Ric Michael is our resident comedy expert. He prowls the site for funny tit-bits and moderates and judges your scripts. He also runs an advice column to dole out words of wisdom gleaned from years of experience in the entertainment industry, plus his current role as
Head of Development at Baby Cow
Manchester
Q: Is it better to be represented by a production company when pitching ideas to a broadcaster?
Ric: It is good to be represented by a production company because broadcasters largely go with production companies they have already built trust with. If you look hard enough on broadcasters' websites you'll tend to see what production companies they regularly make programmes with. From here you should contact those companies, but remember, it's only useful if you contact the companies that share your ethos.
If you are writing for TV - look where it would fit into the schedule. Take a copy of the Radio Times and pick out all the comedy. You and hundreds of others are fighting for these slots, so work out where your idea fits. For example, what would work on Channel 4 at 10 o clock is very different to what work on BBC 3 at 7.
