Through the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ NI Writersroom, the Comedy Unit really appreciated getting the opportunity to work with these very talented comedy writers based in Northern Ireland.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writers has partnered with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Production and Commissioning since our creation in 2000. Just a few of our many Comedy writing opportunities have included All Mixed Up in 2010 (one of the winners, Sophie Petzal has gone on to great success as she explained on our blog), Laughing Stock in 2011 (see the final shortlist) and Laugh Track in 2012. For several years we partnered on schemes and writer development with the former ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ College of Comedy which with support from many leading writers.
Two successful Comedy shows which originated through our unsolicited script submissions are Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps by Susan Nickson (who then went on to create Grown-Ups) and by Brian Dooley (who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005).
Tony Burgess was our first writer-in-residence at Comedy North in 2004 which led to his ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three pilot The Visit. Kate Wincup was writer in residence at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy North in 2007 and subsequently wrote on Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Grown Ups. Angie Clarke applied to our Women Comedy Writers' scheme and this led to , her original sitcom for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two/Three in 2003/4. In 2005 we worked with the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's which was won by Robin Taylor whose entry Marigold was filmed and broadcast on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three, while another former winner of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Talent New Sitcom Writers Award was Daniel Peak who went on to create in 2006.
Find out more about our more recent Comedy successes below.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy
From 2021, Comedy writer, writer/performer, director and producer development is looked after by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Commissioning, which brings together all comedy outreach that is happening across the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ under one strategy.
The separate Caroline Aherne Bursary, Felix Dexter Bursary and Galton & Simpson Bursary for writers have been brought together with two new bursaries for directors and producers into the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Collective, a supercharged bursary scheme offering 10 places each year to up-and-coming writers, producers and directors who’d like to develop their careers in scripted comedy.
Find out more about the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Collective leaders and alumni
We will no longer open a window specifically for Comedy script submissions or run further Comedy Room writer development groups via ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writers.
Interested in breaking into Comedy?
Visit the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Commissioning website to find out about more opportunities
More successes in Comedy
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Boy Meets Girl
Boy Meets Girl is the UK's first transgender sitcom and was commissioned for two full series on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two which were broadcast in 2015 and 2016. Created and written by Elliott Kerrigan the comedy was discovered through ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom's Trans Comedy Award. -
The Caroline Aherne Bursary
Designed to find, develop and support great new comedy talent, the bursary was named in honour of the late award-winning comedy writer and performer Caroline Aherne. ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Commissioning, in partnership with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ North, launched the bursary scheme in 2017, calling applicants to submit filmed content of comedy characters. From 2023 the Caroline Aherne Bursary is part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Collective run by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Commissioning. -
Comedy Room
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom's Comedy Room was a 1-year development scheme for writers identified through our Open Call script submissions and other talent searches. It ran from 2015 to 2020. -
Digital Shorts
Many of our Comedy successes have been achieved by writers in short form content for online and social media. Find out more. -
The Felix Dexter Bursary
The Felix Dexter Bursary from ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy was launched in partnership with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom in 2018. It is designed to find writers with a fresh, unique point of view and the potential to help shape the future of comedy, whether in the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ or elsewhere in the industry. It aims to make a positive intervention to address an under-representation of BAME professionals in comedy production in broadcasting. From 2023 the Felix Dexter Bursary is part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Collective run by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy Commissioning. -
Find Me Funny
Find Me Funny was an exciting 2017/18 opportunity from ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Cymru Wales to find the next generation of comedy writers resulting in up to three new comedy pilots for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One Wales and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer. Find out which eight scripts reached the live read-throughs at the Glee Club in Cardiff. -
Fright Shorts
Fright Shorts are 6 spooky new Halloween comedies developed by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Northern Ireland with support from Northern Ireland screen. They launched on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer in October 2017. -
Halfway
Halfway, a new short form comedy written by Sion Edwards was broadcast on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two as part of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Wales' Festival of Funny in 2018. Halfway was submitted to us as part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Cymru Wales and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom βFind Me Funnyβ opportunity. Find out more from Sion on our blog. -
My Left Nut
From our Belfast Voices writer development group through a development opportunity with Kay Mellor's Rollem Productions to the production and broadcast of My Left Nut on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three, which won Best Drama at The 2020 Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards and was nominated for Best Drama at The 2020 Broadcast Digital Awards. Find out more from writers Michael Patrick and OisΓn Kearney on our blog. -
Outsiders
Outsiders was a new team-written comedy developed by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom Wales. 5 writers and scripts combined into one half-hour comedy which was broadcast on Wednesday 10th October 2018 on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two Wales as part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Wales Festival of Funny and to mark World Mental Health Day. -
Room to Write / Fast and Funny
A ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Comedy and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom initiative which ran in 2015 and 2016, to select a group of comedy writers to work with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Scotlandβs Comedy Production team in creating the next wave of Scottish comedy shows. -
Scotland Comedy Writers' Programme - Beep
Beep, written by Bryce Hart was broadcast on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two as part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's Festival of Funny in March 2021. Bryce took part in our Scotland Comedy Writers' Programme in 2018 and has also been part of our Comedy Room development group. -
Soft Border Patrol
Soft Border Patrol is a Brexit-based comedy show which ran for three series from 2018 to 2020 set on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom in Belfast and indie producers the Comedy Unit placed over a dozen writers on the show who contributed a mix of stories, character pieces and one-liners.