Writing jokes for Have I Got News For You
By Lorna Woolfson (@lolcov)
When I went to The Craft Of Comedy Conference in Llandudno in April, I expected, at best, to hear from some people in the comedy biz about how it all works. What I didn’t expect was that I would come away with an opportunity to submit jokes to HIGNFY every week and get incredibly detailed feedback on each submission from the brilliant Ged Parsons. But that’s exactly what has happened.
The contest was part of a welcome package for the conference. It seemed like just a bit of fun. It was such a packed conference that no time was available to focus on it. Each person was asked to come up with up to three set up lines (not captions….whatever you do, do not call them captions) for a selection of 6 photographs. We handed them in on the Friday and went through some of them, with Ged, as the very last session of the Conference on Sunday.
A couple of mine were singled out and here I am.
What amazes me each week is what a craft these jokes are. In Ged’s feedback notes, he might tweak one word or rearrange the sentence to make it flow better or to make it funnier and each time he does, you can see that he’s right. He’s very honest too; if it doesn’t work or it’s not funny he says so.
There are five of us from the Conference who take part and a couple of guys Ged had been teaching on a course. He gives us our feedback all together so that we can see what the others are getting right and wrong as well as ourselves. He told us from the start that it is very unlikely that any of our jokes will make it on to HIGNFY as it involves not only a great photo and setup but also a hell of a lot of luck. That said, last week, one of the guys did actually get their joke on the show. So there is hope for us all…
Notes from Ged Parsons on writing jokes for images
Lorna and Ged have kindly shared their jokes and feedback for a series of amusing images. This is a brilliant read for anyone wanting to write jokes for satirical TV, magazines or websites. In each case Lorna’s entry is first, followed by Ged Parson’s feedback and the image in question.
Theresa May has hit back at critics who have accused her of not being enough like Margaret Thatcher
Very good. Nice idea, well expressed. Just a couple of tweaks. Use the present tense. And ‘hits back’ could maybe be changed – if we make her sound positive, that will then increase the contrast with the ‘far-from-positive’ photo. This was one of several very good ones you did. My edit:
Theresa May attempts to win over critics who have accused her of not being enough like Margaret Thatcher …
North Korea’s new Women’s Institute has celebrated the appointment of its democratically elected new leader …
Very good, with a couple of tweaks. Hide ‘North Korea’, because it gives away too much, and we then know, almost always, who it is who’s about to appear. Avoid repetition of ‘new’. Maybe overstate the electoral ‘fairness’ for comedy effect. And use the present tense. This was one of your several very good ones. My edit:
A foreign branch of the Women’s Institute celebrates the appointment of its entirely democratically-elected new leader …
Prince Harry has received a response from the Queen and Prince Charles after requesting a blessing for him to propose to Meghan Markle …
Very good, but we can tweak what’s already here. Try to get the joke’s key word, ‘response’, as close as possible to the reveal of the photo that actually shows that response, i.e. put it at the end of the set-up line. Saying ‘their’ blessing is not only more usual, it also personalises their unkind reaction more, and makes it more funnily callous. Add some objective, but telling, detail about Meghan, for clarity, and comedy effect. ‘Official’ would add some nice wrong-footing. Use the present tense. This was one of your several very good ones. My edit:
After Prince Harry asks the Queen and Prince Charles for their blessing for him to propose to American commoner Meghan Markle, he receives their official response …
Ahead of the June General Election, the Liberal Democrats seek to attract disillusioned UKIP voters.
Good photo, good joke, well-written. I’d make a bit more of Farron’s uncertain, ‘less-than-comfortable’ facial expression. It matters less in this case that we’re told what the emotion in the photo will be, because the exact nature of what they’re adopting, (the beer), remains a surprise. Submitted as:
As preparation for the Election continues, there’s evidence that the Liberal Democrats are half-heartedly adopting the same strategy as UKIP …
At the races this week, one pensioner hopes for an upturn in her fortunes …
Good photo. I don’t think we need ‘at the races’, because those details don’t need to register – the viewers will fix only on ‘win a luxury car’. We don’t need ‘this week.’ I’ve made her plight sound more desperate, and added the ambiguous ‘state benefits’. Submitted as:
As state benefits are cut even further, one pensioner takes desperate measures to try and maintain her standard of living…