As a producer and commissioning editor, Graham Smith has had a hand in the creation of many beloved comedy shows, including Spaced, That Mitchell & Webb Situation, and Little Britain.
His session at the London Screenwriters’ Festival was a gift for any aspiring TV comedy writers. What he gave was a clear and concise action plan for anyone looking to break in to British comedy.
Grand Scheme Media is the company Graham now runs with Mark Thompson. It is a creative consultancy that helps writers to develop their ideas, and ultimately pitch them.
Over the course of the hour’s Zoom chat, Graham gave many helpful tips on how to navigate the early stages of the UK TV industry.
Know the market
This is the biggest takeaway from Graham. He laments that everyone wants to pitch to Channel 4, who do not commission many shows a year. But there are 12 other channels that produce comedy in the UK. One of them will suit your voice best; knowing which one that is will help you get ahead. This is one of the ways Grand Scheme Media helps writers; with their assistance, you can narrow down which channel is best to pitch for.
Get it read
Before you venture into the market, Graham advocates making sure you get your script read by as many people as possible- ideally so you can hear it read aloud. With comedy, it is important to road test your gags as best you can in advance. Know your script has the best possible chance before you put it out there.
Make the first ten pages fly
Especially with comedy, it is important to grab the reader early on. If people don’t see potential for an entire series of laughs from the first ten pages, they won’t read the next twenty. Graham has a technique for making sure of this: he advocates coming up with at least three or four alternatives to every joke. Really interrogate each one until it’s the best it can be.
American writer’s rooms work because of the competitive nature of the talent constantly trying to improve the gags. While Graham doubts that model will find a footing in British comedy until the economy supports it, he reasons we can be our own writer’s room if we compete with ourselves to find the best joke every time.
And you can check out the services Grand Scheme Media has to offer right here: http://www.grandscheme.tv
James Alexander Allen has been a screenwriter for about six years. He has also written a stage play (performed at Brighton’s Rialto and the Bread and Roses in Clapham) and directed four short films. He loves all things Star Wars, and dark comedies with a healthy grain of truth in them.
