The Cold Caller
Tag: shane allen
Noel Coward Record Store Day
I am surprised this slice of eccentric Noel Coward oddity wasn’t released for Record Store Day. An undiscovered and some would say completely made up piece of aural entertainment that would make Jack White bid a million dollars for.
BBC Commission for a great show!
With the proliferation of wacky themed shows filling our airwaves there is nothing better than pitching one myself to the BBC.
This one can’t be as bad as Gogglebox or the new one, Gogglebox in the kitchen. And lest we forget the classic fixed rig camera show set in a pub.
One thinks that i may be waiting a long time for them to get back to me.
BBC Television pitch
So, i have the ability to login to the BBC online commissioning site and submit ideas but in reality nothing will ever be commissioned here as the “pickers” have their own relationships.
This doesn’t mean i can’t submit wacky ideas (I mean, where did Gogglebox or Benefits Street come from?) so here is one of my ideas.
God forbid it actually gets to the meeting stage but stranger things have happened!
Dick Fatoush: The Return
Production commencing soon on the comedy pilot, Dick Fatoush: The Lebanese Detective.
The Lebanese mentalist with a heart of Gold is back to kick some crimefighting bottom.
Bringing EdgyBack
Disclaimer: This is a broad generalization when referring to specific episodes but I am making an overall point so don’t dick me over some late night show which you term a classic.
Each decade of television (and radio) has had an element of the radical that has changed the landscape and influenced the following generation from the Goon Show (1950’s), Tony Hancock (1960’s), Monty Python/ Q (1970’s), Blackadder/ The Young Ones/ Only Fools and Horses/ Spitting Image (1980’s), The Day Today, Big Train (1990’s), The Office, Nighty Night and Nathan Barley in the noughties.
Obviously there was a load of crap that fell by the wayside (Fresh Fields/ Curry and Chips/ Mind your Language) but the last one on my list is the point I am making albeit a broad one.
For me the last great comedy series was Nathan Barley and due to it’s reception was considered an artistic failure, which seemed to be a Chris Morris backlash. Since then there has been nothing challenging which is curious because comedy is about as fashionable as Anna Wintour these days.
The Sitcom Pitch and other Tales of Timing…..
Here is something I don’t get; I get grilled about getting the perfect one line pitch that sells a sitcom script. Fine, it’s all good as nobody needs to hear some meandering semi nebulous idea of a boy in love with a fish (believe it or not this was made into a short film that propelled a talentless director to current mainstream success. When I recently went to a pitch session with established commissioners my semi meandering was battered to submission and I learned a lot about being concise and to the point. I may have a few completed scripts but before I get there I need to pitch within 3 minutes to people who have less than 2 for such things.
So what’s my point?
Read this for a pitch: Two supermarket colleagues who are forced to drive together in a company car share scheme.
Sounds like a total load of cock, right? Well, this is the pitch/ press release of Peter Kay’s new comedy series that is much trumpeted for the iPlayer and then BBC TV.
Admittedly it is a press release for the public but as it’s Peter Kay, he must have had a longer pitch to go into more detail as the one-liner is a bit of an uninspiring one even though you know it will be a well-written show and therefore should have been worded better as if you are sitting in front of the commissioner himself . The people reading the article are going to be the eventual audience anyway.
Another pitch made is: A three-parter written by Peep Show co-writer Jesse Armstrong, about a politician compromised by his sexual appetites, is planned for BBC2.
Again with his pedigree it will be a solidly written piece of work but as the pitch is given it sounds pretty much like the other similarly themed programmes made recently. Sounds generic and if I pitched these two as they were I would be curtly kicked in the face. But then again they have earned their merit badges and can say anything/ do anything and have more time with the commissioners. Maybe it just took me 331 words to just say hypocrisy.
In essence I have to get my act to 3 mins and the established get considerably longer.
