In this issue :

An Interview with Huddlines Producer Carol Smith
Terry Adlam recommends some Group Therapy
Pick an article, any article...


An Interview with Carol Smith

The new series of the News Huddlines starts on Radio 2 on 19th April, going on until 21st June. As the show has a constant need for non-commissioned work to keep the show at several laughs every minute, Gill Smith went to meet Carol Smith, the Producer, to find out how your writing could soon be making Roy Hudd laugh.

So how do you go about writing for the Hudds?

Carol says simply "I'm looking for sketches that make me laugh. I know I've said that over and over again, but I'm going to keep on saying it, until people realise that they have to put jokes in. This is, above all, a comedy show, and I expect jokes."

Carol is on the look out for more than that: "If there's a spark of originality, then I pounce on it. Particularly for the gag area, I'm going to get maybe 50 gags on the same subject. What I like are the ones that don't take the obvious line."

Also important is to remember the medium. "You have to write so that your words can be spoken, not read. Before you submit anything anywhere, read it out loud first. Is it actually speech or is it so word-ridden that you trip over it?"

"Audiences like to feel comfortable and confident of what's going on. Get information over to them in lean, mean form." Carol explains what audiences need to know: "You have to tell them where you are, who's talking, and what are they talking about. And once they've got hold of that they'll relax - then they're ready to laugh."

Carol is keen to emphasise the word News in the title of the show. Your sketches and gags, while packed with jokes, should also be topical. "Because we transmit on Thursday night, I have to encourage people away from the previous weekend's news, getting them as close to Thursday as I can, because when we repeat on Saturday, material based on stories that happened the previous weekend sounds terribly dated."

What else can you do to impress Carol with your gags "Never send me a script if you've not listened to the show. It's infuriating, it's time-wasting, and frankly a bit rude.

Also, make sure the layout is correct. (You can find a layout guide at www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom) "Layout not only helps the performers, it makes it much easier for us to read, vital when you are reading over a thousand submissions a week.

Also don't forget your name, address, phone number and sketch title on every single page you submit so we can match them up if they get separated and also get in touch faster if something needs to be rewritten."

Do not send an SAE, or ask for material to be returned. Don't ask for feedback, unless Carol offers you the opportunity to talk one to one with her. "On an average week, I get a thousand gags and 300 sketches. And that's in addition to commissioned material and the show has to be turned around in 3 days flat."

With all that work to get the show on air, Carol still loves working on the Hudds. "I absolutely adore Roy, Chris and June. I think they are three of the most amazing performers in the business, they are great actors, great comedians. It's a privilege to work with them, because I learn from them all the time."

She also enjoys working with new writers. "My primary brief is to produce the best show I can every week. My secondary brief is to develop new writing talent, and I like doing that too. That gives me an enormous amount of satisfaction, to go out and hunt out new talent. And spending as much time as I have available working one-to-one with new writing talent."

There are problems with it too. "Sometimes I feel that I've gone into comedy overload. I've read so many jokes, so many sketches that nothing is ever going to be funny again. That's normally towards about 6 O'clock on a Wednesday afternoon." Fortunately, Carol has some tricks for regaining her sense of humour, including coffee, chocolate, or a walk round the block. After all, "by Wednesday night, there has to be a script."

I asked Carol if she'd like to change anything about the show. "It's been running very successfully, for 25 years. I think it works because of the throughput of the writing talent. It's constantly refreshing the show. The material, the mood, everything moves on a daily basis, because the news is changing, so the show is changing. There are three great performers out there, selling original material to a live audience every week. And it works. I truly believe the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

However, Carol does feel that she's strengthened some apsects. "I have deliberately upped the satire content. I think you can make people think about things by making them laugh at it. That laugh may live with them, and they'll go away and think about it afterwards."

Carol also has to respond to changing moods and changing times. Certain jokes that were acceptable when the show started simply aren't now. "It's an impossible divide, an impossible line to draw. But there is that invisible line in the dust, and when you get to it, if you're a good producer, you know it."

Carol has a strict policy on inappropriate language: "swearing is just sloppy writing. That's not what we're about. It's not appropriate for our audience. It shouldn't be necessary for a good writer."

It is important to write for the audience - both audiences. "The show originates at 9:30 at night, which is one particular audience, and repeats at 1:30 on Saturday lunchtime, where it is a quite different audience, and probably quite younger audience. I have to be able to justify everything I broadcast."

