Comment - Male / Female Comedy

Jenny Roche on male and female comedy...

There's no doubting comedy is a male dominated area. Men vastly outnumber women on the comedy circuit and predominate amongst the writers, cast, panel games, presenters and producers of TV comedy, in radio comedy only less so.

The subject deserves a lengthy treatise but for now we'll concern ourselves with the more important concern of how both male and female writers can give their work the best chances.

Whether men and women have a different sense of humour is debatable, it is certain however that any comedy which uses age old traditional and stereotypical views of either sex, will not have the one thing producers demand - something fresh and original.

It is also certain that, if for instance a sketch show producer requests more scripts which include females, feminising a character's name or sticking a woman in for effect, just won't work. The best comedy comes from character and there has to be some truth to that character.

In the writing world there is a maxim to 'write about what you know'. In comedy however you will need to go beyond this, to write for characters with a point of view of which you have had no experience (unless you've had an operation) and gain comedy from the perspective of your opposite sex.

At a writer's meeting for one topical stage show, when the female half of the cast complained of being underused, one writer asked how he was expected to write for women when he was a man.

I think most would admit this doesn't require bravery or a PhD. From my own experience it is perhaps more the case that male comedy writers may 'forget' to include women in sketches and sometimes, may not think beyond the traditional roles of women. It is also often easy for women to be unwittingly guilty of the same things.

Going against the stereotypes may enable you to mine rich, new veins of comedy and should be encouraged. Also, giving strong positive roles to women, having them act rather than react, will always curry favour with a sketch show producer or commissioning editor. Remember, lawyers, cyclists and DIYers don't always have to be male, and nursing, operating a supermarket till and house cleaning, doesn't always have to be "women's work"

Restrictions of the male/female cast components will need to be kept in mind however. Although there are exceptions, usually in a star led show the star plays the lead roles and is given all the punchlines. In other shows you will need to consider the ratio of men to women in the cast.

Doing a double take to think female characters is good but what if then you don't know how to make them convincing? Research is the answer.

Topical comedy obviously requires researching the news of the day, other comedy however, can be 'researched' by listening to and observing the idiosyncrasies of the world and it's people. Think about the people in the scenarios you are observing and aim to see and understand the how and why of their point of view. Ask questions if you need to. If nothing else it may lead to better communication between the sexes.

Being objective and non judgemental will help gain a complete picture of what is going on. Later, you will be able to adjust the particular take on a topic or subject to the particular style of a show, different forms of comedy e.g. satire, aggressive stand-up material, whimsy etc. The main thing is to take everything in, using all five senses, and to keep a notebook of your observations as, believe me, you will forget. Your notebooks will certainly provide ideas and inspiration during any creative dry points.

Once you have your ideas there is no substitute for being a competent comedy craftsperson. Knowing how to shape and structure not only gags, but anecdotes, observations and longer sitcom and comedy drama scripts, will put you in the upper echelons.

Getting the laughs often, and in the right places is something that can be learnt, as can the art of comic timing, which comes from handling pauses, emphases and punchlines effectively. You can improve your craft by reading books, joining a writers group to gain feedback, or by taking a course.

In the end, any comedy comes down to writing within the particular guidelines for e.g. a sketch show or the specific persona of a stand-up comic, and with all due regard for the requirements of the medium you are writing for. There is far more room for self-expression when writing situation comedy or comedy drama and the only advice there is to 'go for it', don't try and double guess what you think commissioners want, and to address the certain scarcity of female comedy. It's a definite gap in the market, so why not try and fill it.

In summary, don't forget to include female characters when writing comedy and, bearing in mind a show's cast, avoid having women as accessories or always in a minor role. Think beyond the stereotypical and traditional roles of both men and women and strive to improve your craft.

Women have an obvious advantage when it comes to producing female centred comedy and by way of encouragement I would say, have a go, don't try and copy the men, and have faith in what you write even if it doesn't quite seem to fit what you've seen before, nothing fresh and original ever does. While there's at least one man who thinks he can't write for women, it would sound very odd to hear a woman say, "I'm a woman, I can't write for men."

Jenny Roche is the author of 'Teach Yourself Comedy Writing' and runs comedy writing courses as Manchester University. She has sold gags and sketches to BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 and TV shows including 'The Brian Conley Show' and 'The 11 O'clock Show'. Jenny is a former Chairperson and Market Information Officer of the Comedy Writers Association UK. Jenny's Directory Listing