 |
Topical Sketch Reading ServiceTrying to write for BBC Radio Comedy's new topical show? Need professional advice on your first drafts? Then why not send off your sketches? Top comedy scriptwriter Dave Cohen promises to read your topical sketches for Tilt, and offer advice and suggestions for changes - within 24 hours. PLUS, you can send a re-write of each sketch and he'll add further comments within another 24 hours.
Dave Cohen is one of the best-known topical comedy writers in the UK. He has worked on dozens of topical radio and TV shows including Spitting Image, Rory Bremner, Dead Ringers, News Quiz and The Eleven O'Clock Show; writing sketches, songs and gags. For a number of years he performed with the Comedy Store's Cutting Edge topical comedy team and as a panellist on countless radio shows. He is currently writing topical gags for Omid Djalili on tour, and is working on a new series of 15 Minute Musicals for Radio 4. He returns to Have I Got News For You this April. Tilt is Radio 4's new topical comedy show. It runs for six weeks from Thursday 27th March (more details). Full Submission Details From Dave...Please send me no more than six sketches per e-mail. The address to send them to is: davecohen@comedy.org.uk Because this is a topical programme, and because you need to send the sketches off very quickly, I promise to get back to you within 24 hours from your first e-mail arriving, and 24 hours again for your re-writes. You will then be charged through Paypal, which you can use even if you don't have an account with them. There is a possibility that the 24 hour e-mail / re-writes thing will be a promise I can't keep. I've no idea what volume of sketches to expect, so if I'm suddenly deluged with torrents of the stuff I may have to amend that figure to 48 hours. Or some unforseen problem, or a work deadline of my own may come up, in which case I may have to abandon the whole project. If for any reason I am unable to fulfil my promise, or am unable to read and advise on your sketches, then assuming the payment has gone through it will be refunded in full. For those of you who have used Paypal before, you will know that it is quite properly weighted in favour of the buyer, and there will be a strong possibility that your payment will not have been activated - in which case, if for any reason I am unable to fulfil my promise, the payment will not be activated. Tilt will be running on Radio 7 for six weeks, starting Thursday 27th March. It's recorded the night before, and the deadline for scripts to be received by the producers is NOON each TUESDAY. My service begins on Friday 28 March, 9am, in time for shows 2 and 3. I will be unable to read scripts from Thursday 3rd April, deadline noon. (In other words if you want to get scripts read and re-read before show 3, you'll need to get the first draft to me by that deadline). My service starts up again Wednesday 16 April for shows 5 and 6. In other words, I will be offering the service only for shows 2, 3, 5 and 6. A summary of the deadlines are below:
Testimonials"Dave really helped me get an idea of the structure of a sketch and helped me get my sketches on the radio. Top guy, with great insight." "Having previously only written for amateur shows, attending Dave Cohen's Raindance course "Writing For Comedy" gave me the confidence and motivation to start submitting my work to paying markets... Since doing Dave's course I have regularly sold sketches and songs to NewsRevue and The Treason Show, written gags for stand-up comics, got two sitcoms through to the semi-finals of the 2007 Sitcom Trials, and received positive feedback from TV production companies. I also now co-write regularly with one of the other attendees I met on the course. If you're a writer wanting to get serious about comedy, Dave's course is a great place to start." "Dave showed me why my own material wasn't working and helped me to understand the basics of making good comedy. The help he has given me with my own work is immeasurable" "Awesome notes." All business agreements are between yourself and Dave Cohen. The British Sitcom Guide does not offer, nor is involved in the consultancy service advertised above. |
WRITERS' AREA
This new service, which is being set up with the help of the BSG, will cost £40 per six sketches (or £20 for Dave's ex-Raindance comedy course students).