Sitcom Writing

Part 4

Duration 

They look for a reading time of around 20-23 minutes for commercial television and 26 for the BBC. Something around 50-60 pages in sitcom format should be alright but the best way to check the length of your script is to read it out loud.

Format 

If you've gone to the effort of writing a script for television, it's helpful to you and the reader if you present it well. It's best if you can present your sitcom in the right format . However, whether you use the sitcom, radio or screenplay format, ensure it is laid out neatly with correct spelling, punctuation and grammar - the reader is then more likely to stay with it. It's best to send a clean copy to a prodco - not one that looks as if it's been around a bit. Hello. Although I used to subscribe to the 'present a studio sitcom script in that format' rule, I'm now tending more to agree with Marc, partly because it saves paper to use film format, partly because a lot of writers are now using Final Draft, and partly because if a script is going to be produced, it can be re-formatted. The wide left margin is really only essential for a shooting script, to allow for camera shots to be written in, and it's as easy to time a script in film format. Best wishes, Micheal

Submissions

If you are a new writer then production companies will need to see a completed script  - preferably a mid-season one and not the pilot.  They will also need to see the synopses of at least six other episodes (preferably twelve) to see if the show has any legs.  Once you are known as someone who can write a sitcom competently then you may be able to simply pitch ideas but not before then.

According to Micheal Jacob, Comedy Development at the BBC: "Unless your show has a big idea (super hero, time travel, worst week of my life) and you need an episode to introduce it, then you should just tell a story with your characters. Even if it is a big idea, get it in early and tell a proper story which is typical of the series, rather than spending an episode whose climax sets up what the series is actually going to be about.

Of course, there have been successful shows with first episodes which establish the premise - Birds of a Feather, One Foot in the Grave, Happiness - but in general it's good just to get in there, and allow audiences to learn about the characters through plot and action.

The covering letter should be brief introducing yourself and saying what the series is about. I also suggest you make an effort to find out the name of the person who is likely to see your script and personalise the letter to accompany your material. A one-page proposal about the series would also be useful.

Unfortunately it is seen as unprofessional and annoying for unsolicited scripts to be sent on floppy disk or by email so that cheaper option is out. However once your script is accepted for development then email is used a lot.

Checklist

Read the BBC comedy script editor's checklist. If your script doesn't pass that then you must do some...

Rewriting

"Everything can be improved"  
- C. W. Barron

Don't be afraid of rewriting. That  favourite scene or joke might have to be cut for the script to be better.  Even if your script is accepted for production you may have to rewrite it several times. As the adage goes: writing is rewriting.

Matthew Carless formerly of the BBC CDU tells how one writer phoned him in the afternoon to ask about submitting a script he had written that morning. While that is an extreme example, another saying to bear in mind is "patience is a virtue".

Don't settle on your script being as good as the worst sitcoms on air but keep re-writing it until it is as good as the best sitcoms that are on air. First draft scripts are easily spotted and automatically rejected as it shows that the writer couldn't be bothered to try and improve it.

"The first draft of everything is shit"
- Ernest Hemingway  

Part 1: Audience / Theme / Character
Part 2: Subject / Longevity / Copyright / Location
Part 3: Story / Structure / Dialogue
Part 4
Part 5: BBC & C4 / Prodco / Next / Rejection / Acceptance / Agents