Do I have to compromise my creative style to make it?

This is a question a lot of comedy writers struggle with. You know what you find funny. Can’t you just write in that way rather than having to make it fit a derived formula?

After all the reason a lot of people start out making comedy is because they have seen and identified things that they find funny, and have experienced the amazing buzz from being able to convey that to other people. So if you already know what’s funny to you, why should you compromise your style to fit someone else’s view on how things should be done?

I’m going to argue that you don’t necessarily have to write in the style wanted by production companies and commissioners, but you absolutely have to make sure that your style and content is funny and engaging.

Decide where you want your comedy to go

When you are writing comedy you need to consider where you are taking it. You may be entering a competition, writing for a specific actor, or writing for a sitcom or short film that is personal and means something to you.

If you are writing for a competition that means pitching your show for a particular platform, say BBC1, then you increase your chances of success by identifying what they are looking for and considering your entry in the context of that. For example at the moment (and this may change depending on when you read this) BBC1 are primarily looking for mainstream studio audience sitcoms that can take over from Mrs Brown’s Boys.

Studio audience sitcoms are not the preferred creative style of many comedy writers, but this is what BBC want for their prime time comedy (to understand more about what is meant by a studio audience sitcom and why it works for a mainstream audience, read this blog by Andrew Ellard). In an interview with Simon Caine in his Ask The Industry podcast, Head of BBC Writersroom Anne Edyvean says as much, explaining that in the Writersroom they are looking for talent rather than a specific show to commission, and if someone demonstrates that they can write for a main audience show rather than something less conventional they may well be more likely to be considered. That said she also adds that they are not looking for people to repeat what has been done before. (The same is true for radio – check out this blog from Comedy Crowder Simon Miller where he talks about successfully adapting his competition entries for Newsjack).

This logic also applies to production companies. If you are going to send off your work to a production company in the hope they will come on board and help turn it into a final product, then you probably will need to either find one that knows and likes your style of comedy, or tailor what you have made into something that aligns to what they make.

We have spoken to many production companies recently who have told us the worst thing they get is a generic request to read a script that has not been considered in the context of their work and where the email or letter they receive is part of a mass mailing with no specific reference to why they have been approached.

You may be thinking “that’s annoying, I don’t want to change my work to make it fit a style that suits the taste of a production company or commissioning body”. Well nowadays there are alternatives, but before we consider them its worth mentioning that there is value in trying out different styles of comedy to understand what works best for you. After all, its unlikely that your first ever script will be your best, and you can only learn by doing.

The great thing about the internet and modern media platforms is that you now have options for making your comedy and you can find the audience who appreciate your style by starting simple and testing regularly.

People Just Do Nothing is a great example of this, whereby they made rough cuts of their show in the style they found funny and attracted an audience through YouTube. It was later picked up by BBC3 and has been successful there, but it is highly unlikely to end up being shown on prime time mainstream TV due to the nature of the content.

Another topical example is 90s comedy The Mrs Merton show. Rather than being pitched directly to TV bosses, Mrs Merton, performed by the late Caroline Aherne, built up an initial cult following on a local radio show before appearing as a secondary character on another TV comedy. It was only after success had been proven through these channels that the prime time TV slot was offered.

The important thing to take from this is that if you are going to approach an established production company or commissioning body directly without proof of an audience to back up your creation, then it will help to tailor it to meet their style. If you start developing characters and building up an audience first then you are more likely to have success with your own unique style of comedy.

So do I have to play by any rules?

Here’s some quotes from people working in comedy:

“Make us laugh on the first page” – Anne Edyvean, Head of BBC Writersroom, speaking on the Ask The Industry podcast

“Is it a funny idea with characters that I engage with that actually makes you laugh”- Sioned Wiliam, BBC Radio 4 Comedy Commissioner, speaking on Sitcom Geeks podcast

“You only have to read the first 5 pages to see if its worth reading the rest of it. Assume its about 1 minute per page, if it was on the TV and you are 5 minutes in and don’t laugh, you will turn over” – Henry Normal, co-founder of Baby Cow Productions and writer for The Royle Family, Mrs Merton and many other hit comedies, speaking on the Ask The Industry podcast

The common theme with all successful comedies is that they are consistently funny. The humour may not always be to your taste, but it is there right from the start and keeps going throughout. So while you definitely can stay true to your unique style of comedy, you should make sure your work is funny.

The most important thing is to engage your audience quickly and keep them engaged. Work in your style, but be critical not to indulge in moments that don’t result in a laugh or high audience engagement.

Here’s what to do

So in answer to the question “do I have to compromise my creative style to make it?”, the answer is no, but it may help if you go down a particular route. Be sure to keep these two things in mind when starting out writing your comedy:

1. Have a think about where you want your comedy to go. If you want to send a script or idea to a commissioning body or a large production company then you probably stand the best chance if you align the content to what they are looking for. If you want to express your own comedy style then the best option may be to start making it yourself, keeping it simple while developing characters and building up your audience online. Both are a great way to learn as long as you are getting feedback as you go. Which brings me to point 2.

2. Get feedback. Whichever route you take its best to do this early and regularly, to find out how funny and engaging your work is, learn what works, and tighten your script. We developed the Ask The Crowd to help you do just this in an affordable, productive way, but however you choose to do it getting feedback will ensure you have the best chance of making something that people really engage with. After all, we wouldn’t be making comedy in the first place if we didn’t want to make other people laugh.