I’ve been immersing myself in my Laughing Stock entry.
I’ve just hit the finale, though my pages are running way too long – used to a feature or drama-length and I need to rein it in.
However, the thing that’s surprising me most is this: I’m kinda funny.
I’ve never been a comedian (or comedienne, if you prefer). I’m the one making the bad puns and not getting the jokes for a good two minutes, filling in with the fake laughter. I showed my partner a sequence of dialogue from The Greenwich Project and his response was “oh, you’re a lot funnier on paper than you are in person”.
Charming.
I’ve been watching a number of British comedy pilots to refresh my memory and seek out my style. This week, I’ve watched Gavin and Stacey, Spaced, Black Books and Yes Minister. There’s quite a range in there, from the dramatic to the surreal, the surreal to the dialogue-dastardly.
My style seems to run on two roads: physical comedy and cutting dialogue. Sometimes both together. The result, to be honest, is complete and utter chaos. But I think it has potential.