Sitcom Writing

Part 5

BBC and Channel 4

When the time comes to send your work off out into the big bad world, remember that you have a greater choice than the networks. 

The BBC New Writing Initiative only give feedback where they consider the writer to have potential. The only other network which accepts unsolicited scripts is Channel 4 who don't produce but they do develop scripts before passing them on to an independent production company.  The problem, if you send something directly to networks, is that if the BBC and Channel 4 reject your script then it is effectively dead as those are the two main markets. However, the number of production companies willing to read unsolicited scripts is getting fewer and so if you have sufficient justifiable confidence in your script then it might be worth a punt to a network.

But if you insist on sending scripts to the BBC NWI then make sure it is funny throughout. By funny I mean obvious gags not clever or subtle ones. The former Head of Comedy at the BBC said that all the first readers are asked to look for is how funny a script is. What about comedy-drama? "We are not looking for comedy-drama which is often neither funny nor dramatic." What are they looking for? "Great original shows with the capacity to run over several series. If it's a comedy it has to be funny and great plots don't hurt."

If you insist on sending scripts to Channel 4 then they are mainly looking for single-camera sitcoms or comedy-dramas and audience sitcoms like Black Books are rare. "We are looking for shows that are primarily original, sharply written and of course funny - shows that push back the boundaries of narrative comedy."

And remember that although the BBC and Channel 4 are public service broadcasters they will not be more sympathetic to a weak script than the independents - and nor should they be. As a viewer I would be phoning to complain if any of the first scripts I sent to them as a writer were ever put on air.

Prodco

If you send your script to an independent production company then it will be developed before being sent to a network, which means that it will have more chance of success. Although the writer only has access to the BBC and Channel 4 a production company would also have access to ITV, Sky, Channel 5 and digital-only channels - which are an increasing market. If your script is rejected by one production company then there are about 20-30 other comedy prodcos left to reject it before you can say your script is dead.  Well, perhaps not dead exactly because should every prodco reject your script there would be no harm then in sending it to Channel 4 and the BBC. The production companies willing to look at unsolicited scripts can be obtained from the Writers Handbook or Writers and Artists Yearbook or the PACT directory of independent producers - which are also available from libraries.

It has been suggested that it is unprofessional to send your script to more than one production company at the same time - agents certainly don't like it. However if I send my script off to one prodco and then wait until it's rejected before sending it to another one, it could take a year or more for it to reach four companies.  It makes more sense to send it to those four companies at the same time.   There is a common fear amongst writers that if prodcos don't have an exclusive read of your script then they will be upset and never want to work with you again.  That fear is unfounded as long as you let people know when a script is no longer on the market.  There is a time for the exclusive script submission and that's when you have a personal contact – someone that has read your work before and wants to read your next project. It is however unprofessional to send your script to more than one person within a network or production company.

Some writers send their script to eight or more companies at the same time. I would advise against sending that many because there could be some valuable feedback you get from the first few which helps you to improve your script.

Next

The best way to deal with the horrible wait for prodcos to get back to you is to work on something new. Always be thinking of the next project.  A network commissioner liked one of my scripts and wanted to see more but all I had ready was a script worse than the one they liked.  Now I ensure that if I'm asked for something else I have another script good to go and several fully developed ideas. 

Ideally you will get a commission with your very first script but more realistically your first script is just a calling card. Try not to be emotionally attached to it, it is very unlikely to be made. I will repeat that. It is very unlikely to be made. I'll use as an example the writers of Days Like These, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. At one point they had eight different projects awaiting the green light from various broadcasters and independents and had completed one sitcom pilot for the BBC and one comedy-drama for Yorkshire TV. 

Rejection

Unfortunately the business comes with a lot of rejection and learning how to cope with it and move on is important for all writers. Remember you are not your work - a rejection of your work is not a rejection of you.   An increasing number of production companies now, at least, give reasons for rejection.

Although one producer may not like it, another one might love it. Father Ted, Drop the Dead Donkey, Red Dwarf and Fawlty Towers were all rejected by the BBC at one point and went on to become huge successes. But it would be a mistake to cling defiantly to a weak script with that anecdote in mind. A rejection by one producer is just one person's opinion and taste and they could be right or wrong. However if your work is rejected by several producers, I would begin to take the hint and start work on something new. You can always go back to your rejected work after a period of time and re-evaluate it with fresh eyes.

"A jest's prosperity lies in the ears of him that hears it, never in the tongue of him that makes it." William Shakespeare

"If you think you've written a brilliant script, put it away for a month and then read it again."  Graham Linehan

"When one does a thing, it appears good, otherwise one would not write it. Only later comes reflection, and one discards or accepts the thing. Time is the best censor, and patience a most excellent teacher."  Frédéric Chopin

The important thing with rejection is: 

1. Don't take it personally

2. Evaluate your work and see what could have made them reject it

3. Keep trying

Acceptance

Eventually standard rejection letters give way to personalised letters and encouragement. Soon you are invited to meetings and this will lead to commissions. But to get to that stage you have to keep writing and keep improving. If are happy with your first draft and refuse to take on board other opinions and re-write then acceptance is never going to happen. Never ever.

"For 37 years I've practiced 14 hours a day, and now they call me a genius." - Pablo de Sarasate

What if you get invited to a meeting? Although, as I said previously, it is unlikely you will be commissioned for a script you send in, you've still got to be prepared just in case. Where is the series going? What happens in episode 5? What happens in series 2? By this stage in your career you would also have other sitcom ideas with fully-developed characters and premises that you can talk about. The main thing is to be professional and nice as, just like an interview, people are also assessing whether they can work with you. Not only on your own projects but other projects within the company. Most drama and comedy start with producers and not with writers. Amateurish nasty people don't get as much work, for some reason.

A successful meeting can lead to a commission. There are writers who can make a living through projects which are commissioned. The downside of that is those projects rarely get to broadcast stage, even from established writers. So however personal and beloved your work is be prepared for it never reaching the screen.

Agents

There are many successful writers who don't have an agent. Some writers have an agent and then decide to do without one. Others are surprised because despite having an agent they still have to do a lot of the selling work themselves. Having an agent does suggest to prodcos and networks that someone with strict criteria has decided you are good enough to be a professional writer but it doesn't mean you are more likely to get commissions than a writer without an agent. Agents do however have a better overview of the market and know where to place scripts and are more likely to hear about projects before the writers do

Due to the agents' strict criteria, it would be a mistake to approach them at the beginning of your career. Only approach agents when you have had at least one commission. If you approach them when you are inexperienced then it will be ages before you can try them again.

Agents can be found in either Writers Handbook or Writers and Artists Yearbook.

The following advice was given by Fred Lawless on the UK Sitcomwriters discussion list:

1) Choose 20 agents based on what genre you write in and what genre they deal in
2) Write a letter to all 20 of them telling them you've now reached the stage in your career where you need an agent, (address the letter to an individual, the book should give a list of agents at a particular company). Tell the agent briefly what you've done in the past, commissions, work produced etc, and tell them where your ambitions lie. Ask them would they be good enough to read a sample of your work.
3) If you get a positive reply send your best script.

When Fred did this he got 14 replies, 6 of which asked to see the script, of which 2 wanted to sign him.  

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Part 1: Audience / Theme / Character
Part 2: Subject / Longevity / Copyright / Location
Part 3: Story / Structure / Dialogue
Part 4: Duration / Format / Submissions / Checklist
Part 5

Recommended external sites

1:  BBC writersroom Writing Narrative Comedy
linking to The BBC Writers' Room
2: Writing sitcom -  the top ten tips
- Kev F Sutherland's guide - linking to Situations Vacant