By Carl Rice
I am 19 months in to writing my own sitcom script and anyone who has been in
the position that I am in at the moment should understand why I have been forced
in to writing this article, it's a matter of principle. Head mashed, lack of
cash, rubbish food, shitty mood, lost my bird, these are just a few of the
things I have put up with whilst trying to make my mark on the world of
Situation Comedy, as have millions of other people. Millions upon millions of
websites offer tips and hints, contacts, what to do and what not to do, How to
act, How to present, How to sleep....... you get the picture.
Now for the lovely people who set these websites up, this is far from being a
complaint or a negative thing, oh no, the idea is great, as Mother would say
"Your heart's in the right place". My problem is with the constant admiration
and downright exaggeration of Only Fools & Horses, Dads Army, Fawlty Towers
etc. Okay, they were groundbreaking, but so were shell suits in 1990 and we left
them there were they belong basking in their purple and green glory. Can't we do
the same with our beloved comedies. Father Ted, Black Books, Alan
Partridge...lets give more recent triumphs such as these the praise that they
undoubtedly deserve. Can we not stop showing re-runs of Del & Rodney on
their trip to Margate or The one with the Germans in Fawlty Towers and take a
risk with some new undeveloped, fresh talent. What are they scared of? Last of
The Summer Wine? What? I'd rather eat cow sh*t on toast than sit through a
minute of that melancholy garbage. We know what will happen anyway, someone
rolls down a hill in a bath tub and Nora Batty hits someone with a bag of
Brocolli. Come on!
You may think I am a bitter penniless writer and you'd be right but that is
not the reason for this slander against our classic sitcom friends. I just find,
and maybe this is just me, that the constant praise and re-runs of these old and
now not so funny sitcoms, cause writer's, like myself who are trying to break
the mould slightly and PROGRESS, to just sit down and give up.
I think that is a sad state of affairs that so called "Comedy experts" in
2004 still need to look back at programmes, some which are 30 years old, to
allow themselves to say "Now that is funny, that's REAL comedy". They say this
whilst thousands of hours of people's time, love, life sit on desks of
Producer's who are too scared to take a risk, who are too interested in their
Christmas bonus by hitting the top viewing figures with an Only Fools &
Horse Xmas special Part 45, to give something new a chance.
Sing it - 'All we are sayin', is give us a chance'.
I have gone on for far too long and now I will stop, I have to. I need to get
back to my writing, as I do every night, every day, every minute.....
My message after this over worded rant? I think it's time to move on!
Carl Rice
