Stuart Kenworthy is a Lancashire-born comedy writer, primarily for television. His past credits include the award winning Green Wing, Smack the Pony, and BBC3 sketch show Scallywagga which he also created. For a full list of credits and links to current projects, visit www.stuartkenworthy.com or see www.peterfoetus.com for a direct link to Stuart’s animation website.
Paul Christian is a Preston based but Belfast born student doing an MA in screenwriting at the University of Central Lancashire and aiming to string a good sentence or two together before he’s found out. Paul’s former credits include door holder at the BBC North Conference. He’s currently working on blending tea and coffee to make a meta brew that will help the indecisive overcome (one of) their problems. pchristian@uclan.ac.uk
PC: How did you get into writing…and especially writing comedy?
SK: I’d gone back to university as a mature student. That environment made me realise I never wanted a proper job ever again – Ever. When I left university I was flat broke, divorced and I found myself having to move back in with my parents. I had absolutely nothing to lose, so I could try just about anything. I tried comedy.
I’d never thought of writing for a living. I’d always wanted to be a photographic artist, but that was like trying to write Haiku for a living. So, I needed to think of something else creative, but I wasn’t sure what. My brother had worked as a writer ever since he left school and I’d always been quite jealous of his lifestyle (except for the poverty), so I decided to have a stab.
I chose comedy because I found I couldn’t write prose . I never had anything to say that sounded sincere or informed. I always wanted to throw in a gag or undercut anything that sounded meaningful. I’d always loved comedy and so I thought I probably knew more about that than anything else. It also meant I wouldn’t be treading on my brother’s toes/novels.
Major influences are too numerous to mention really. I watched just about every comedy broadcast in the 70s and 80s and quite a lot in the 90s. As a kid I particularly liked Hector’s House; The Herbs; Pogle’s Wood and Pipkins – I think the tone of those shows was a big influence on me. They still make me laugh to this day.
PC: You have written for quite a few sketch shows. What are the main differences between writing sketch comedy and say…writing sitcom?
SK: With sketches the lack of a narrative is an utter joy. Also, it’s a very good way of learning discipline in your writing. You have to be funny and get out.
PC: Green Wing was extremely popular strange in that it was a sketch-based sitcom that was an hour long. Can you go into a bit of detail about the writing process of the show…
SK: The producer, Victoria Pile, put together a ‘team’ of writers. We would meet once or twice a week, initially to create the characters, then the narratives. Victoria would decide what she thought worked best and we would all head off to write in isolation. Often we would all be writing for the same thread, so we’d end up with six or seven versions of the same story.
The finished work would be sent in via email and that was probably the last you’d hear about it until rehearsals (we hardly ever did re-writes until this stage). We were all paid a basic retainer which wasn’t all that much. After that we were paid per minute for any work used. So, although we were called a ‘team’ and we did get on well together, it was still quite cut throat. At the time I found it quite hard to accept the lack of control. However, on the plus side it was very liberating. Our brief was simply to be as funny as possible. If a scene worked Victoria would try to cram it into the show. Working on Green Wing was lots of fun and lots of frustration in equal measure, but I’m very pleased that I was a part of it.
PC: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to write for a living?
SK: Go on, how hard can it be?
PC: Do you have any particular writing routine…how do you approach it? Do you see writing as something insular, or a collaborative process?
SK: It depends on the job. However, even if I’m working on a show as part of a team I like to have some time in the day where I go off to work on my own. I’m no good at shouting things out, or being positive and inclusive. I need to go to a dark place and brood.
When at home I start the day with a walk into town. I drink a coffee or two and come up with all the ideas which I write down in freehand. I then go home and type them up in the afternoon. My day is actually quite structured and dull. I don’t know how to have a good time.
PC: Tell us about the animation work that you do…Peter Foetus and Eugenie.
SK: I started Peter Foetus & Eugenie as a personal project. I wanted to do something without a script editor, or a producer or channel boss etc. So, I created a website and I now publish a new cartoon and a new piece of Art every week. All in all it’s been very good for my mental health . Badges available on the website – Be the envy of your friends. (www.peterfoetus.com )
An animator called Tom Parkinson saw the site and asked me to collaborate on a similar type of project, called The Portal. We hope to have that somewhere in the public domain in the coming months.
PC: Have you written for any other platforms outside of television? If so, which do you prefer (or wish to write for in the future) and why?
SK: I wrote sketches for The Griff Rhys Jones show on the radio and I’ve written a few bits for the stage. I enjoy telly best of all though – Although I’m sure I’ll be doing a lot more web-based stuff in the future.
PC: You’re local to these parts. Does Lancashire provide the inspiration for a lot of your comedy?
SK: I don’t know really. We used to live on a plant nursery growing up well away from people and things. I think that was probably the biggest influence on me. It felt like we were apart from the world and not fitting in, or being part of the consensus is quite useful in comedy (unless you’re a spoilt rich kid that can only tell jokes about his nan).
PC: What are the best and worst things about writing for a living?
SK: The best thing is the hookers and the drugs. The worst thing is that it can make you feel very needy. Writing for television requires constant approval.
PC: What’s the difference between writing comedy for Channel 4 and the BBC?
SK: The BBC is funded by the public so they can’t take as many risks. They are very careful not to offend. In terms of the actual experience, it’s very similar.
PC: What makes a good sketch?
SK: Anything with a bear in it.
PC: Do you place character above story in comedy writing?
SK: No, I’ve never been interested in people. I don’t know why anyone gives a toss about anyone else’s life, unless they’ve achieved something momentous, or they want to sleep with them. That said, I do think if it’s funny and you have good characters, viewers don’t mind if the story is somewhat slight.
PC: What do you do to switch off from writing?
SK: I make clothes for cats.
PC: Do you have any upcoming projects?
SK: Yes, I’ve been working on a CGI show called Canimals (Aardman) that should be out some time in the next year. Also, I’ve just sold a sitcom pilot to the BBC and I’m working on two sketch shows; a children’s TV show and some animation for the web.
PC: How has your writing changed as you’ve gained more experience?
SK: The pages are more heavily stained with tears/food.
PC: What is the future for TV comedy?
SK: I think TV as it is will fizzle out, but opportunities in comedy will grow. There’s a huge appetite for silliness, so I think it’s good overall. Of course it would help if we had a different government, because this lot are killing off just about anything of creative merit including the BBC. Bastards.
PC: Do you think about the audience when you write?
SK: Never – Unless I’m made to.
For more about Stuart Kenworthy, visit www.stuartkenworthy.com or see www.peterfoetus.com for a direct link to his animation website.
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