Falmouth comedy writers enjoy masterclasses from the best in the business
12 December 2024
Simon Nicholls and Bridget Christie. Credit: Rachel Riley Photography.
Students and graduates from Falmouth’s online master’s in Comedy Writing met up in London last month for a day of industry masterclasses and networking at Soho Theatre, one of London’s leading comedy venues. The group amassed to hear from a range of leading comedy industry figures – both writers and producers; to make professional connections, and to socialise with fellow students – building on those strong relationships developed online.
The day was led by Comedy Writing MA (Online) course leader Simon Nicholls, himself an award-winning TV and audio comedy producer. First up was a masterclass with multi award-winning comedian, writer and actor Bridget Christie, who gave rousing inspirational advice on how to combat imposter syndrome, and talked through her process of developing and writing her new acclaimed Channel 4 comedy drama The Change.
A second masterclass and Q&A followed with a panel of leading comedy producers followed, featuring: Adnan Ahmed – TV comedy producer at Sky Studios who recently produced Sky’s feature-length Christmas comedy Bad Tidings (starring Lee Mack and Chris McCausland); Victoria Lloyd – multi-award-winning TV and audio comedy producer and Managing Director of Mighty Bunny Productions; Ben Worsfield – award-winning Development Executive at Ash Atalla’s Rough Cut TV (producers of Stath Lets Flats, People Just Do Nothing); Leah Draws – Broadcast Digital award-winning TV and film producer who has recently produced new BBC Three comedy series Funboys in Northern Ireland; and Gareth Edwards – BAFTA-winning TV and audio comedy producer (That Mitchell and Webb Look, Spaced, Liam Williams’s Ladhood).
Student Conor McReynolds had a fantastic time at the event. He told us: “Simon and the team did such a phenomenal job of bringing together knowledgeable and interesting people who are actively working in the industry.
"The conversation with the producers felt like it gave us students and graduates a really comprehensive overview of their roles, while also feeling like it was very much catered for us as aspiring writers at a very early stage in our prospective careers. Crucially, though, I don’t think any of us felt after the talks that a career in comedy writing was unattainable – quite the opposite.
“With everything we’ve been taught on the course, combined with the really informative talks at the event, I feel like we can all feel confident that we’ve got the skills, knowledge and know-how to take those important first steps.
“The biggest takeaway for me was that the industry genuinely wants and needs new writers with new ideas and perspectives, and that you aren’t inconveniencing anyone by sending your ideas to producers – it’s their job to find and foster new writing talent, so go for it!”
Speaking about the event, Simon told us: “I was so pleased that our Falmouth Comedy Writing MA students had such an amazing opportunity to learn from and speak with a wide array of leading comedy industry pros, all of whom are at the top of their game. It was a really inspirational, informative and fun day for everyone. And crucially, with this being an online master’s, it was lovely for everyone to meet up, to socialise in-person and finally discover how tall and short we all are in real-life.”
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