Writing Sitcoms

Description

Almost every writer, whether professional or beginner, has thought of a good sitcom idea at one time or another, but fleshing that idea out is a long and complicated process of character development, plotting, dialogue writing and rewriting and then putting the whole package together in a way that will attract producers.;In this handbook, sitcom writers John Byrne and Marcus Powell seek to break that process down into a series of easy-to-follow steps. With chapters devoted to concept, characters and plot through to proposals, commissioning and production, the volume aims to cover every aspect needed for success in the UK. It draws on a wide range of popular sitcoms as examples and provides a comprehensive selection of relevant publications, Web sites and organizations.

John Byrne has over twenty years experience as a comedy writer, cartoonist and performer for TV, radio, theatre and print. Marcus Powell wrote the pilot script and several of the series episodes for Rude Boy.com, a BBC Children's sitcom. John and Marcus co-wrote Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me for BBC Radio 4 and they have several other sitcom projects in various stages of development both collectively and individually.