Date: Wednesday 22nd September 2021
Time: 7:00pm – 8:15pm
Duration: 1 hour 15 mins
Format: Online Webinar
Tickets: FREE
Online Ticket Link: Event now ended.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: University of East Anglia, National Centre for Writing and Kofra Coffee
What does it take to create, develop and write a cracking comedy for the small screen?
Join us to find out from these hit comedy TV screenwriters: Laurence Rickard (Actor & Co-Creator of BBC’s – Ghosts, Bill, Yonderland, Horrible Histories), Helen Serafinowicz (Co-Creator & Screenwriter – Motherland) and Phoebe Walsh (Actress & Writer – Ted Lasso & Four Weddings and a Funeral).
This event will be chaired by Brett Mills who is a visiting Professor of Media and Culture at Edge Hill University and External Adviser for the Comedy Writing Archive Collection at the University of East Anglia. He is the author of the books The Sitcom, Television Sitcom, and Creativity in the British Television Comedy Industry.
Please note that this event is free to attend but we do welcome donations of any size for events . If you would like to donate you can do this here.
More about our panelists:
Laurence Rickard: Larry is a BAFTA-winning comedy writer and actor, best known for the hit BBC1 sitcom Ghosts and the critically lauded sketch show Horrible Histories. A graduate in Film, TV and Drama, Larry has worked in the industry for 20 years, with credits which encompass both mainstream comedy (Tracey Ullman’s Show, Armstrong & Miller, Psychobitches, Murder in Successville) and high profile family shows (Jim Henson, Disney, CBBC). He was a principle writer and star of the historical sketch show Horrible Histories, which has won more than 20 major awards, including two National Comedy Awards, four successive BAFTA’s (a Guinness World Record) and the Prix Jeunesse for the best children’s show of the last 50 years.
Following this, he co-created the acclaimed fantasy sitcom Yonderland, which ran for three series on Sky 1, with Larry as showrunner. His move into features began by co-writing and starring in the movie Bill (BBC Films/BFI), a comic take on Shakespeare’s missing years, described as “the funniest movie of the year” (The Sun) and “a crowd pleasing treat” (Mark Kermode, The Observer). This led to work on such films as Paddington 2 and Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run sequels.
In 2019 the sitcom Ghosts was launched on BBC1, with Larry as co-creator, writer and star. It received a glowing critical reception, quickly becoming the most watched comedy on UK television, and is now in its third series. The show plays on HBO Max on the US, with an American remake in production for CBS.
In addition to ongoing Ghosts duties, Larry has written commissioned feature scripts for companies including Aardman Pictures and BBC Films, and on TV projects for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, UKTV, HBO and Showtime
Helen Serafinowicz: is a writer and producer, known for co-creating BBC’s Motherland & CBBC’s Nova Jones. She is also known for writing on projects such as Fit (2013) and Look Around You (2002).
Phoebe Walsh: Her debut solo show ‘I’ll Have What She’s Having’ won her huge critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her credits include writing for Vice and Elle magazine and sketches for C4 and E4.
She has worked with Mindy Kaling as part of the writing team on Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral and on Jason Sudeikis comedy Ted Lasso for Apple TV. The latter received WGA Awards for New Series and Comedy Series.
Phoebe also has her own projects in development both here and in LA, her pilot for BBC Three Behind The Filter aired last year.
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:
