6871/19791
Had a sitcom idea. Set in the 70s/80s. Mrs T (thatcher) is married to Mr T (a team). Deeply in love but both trying to keep it quiet for sake of their careers. Any takers?
Workshopped it on Twitter. Think it has legs.
(Someone must have done this joke before, but I’d like to see it done as sumptuously and seriously as “The Crownâ€)
I also came up with the best “unexpected item in the bagging area†joke today. So the rest of you comedians can stop trying to make those now.
I managed to write about half of episode 3 of series 4 of Relativity, which draws heavily on my experiences this year and so is quite easy (and slightly difficult) to write. But it might be possible to get this one done in the next couple of days, which would be a big relief. It’s fun to write a comedy shows where the comedy suddenly evaporates and it becomes more serious and I think this could be a powerful episode if I get the writing right. Sadly much of the acting will also be up to me for once, but maybe I can do that too.
As I’ve found in life the comedy of this situation will quickly return, but I am concentrating on the only really low point I had with this situation, where the truth of what was happening and the possibilities for me and my family became crystal clear. I won’t say that I wasn’t nervous or scared at any other point, but this was the only time (I think) that I cried. And it was a weird cry, a deep cry, where water fell from my eyes, heavily, but seemingly without any prompting from my body. I was worried for my kids, but really it was a self-indulgent sorrow for myself. Profound, but selfish.
It’s interesting (and in hindsight quite funny) to revisit it. I am hoping we are brave enough to leave a decent whack of time where the truth hits and things are basically silent.
The thing that makes this sitcom harder to write is making sure there’s enough for everyone and to get the balance of the episodes right. What’s nice about this one episode is that it will basically just be Ian’s (and my) journey through this and it will be a contrast to the noise and arguments of the other shows.
I hope I can get it right. But it’s feeling like I might be.
A stone cold classic RHLSTP with Bob Mortimer went up today.
Listen here
You can still pay to watch it (or the whole series) - all proceeds to charity -
here