Carol is more relaxed about the 'Rules' for Huddlines writing. "My take on all the rules with Huddlines is that there are no rules." She explains this more fully: "My criteria for the show is I will always take the best, regardless of where it comes from. If non-commissioned writers want to risk going into territory that commissioned writers are already in, (a) I admire their confidence, and (b) if it's better, I'll use it and I frequently do. Being commissioned is not sacrosanct. It doesn't guarantee you a place on the show or guarantee you airtime. If a non-commissioned writer comes along with something that's a better take, I'll always use it." Don't be scared off sending in sketches just because there are commissioned writers working on those subjects.

Carol continues, "a lot of writing is about confidence. If you think you have an absolutely original take on what is likely to be a popular story, go for it! Who knows, it might get on.

How much work does Carol take from non-commissioned writers? She wasn't keen to answer, as it varies "I would guess it's usually somewhere in the region of 20%. But it varies each week, and it's really hard to call. There's usually at least one or two sketches and a good sprinkling of gags."

I asked about the importance of the non-commissioned writers meetings. (Tuesdays, 1 pm at Broadcasting House. All welcome, but be prompt!) Carol feels that they are useful, to stop too much duplication on stories, to offer stories that she wants writers to cover, and to build relationships with writers, and make them feel part of the team. Writers also often develop working relationships among themselves.

However, as some writers live too far away, or can't make it for other reasons, Carol does point out "It doesn't mean that the writers who are there get any preferential reading over the writers who aren't there."

People who've written for the Hudds often go on to other topical comedy work. "Last year I lost people to Big Breakfast, MTV and BBC1 - my writers are always being poached. Some move on for their own process of development." As if you didn't have enough reasons to get writing for the Hudds, Carol points out that her colleagues often ask her to suggest writers for projects. Beyond that "So many heads of comedy, commissioning editors and independent television producers were Huddlines producers or writers, or staff in the department, so they knew all about Huddlines. They know Huddlines writers are disciplined, good at working within an established format, good at meeting deadlines and, most important, funny. So yes, the show is a good shop window for writing talent."

To give yourself the best chance to understand the show, other than listen, listen, listen, Carol recommends going to see it being recorded. "Watch how the material is being delivered" she suggests. "It's not only watching Roy, Chris and June, it's watching the audience respond to them." You can learn what gets the audience response, and a huge amount about comic timing.

Specific to this series of Huddlines, I wondered about the possible election. Carol points out that the 'Representation of the People' act means that they have to give the main parties equal airtime - not an easy task. They also hope to do a live election special on election night.

I asked about long running stories. Carol pointed out that it is always difficult, when a subject has been covered once. "If there is a significant development, then we would come back to that development." In the example of foot and mouth, Carol explained the further complications "You have to be very, very careful with what's acceptable and unacceptable for comedy. By writing a sketch about foot & mouth, it is very easy to diminish the subject." If a sensitive subject needed covering, Carol thinks she would always consider a song: "with a song, you can make an emotional point far more easily than you can with a sketch"

Be careful with emotional subjects, "By tackling a subject, by dint of the fact that you're doing it and in a comedy program, you're setting up a chain of association, and that diminishes the subject matter. And you are not working in isolation. There is something before you, and something after you. It must work and be appropriate within the context of the show."

So, how should you get your joke-filled, original, topical sketches to Carol? "E-mail is good, to huddlines@bbc.co.uk, with word attachments, or by fax (020-7765-1242) or post (The News Huddlines, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London. W1A 1AA). All by 3 pm Wednesday, or 8:30am Thursday for stop press. You can send it by carrier pigeon, I don't care; just get it in by the deadline."

If you're planning on a few weeks of listening carefully to get the idea of the show, then after this run of Huddlines (19th April to 21st June), you'll be pleased to know that there is another run later in the year, from 6th September to 8th November.


Group Therapy

Rather like being an over 14-year-old at a Steps concert, writing can be a lonely business. Sitting in front of a PC screen or a piece of paper with only a digestive biscuit and a lukewarm cup of tea for company, can be somewhat depressing. A depression that may be heightened if both screen and paper are blank at the time and your brain has decided to go on a ramble and has not invited you.

