How to Make Your Comedy Believable – Part 1

No matter how outlandish comic stories become, they must nonetheless be ‘believable’. Given that a comic story could include, for example, an elephant juggler marrying his uncle to save the planet from a Tic-Tac invasion, the issue of believability may seem irrelevant. But the believability of any sitcom is based upon two criteria: Once a…

Simplicity & Surprise

An Excerpt from ‘The Cheek Monkey – Writing Narrative Comedy‘ [Currency Press] Comedy demands simplicity. If it takes ten seconds to work out the meaning of a punchline, you won’t get a laugh; the audience has already moved on. Clarity is key. But don’t be fooled—simplicity ain’t easy. Many a comedy writer has come unstuck…