There is a new comedy show on ITV1 called SHOOT THE WRITERS! Send us your comedy scripts and you have the chance of getting them performed on national TV and voted for by the general public.
The winners will get much exposure and meet lots of useful people. It is a great way to get into the exciting comedy writing world.
Be sure to watch ITV1 on 9th December (late night) to see the first show. We look forward to seeing all your scripts!
Nice idea, could work quite well for itv1 to help them discover new comedy. At the moment it isn't known for its comedy. All I can think of this year is Harry Hill's TV Burp, the Harry Hill Show, The Sketch Show (though that was mucked around), Hardware (a really good series, hope that it comes back), and you could say Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned and the Frank Skinner Show.
Bar Hardware they have no sitcoms, they are about the comedians doing a show.
This show could be good for itv1, and its always good to have comedy on. itv are seriously missing some good family comedy, the only good one in recent years was barbera, but they didn't treat it well and ended up axing it!
If they build on comedy in the next year, 2004 may be a very funny year, and itv1 may be the one with the Christmas comedy specials on christmas day! They already have Dave Spikey about to go into production on his first solo written comedy (i presume to go out in september 04), they have vic reeves and steve coogan working on a new sketch show for itv1which will star them, bob mortimer and others. So more comedy would be great.
I wouldn't mind seeing the return of the 'an audience with...' programmes with some of todays great comedians, peter kay, johnny vegas, harry hill, lee evans. It would be excellent if they could all be bagged, but i doubt it!
The programme by Dave Spikey looks really good, he was on The Afternoon Show (Granada only) last week and he went through of what the show will be like, and it is about the people and events in the newsroom of a free newspaper, which doesn't gather the important news and focuses more on crappy horoscopes and adverts, it does look very funny. He did say that he is writing it at the moment and filming will start in April, so I assume it will be on in September.
This thing with Steve Coogan and Vic and Bob sounds good, sounds like a winner, first proper show by Coogan, Reeves and Mortimer for ITV, lets hope it wont be f*cked about in the schedules.
To be honest the comedy output on ITV at the moment isn't too bad, Harry Hill's TV Burp is very funny, The All New Harry Hill Show wasn't that great, it was slightly childish and OTT. Baddiel and Skinner are very funny when they're together, Unplanned is a good show and I assume ITV have recomissioned it otherwise why would they have made the Baddiel and Skinner ident? The Sketch Show was the funniest show on ITV in ages and deserved that Bafta Award as it was well done, though Series 2 wasn't as good as the first, but still had some good gags. Note all these good shows are made by Avalon TV, none by Carlton or Granada.
Apparently Hardware has been recomissioned, slightly cheesy but it was a good programme, a decent sitcom on ITV, again not made by Carlton or Granada, rather ironically made by Thames.
Where's 2DTV got to? Another great programme but we haven't had an episode for a year!! Come on ITV, where's 2DTV? But one of the problems is that all of the voices are done by the Dead Ringers team, and they have been quite busy this year.
The programme by Dave Spikey looks really good, he was on The Afternoon Show (Granada only) last week and he went through of what the show will be like, and it is about the people and events in the newsroom of a free newspaper, which doesn't gather the important news and focuses more on crappy horoscopes and adverts, it does look very funny. He did say that he is writing it at the moment and filming will start in April, so I assume it will be on in September.
This thing with Steve Coogan and Vic and Bob sounds good, sounds like a winner, first proper show by Coogan, Reeves and Mortimer for ITV, lets hope it wont be f*cked about in the schedules.
To be honest the comedy output on ITV at the moment isn't too bad, Harry Hill's TV Burp is very funny, The All New Harry Hill Show wasn't that great, it was slightly childish and OTT. Baddiel and Skinner are very funny when they're together, Unplanned is a good show and I assume ITV have recomissioned it otherwise why would they have made the Baddiel and Skinner ident? The Sketch Show was the funniest show on ITV in ages and deserved that Bafta Award as it was well done, though Series 2 wasn't as good as the first, but still had some good gags. Note all these good shows are made by Avalon TV, none by Carlton or Granada.
Apparently Hardware has been recomissioned, slightly cheesy but it was a good programme, a decent sitcom on ITV, again not made by Carlton or Granada, rather ironically made by Thames.
Where's 2DTV got to? Another great programme but we haven't had an episode for a year!! Come on ITV, where's 2DTV? But one of the problems is that all of the voices are done by the Dead Ringers team, and they have been quite busy this year.
The last series of the sketch show wasn't as good as the first, but both series could be better. All of the featured have been extremely funny with their own gags when appearing on des & mel, perhaps more freedom is needed!
2DTV seems to have vanished totally, has it been on in 2003 at all? This was a very good show. When is it that they have planned to bring spitting image back? is this 2004 or 2005?
I think that the reason Carlton & Granada don't do comedy is because usually its rubbish. Barbara was a suprise, and a very funny family programme. Its a shame that this was axed, and that they haven't tried any new ones. All comedy nowadays seems to be aimed at young adults in a post 9pm slot.
The original poster is talking about a night time commission. It's on at 12.25am tommorow night. As it happens there's loads of comedy during night time.
2DTV is definally back next year as Carlton's website is advertising for a possible sponsor
So ITV becomes ITfree. Looked at the site and the terms and conditions, it would appear that ITV1 will save £100,000 in fees for the series and the writers don't get anything tangible in return.
"A lot of exposure and meet important people" doesn't really mean anything. Putting my script consultant hat on (posh for joke writer), I know that even with a network ITV writing credit the only thing that counts is work for which one is paid.
The idea is good in principle, but for those who take part the knowledge that they have had something they have written on ITV1 will not pay the bills.
Now test your knowledge. The Sketch Show, name the writers of the sketches that made you laugh?
Now test your knowledge. The Sketch Show, name the writers of the sketches that made you laugh?
Now as I said I thought that Series 1 was better and to be honest I don't know who writes what on the show. But I do know that Steve Coogan has something to do with both series, as it was made by his company, that being Baby Cow. But I think some of the Series 1 gags were written by Ricky Gervais, okay he's no stand up like Coogan, Vine, Mack and the others but The Office was very funny.
I think the majority of the sketches were written by the five comedians themselves, additional writers included Ricky Gervais and even Jimmy Carr! Henry Normal was the script editor and executive producer along with Steve Coogan and Richard Allen Turner & Jon Thoday from Avalon.
Did anyone watch the programme? What did you think of it.
I watched it, and some of the sketches were well written, acted, shot and edited. It was quite impressive to see some young writers being given the chance to put out things that they think are funny. Some made me laugh and some didn't, but it'll all count on the viewers vote.
The main series featuring scripts from anyone now on will be screened in the spring, and they said that they do read them all.
Last nights was all quick sketched and many off them, some reminded me a bit of smack the pony, especially the way they were shot panning to the person then off them.
So I think this is the idea as supposed to writing a pilot for a sitcom.