Dos and Don’ts when developing your new comedy by Simon Nicholls

Writing a sitcom or comedy drama is hard. Really hard. Especially a good one.

As a comedy writer you have to come up with memorable characters, surprising twists and characterful dialogue – just like a drama writer – but you also have to add *drumroll* laughs. Ideally your script contains funny lines and moments that appeal to your audience. And lest we forget – comedy is subjective and personal. We all have different senses of humour. Damn it!

Because writing a strong comedy requires such specific skills – and with the comedy industry needing new, diverse, regional voices – multi-award-winning producer and former BBC Studios comedy exec Simon Nicholls has devised and leads Falmouth University’s popular and highly successful MA in Comedy Writing. It’s a part-time online MA, so you can be based anywhere whilst you study, combining it with your other commitments.  

Many of the MA’s graduates have secured their first professional writing credits and are successfully developing their shows with leading comedy producers.

As well as teaching practical writing skills and building your confidence to deliver a portfolio of writing that showcases your talent, the course also teaches you the street smarts to best navigate the industry: how to grab paid opportunities, how to approach producers and agents and how to make your work stand out from the crowd.

The MA also features online masterclasses from the very best in the industry – an array of Emmy and BAFTA-winning comedy writers, performers and producers.

Simon is excited to be leading an online comedy writing masterclass for London Screenwriters Festival at 14:00 on March 7^th. As a little taster for the masterclass, here’s Simon with some suggested Dos and Don’ts for all new comedy writers, as you start work on a new sitcom or comedy drama…

DO write a pilot episode (opening episode) where your show’s main premise is evident from the very beginning.

If your comedy is about a plumber, show your main character being a plumber from the off. 

DON’T write an opening episode – full of preamble and set-up – where your main character becomes a plumber in the final scene.

Producers and agents want to see what a typical episode of your comedy looks like: they’re not interested in the origin story of your central character. Remember how boring Star Wars’ origin story – The Phantom Menace – was? Exactly. Don’t do that. From the very first episode, comedies have to hit the ground running. If you can’t think of a way to write your opening episode without a bunch of back-story, just pretend you’re writing episode 2.

DO make sure that your sitcom’s plot matters to your main character.

If what your main character is trying to achieve really matters to them, then it will matter to the audience. On paper, we really shouldn’t care when Frasier and Niles choose to run a restaurant. But because the writers establish that it really matters to them, we the audience are invested – there’s jeopardy for the character and we want to see if they succeed. Because it matters. 

DON’T come up with a plot that doesn’t matter to your main character.

If the story doesn’t matter to your main character, why should we care? Creating a story that doesn’t matter means your script will have all the drive, jeopardy and emotional connection of a pebble. Have you tried watching or listening to a pebble for 30 minutes non-stop? You get my point. 

DO work out your comedy’s point of view.

As you’re developing your show, figure out what you want it to be REALLY about – beyond the basic set-up. Is this a comedy about faith? Or jealousy? Or frustration? What’s the human story at the heart of your comedy?

The best comedies have a clear point of view and relatable human story. The late great US comedian Garry Shandling’s Emmy-winning sitcom The Larry Sanders Show was – on paper – a satire of US chat shows. But that was just the set-up. In interviews, Garry said the human story he wanted to tell was ‘love’ – and how the need for fame screws you up. When writers pitched Garry ideas for the show, they’d say, “It’s an episode where Hank takes over as host one week, because Larry is ill.” Garry would reply, “Yes, but what’s that episode really about? What’s the human story? What does hosting the show mean to Hank?”

It’ll take time, but when you’re developing a new comedy, figure out the emotional heart of your show. It’ll help you flesh out what makes your characters’ funny and inspire ideas for plots. Without it, you run the risk of writing something funny but emotionally empty. And no-one wants that!

DON’T write something generic that you don’t care about.

If you cynically think the BBC wants a sitcom about a pet psychologist, and you have no real interest in pet psychology, then don’t write it. You want to be emotionally invested and excited by your idea. If you find ‘extreme ironing’ funny, write a sitcom about that. Don’t worry if it’s niche – just remember, it’s your job as a writer to get the audience as excited about your show’s world as you are. 

DO make your characters’ dialogue and manner distinctive.

Strong comic characters are specific in the way they speak, the vocabulary they use. Just like real life, some people are monosyllabic and others don’t know when to shut up. Your characters deserve you putting the detailed work in – figuring out how they speak, their physical manner, their quirks and obsessions.

If you’re having trouble figuring your character’s voice, imagine which actor or actress (or comedian or comedienne) you’d cast in the role and write your character’s dialogue with that actor’s voice in your head. This will stop you from doing what many new writers do – writing dialogue with their own voice.

You want to reach a point where you can cover up the character names in your script and know immediately who is speaking at any given moment – just from the dialogue. 

DON’T let your characters be similar to one another.

If characters in a scene share the same viewpoint, that’s boring. Just a bunch of people agreeing. Yuck! You want each of your regular characters to have their own point of view on life.  

One way of working this out is imagine all your show’s regular characters together in a room, talking about one subject. Let’s say Harry Styles. What does each character think about Harry Styles? Do they all know who Harry Styles is? If two of your characters share the same opinion, tinker with them so they don’t.  

SUPER BONUS DON’T: DON’T be a chump! If you’re serious about comedy writing, do something about it…

Join Simon’s online comedy writing masterclass for London Screenwriter’s Festival happening at 14:00 on 7^th March. A special 1-hour masterclass focused on strengthening your comedy writing skills.