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Comedy Writing Area - Dave Cohen Q&A
Since 2001 he has been writing for Have I Got News For You, and in 2004 was invited by Fred Barron to join the team writing on sitcom My Family. He currently has sitcoms in development with BBC1, Channel 4 and Radio 4. Other writing credits include the BAFTA-winning Sketch Show (ITV), Dead Ringers, Sunday Format, News Quiz and Jammin, all of which have won him numerous Sony Radio Awards, and 15 Minute Musicals, which returns to Radio 4 for a fifth series in 2008. On the weekend of December 8 and 9, Dave will be running his acclaimed course on how to become a working comedy writer - details of which can be found at raindance.co.uk We asked Dave to tell us all about the course, and more besides... Is it really possible to make a living as a comedy writer?Yes, it can be done - but it's very difficult. You should be under no illusions about that. There are maybe 3 or 400 hundred people in the entire country making a living writing comedy. You can probably name a couple of dozen. And of course that number now includes a growing number of writer-performers - people like Al Murray, Lee Mack, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Matt Lucas, League of Gentlemen, who all earn substantial amounts as writers. Then there's probably another 3 or 400 hundred on the fringes, who occasionally earn from writing, but not enough to give up the day job or the family inheritance. Then there are thousands of people trying to get in somehow. Can I learn how to write jokes?Er... not really. That's the ability you start off with, that tells you whether or not you want to pursue a living as a comedy writer. You can learn to make your jokes funnier, and how to write more of them. My starting point is to teach the ground rules and the preparation you need before you write a word - so that when you come to the sketch, or the scene, you give yourself a chance to squeeze the maximum humour from it. What do I get for parting with all that cash?Hopefully an intensive weekend that focuses you on how best to continue towards your long-term goal of becoming a paid comedy writer. The bare bones of the weekend are as follows: We start with jokes, then move fairly quickly on to sketches. We look at the latest BBC radio show to be taking sketches from non-commissioned writers (i.e. you), then you go off in pairs or threes to write sketches that fit the brief of that show. If you're brave enough you get to perform them too. By the end of Saturday you should know what's required to get sketches broadcast on the radio - and if you're really lucky you might have found a writing partner who you fit with perfectly.
In addition to this, we'll talk about 'finding your comedy voice'. This is one of those phrases that lazy producers bandy about without telling new writers what the hell it means. I can't promise that you'll have found that voice by the end of the weekend, but I hope to at least be pointing you in the right direction. I'll talk about all the ways that you can get into comedy apart from radio and TV sketches - including stand-up (and writing with stand-ups), the internet, panel shows, and topical comedy. And there'll be plenty of time for Q and A's. At the end of the weekend I present you with a hefty file packed with tons of useful information, including current guidelines on what BBC Radio are looking for (with my added comments), an attempt to explain how the BBC, ITV and Channels 4 and 5 comedy departments work, and a massive list of up-to-date contacts, and where to go to get the latest information. And of course if you're a BSG member you get a 10 per cent discount! Do you talk about writing comedy movies?
How often do you run the course?Usually twice a year, the next one will probably be mid-May 2008. Read any good books about how to write comedy?
If you really want to find out how to write brilliant comedy, I suggest you read brilliant comedy. Seinfeld and Frasier scripts are available in book form, and there are hundreds of episodes of excellent scripts you can find on the web - if you're a sitcom fan I guarantee you'll find scripts for at least three of your favourite shows. Why is so much comedy on telly so mediocre?
Even so, all commissioners know that they have to take risks. BBC1 controller Peter Fincham (pictured), whose background is comedy, took risks by commissioning relative TV unknowns like Lee Mack and Omid Djalili for BBC1. The risks appear to be paying off although sadly Fincham has gone, so who knows what his successor will do. Bloody hell I haven't got a hope have I?The gap between where you are now and where you want to be may seem enormous at this stage. But many have done it before you and many will after. You can be any age. And once you find your comedy voice things can happen very quickly. My approach to teaching is to give you the foundations on which to build your career. Good luck! Frequently Asked Questions...We also asked Dave to provide some FAQs - and you may be surprised by some of the answers... How do I get an agent?You become a working writer first. There are very few agents who take on comedy writers, and they tend to expect you to be working before they take you on. Having an agent is useful when you're a working writer, but at this stage it's not crucial to your success. How do I stop someone ripping off my idea?You can't, and you don't. If you're good enough, something you said or wrote will be ripped off at some stage. It's happened to me several times and I've wasted far too much energy getting bitter and twisted about it. The best advice I can give you comes from stand-up Mark Thomas, who was performing a 'white geezer trying to be black' character in his act for years before Ali G came along. "The fact is", he said, "Sacha Baron Cohen took that character and turned it into something so much more successful than I could have managed." Accept it, and move on. How do I format a script?Producers desperately want to pick up your script and more than anything else, they want it to make them laugh. If it does that they'll forgive you any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, incorrect spacing of margins, wrong point-sized fonts or biro smudges. If you're dyslexic, as many top comedy writers and performers are, you may want a sympathetic friend to cast an eye over your work before you send it off. Is it true that it's not what you know, it's who you know?No. If you know someone who works in telly, or someone famous, that may get you an introduction into a job. But once you're there, if you don't produce the work they won't keep you on. Famous people get asked to do favours, charity work, open supermarkets (yes, they still do) all the time, and there's only so much they can do for you. Very occasionally someone will get famous by association with a really big name eg Dave Spikey through Peter Kay. But Dave continues to get work now because people want him, not because he's Peter Kay's mate. How do I get my script to a TV producer?Easy, you email it to them, or stick it in the post. Getting them to read it, that's trickier. If you've never had anything broadcast on radio or TV don't be surprised if that script ends its life at the bottom of a pile that goes into the recycling next time the producer moves office. Get some sketches or one-liners on the radio, or telly, or jokes into the mouth of a working stand-up, then start to get your name around. Once the producer has come across your name, he or she will feel obliged to read what you have sent. Eventually. Last word...It can be done, but don't expect your first sitcom script to be the one to do it for you. To use a well-worn cliché, it's a marathon not a sprint. Get the basics in place, and you should make slow but steady progress. If you are interested in becoming a working comedy writer attend Dave's course on the 8th and 9th December. For more details and a registration form visit www.raindance.co.uk. Mention the British Sitcom Guide on your registration form for 10% off. |
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WRITERS' AREA
Dave Cohen is a broadcaster and comedy writer who for many years was one of the top stand-ups in the country. He was nominated for the Perrier in 1984, and in 1985 started 
On the Sunday we branch out into sitcom, and look at the best approach to getting your work made. I'm really excited about this because since my last course in the summer, the much-maligned audience sitcom seems to have come back to life thanks to The IT Crowd and Not Going Out. We'll talk about what makes a sitcom successful, and again we'll muck in and work on scenes and ideas. Hopefully you'll get a sense of the excitement of having to produce work under pressure, which is an important part of the process that I don't think you get taught anywhere else.
Because with money as tight as it is, commissioning editors are far more likely to take a risk with someone who has already been successful than with someone new. Given the choice between backing a superior project with an inexperienced team, and a mediocre project with an experienced team, commissioners will inevitably pick the mediocre project because the odds for success are far greater.