charity Trimm, Dan Clegg and Gerard Foster. The other two sitcoms in competition were The Client by Harris & Blakewill (which went on to appear in the Sitcom Trials TV series), and Kiss Me Son Of God by Jonathan Kirby (aka me), which is now available as a Kindle script book.

UPDATE:Bruce Dessau has picked up on this and run it on his Beyond The Joke blog, for which many thanks. Sadly that probably means it'll come to Miranda's attention and she'll ask me to take it down, so enjoy it while you can.

PPS: He ends his piece with the line "The Sitcom Trials returns to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015". Which was nice to read, and certainly happened and no mistake. Read all about The Sitcom Trials' biggest season for years on this blog, maybe starting here.

If you would like to create the next great British situation comedy, The Sitcom Trials is an opportunity for your sitcom to be seen live.

Details of new shows, and our ongoing competition, are to be found here at sitcomtrials.co.uk and on Twitter and Facebook.

See the Best of The Sitcom Trials videos, here.

The Sitcom Trials returns to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015. - See more at: http://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/1327/news-early-miranda-hart-comedy-discovered#sthash.QQ1Ykfsz.dpuf

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

BBC to mentor would-be comedy writers

New scheme for Scots

Six aspiring comedy writers in Scotland are to be given expert BBC mentoring to hone their skills.
Would-be writers are being invited to submit short videos to the new development scheme, Fast And Funny, with no experience necessary.

BBC staff will then select the six who will get to take part in workshops, masterclasses, and one-to-one sessions.

The focus is on short-form comedy, such as sketches and monologues, with entries having to be shorter than 90 seconds. Submissions from over-18s living in Scotland must be made by the end of November 13.

The BBC says: 'This is a rare opportunity to work with expert programme-makers, gain excellent feedback, develop your writing skills, understand what works online, experiment and have your work read by comedy producers.'

'It's open for anyone to apply – whether you consider yourself an aspiring comedy writer-performer, comedy writer, comedy actor or comedy actress – we are looking for people with funny bones who have a passion for short, snappy and fast turnaround content for online. There are no restrictions on experience.'

Full details of the scheme are available on the BBC Writers' Room.

Posted on Chortle: 3 Nov 2015