So what can you do to make writing a more gregarious occupation? Well you could join an organisation that is geared to your style and genre of scribbling. You don't have to look far to find associations scattered around the country and the Internet that may suit your particular needs. Crime, romance, horror, historical and of course comedy all have their various organisations that most can join and benefit from.

Unfortunately, good though they are (especially BSCW), they are geared to communicating via correspondence and infrequent get-togethers over the year. You may benefit from the help, specific markets and outlets for your work that they offer, but you're still sitting in front of the PC and paper while the biscuit crumbles and a skin begins to form on the top of your tea. To free yourself from that loneliness of the long-handed writer, you need to get out and mix with other writers and you need to do it regularly. How? Join a local writers group.

Almost every town in the UK has a writers' group of some sort and these are easily found by contacting local libraries or by, once again, delving into the Net. Some meet once a month, some twice, some weekly. Locations can vary from private houses to libraries. From village halls to the skittle alley of a local pub. Anywhere really, where a group of like-minded scribes can get together and talk about the art of writing.

One such group that I have been a member of for getting on to 15 years now is the Slough Writers' Group who meet every Monday night in the already mentioned skittle alley of a local pub. A prepared timetable offers a wide range of topics, exercises and discussions to suit all aspects of writing. Subjects such as short stories, novels, poetry, articles, scriptwriting, experimental writing, grammar, presentation, layout, characterisation, markets and plot development are all covered. All very helpful and invaluable but even more advantageous to the lonely writer is the opportunity to meet fellow writers on a regular basis and discuss and hopefully sort out writing problems that arise because of the self-imposed solitary confinement they thought only they had.

One of the advantages I found that came with belonging to a writers group is the opportunity to receive positive feedback on your work. It can be very difficult to criticise your own work. Family and non-writing friends are always willing to read pieces but with no disrespect, polite and 'Oh that's nice' comments although graciously received aren't that helpful. You may as well have read it to the cat. Getting other authors to read and offer criticism on your writing may result in hearing some things you'd rather not, but you can be sure whatever is said is constructive.

For those of us who still have the 'day job' to contended with and are forever juggling other commitments so that there is some time to actually write, writers' groups offer a set time of a couple of hours per week, month whatever, to concentrate purely on writing. It's like a writer's form of escapism, a sanctuary for the weary wordsmiths and a chance to see that a writer's life isn't just confined to a desk.

Like writers, not all writer groups are the same. You, the writer, have to decide what you want to get from and to a certain extent what you can give to the group before joining. Most groups' offer a couple of evenings free to see if the sort of thing you are looking for before they send the lads round for a nominal subscription. But whatever the regularity and form the group takes, the writer and writing are of paramount importance.

Without sounding too much like an advert, I think joining a writers' group can not only improve and enhance your work, but can also do wonders for your social life. So what are you waiting for? Chuck away the cold tea, digest the digestive and get yourself off to your local writers' group and enjoy your writing to the full. Tell them Terry sent you.


Pick an article, any article...

It won't surprise any of you to know that I'm always on the look out for more articles for the E-zine. The idea is to offer you lots of interest and variety, covering all the areas that the BSCW members do in their work.

Like any other editor, I have certain areas that I know better, and am more confident to write you articles about. And like any other editor, my life would be much happier if exciting and informative articles poured in from keen writers, covering everything and anything to do with writing comedy and light entertainment.

But I am also realistic. I know you'd much rather be writing for pay. Me too. But the advantage in writing for the E-zine is getting your name known in the industry; the paper version of the E-zine goes out to producers and TV companies around the world, and our corporate members get the E-zines at the same time as you do. You also get the chance to meet interesting people, who might be able to help your work to be produced. It would be great if getting on in writing was just about how good you are, but let's face it, knowing the right people helps. From that, then the pay that you'd like to write for might just follow.

This is your chance to get to meet exciting people to write an article about what they do. I'm particularly interested in getting someone to cover game shows and formats. All you need to do is let me know what it is that you're interested in writing about, and if I like the idea, you're all set to go off and get writing an article or interviewing a star!

Now, I know you've all thought "I wish we could have an article about such-and-such..." and I'd hate to miss any areas that BSCW members want to know about. So please, give me a call or send me an e-mail (gill@bscw.co.uk), and you can not only have an article on the subject, but by writing it yourself, you can make some contacts in TV-land or in Radio, on the web, or elsewhere, who might just be useful to know.