Marc Blake

Sitcom is not easy – some would say that it’s the hardest kind of comedy writing – but it is extremely rewarding. Your name on the credits is a huge validation of the months of hard work you have put into a project.

Sitcom is much loved by the general public and it is endlessly repeatable, which means that the writer will always have their work being broadcast somewhere in the world, and be getting paid for it.

There is nothing like hearing your words performed by professional actors or seeing the scene you wrote on a wet Wednesday acted out on camera for the first time.

Situation comedy, or ‘sitcom’, captures the public imagination.

There is a particular fondness for this form of scripted comedy.

Sitcom is deceptive. You think you are watching naturally funny people snipe, bicker and be witty, but the writer and later the script editor, producer, cast and crew have all done an immense amount of work in creating a unique world.

In this book I aim to break down exactly how this is done and to provide a number of suggestions and exercises to prompt you into doing it yourself.

I will look at sitcom characters and how to create them, what kinds of relationships work best, plotting and sub-plotting, and how to make it as potentially funny as possible. Included also are script templates and information on how to sell your work and to whom.

Sitcom writing is a commercial business, so will also offer hints and tips on how to go about getting an agent and how to deal with broadcasters or independent production companies when they show interest in your writing.

Nevertheless, what makes a sitcom great are characters who provoke the phrase ‘I know someone just like that’.