Call us now on 01727-867454
Call us now on 01727-867454
EXTRACT FROM THE COMEDY SKETCH WRITER'S HANDBOOK [back to handbook home]
(c) Andrew
Barclay, 2007
CREATING COMEDY CHARACTERS
(or "Why sketch writers have to start thinking
like sit-com writers!")
Few writers, producers, script editors or commissioning heads will disagree that
the single, most important ingredient in any comedy or drama in any given media (known
or yet to be discovered) is character. Character, and not situation. So much so,
that a ‘situation comedy’ should be described more properly as a ‘character comedy’.
This is because where a police station, army barracks, hospital, veterinary surgery,
radio station, bar, space ship, office or tower block in Peckham may be interesting
in themselves, they are in no way as interesting as the characters who inhabit them.
Consider any successful sit-com, and it becomes clear that the characters and not
the situations are the winning ingredient. Del Boy, David Brent, Blackadder – it
is the psychological make up of their characters that leads them into action, not
simply a response to their immediate surroundings, no matter how visually amusing
those surroundings may be. In other words, they are highly pro-active, and not just
reactive.
The chaos at the end of an episode of Fawlty Towers, The Brittas Empire or Dad’s
Army, for instance, leave an audience in stitches not simply because of the visual
elements, but mainly because of the character decisions that have led to the inevitable
disaster. Fawlty can’t help but say and do the wrong thing; Gordon Brittas tries
to do the right thing, but always fails; Captain Mainwearing wants to do the right
thing but his natural pomposity and vanity always get in the way.
Okay, but what does this mean for the sketch writer who has just a couple of minutes
to create and motivate a character? Is it really possible to compete with the power
of a character created over several years and half-hour series? And surely the whole
point of a sketch show is to see a variety of different situations, anyway?
In my view, it is the sketch writer’s role to try to create highly-memorable characters.
Even in a sketch set in a mad location, it will be the motivations of the character
that will usually be the best fuel for the routine. For example, Harry Enfield and
Paul Whitehouse have developed a broad range of wonderful individuals who make us
laugh primarily because of their behaviour rather than because of their presence
in a particular location.
Perhaps just as importantly, if you are writing scripts for a live comedy show, or
for a low-budget TV production, there may not be the financial resources to set your
sketches in exotic or unusual locations. The comedy will rest firmly on the strength
of the characters. Therefore, it is essential to prioritise character development
above everything else. Plus, if you plan to progress to longer-form comedy writing,
it will be your character creation skills that really count in the long run.
So, where
do you start..? [top] [back to handbook home]
"I've used this excellent book to write sketches for TV, as well as to help me put
together a show that's going to the Edinburgh Fringe."
- Damian Rylance
"It's the best and most practical book I've read on this subject." - Karen Walsh
BOOKING ON-LINE - SECURITY & SAFETY ISSUES We do not receive your credit card details, and have no access to your card number. Your payment is made via PAYPAL
