Writing and Producing Comedy

18 months Part-time

London In person

Application deadline 26 Sep 2024

Apply now for London

Writing and Producing Comedy

COURSE OVERVIEW

Hone your skills to become a confident and versatile comedy writer.

This unique part-time course will enable you to develop all forms of scripted and unscripted comedy including sitcoms, sketch shows and panel shows for television and radio.

In partnership with BBC Comedy and BBC Studios

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Quotation marks

"It was a brilliant tool in equipping myself for all the things that were to come. The variety of modules we covered was great - including scripted comedy, sketch, gag writing and format development - and the range of guest speakers was invaluable."

Alex Hardy
Award-winning comedy producer/writer/director

"I'm always using the skills I learnt on the course, and the prestige of the School also helps when you're pitching yourself and your ideas to producers or companies."

Kat Butterfield
Course graduate with credits including Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, BBC Laugh Lessons

Content Tabs

The course is carefully designed to gear you up for a career in comedy writing and production so you become practised at juggling deadlines, talking about your ideas concisely, assessing your own work and those of others, and being part of a writers’ community. 

There is an emphasis on ‘learning by doing’ at the NFTS, so you will experience professional actors and comedians reading your work and giving immediate feedback; you will pitch ideas to development producers and commissioners; and you’ll get a taste of a writer’s room atmosphere.

You will get the opportunity to grow an idea into a fully formed vision, whether that be a five minute teaser for a sitcom, a sketch, a professionally recorded radio snippet or a script reading. By the end of the course, you will have produced your own body of work, which will put you in good stead to approach industry professionals. 

There will also be inspirational and informative talks from some of the most successful creators of comedy working today.

Funding Available

The NFTS is actively seeking to improve diversity within the industry by encouraging applications from under-represented groups, and we have a limited number of scholarships bursaries available to help to support students.

Tutors

Student Showcase

Hear from past students about the Writing and Producing Comedy course and why they found it so valuable to their careers.

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Graduate Success

Course graduates have gone on to work on a number of television and radio comedies as writers, researchers and producers.

Credits and successes include...

Rosie Jones

Comedian, writer and director

Rosie Jones profile picture

Graduate Success

Course graduates have gone on to work on a number of television and radio comedies as writers, researchers and producers.

Credits and successes include...

Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Writer Alice Etches

Nevermind the Buzzcocks Poster

Graduate Success

Course graduates have gone on to work on a number of television and radio comedies as writers, researchers and producers.

Credits and successes include...

Spitting Image

Writer Laura Major

Spitting Image poster

Graduate Success

Course graduates have gone on to work on a number of television and radio comedies as writers, researchers and producers.

Credits and successes include...

Flatmates

Writer Kat Butterfield

Flatmates still