Channel 4 Sparks

• Training small indies in how to produce social comedy sketches

• Script editing sketches and mentoring producers

• Published sketches worked on accrued over ten million views

The North East Comedy Hothouse (NECHH), headed by Lisa Laws and Emma Lawson, hired me as a consultant to help train local producers to make social comedy sketches for the Channel 4 online comedy initiative, Sparks. I’d already achieved success with the similar Quickies commission at BBC Three, and aside from a slightly longer sketch duration, this was a similar deal.  

In a workshop day in Newcastle’s The Stand comedy club, I shared my knowledge of short form comedy with a roomful of super-keen producers and writers from the north east region, and held one-on-one sessions to go through their script ideas. The NECHH had already secured the commission, alongside three other companies, to produce twenty sketches. Intended to give broadcaster opportunities to smaller production companies aiming to get a foot on the TV ladder, the commission was all about upskilling producers and collaboration.

After the workshop I script edited the entire block of sketches. I really enjoyed this project - not only are Lisa and Emma two of the most decent people in the business, I also got to make a genuine difference to the output of people keen to learn. I genuinely love passing on what I have learned, and mentoring people on the way up, it is so rewarding. The NECHH has gone from strength to strength since, and is now part of the BBC’s Small Indie Fund initiative. You can see some of the sketches I helped out with below:

If Boobs Were Like Balls, produced by FNA Digital and North East Comedy Hothouse.

Christmas Can Just Do One, produced by Couch Potato Films and North East Comedy Hothouse.