Inside No 9, Sarah Kendall and Marek Larwood scoop writing awards

Inside No 9 and comedians Sarah Kendall and Marek Larwood have scooped accolades at tonight’s Writers’ Guild Of Great Britain awards.

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton won the gong for writing ‘best TV situation comedy’ – even though their anthology series is far from the format of a sitcom with the same characters stuck in the same situation week in, week out.

They took the prize for their Inside No 9 episode The Bill, in which a dispute over who would pick up the tab at the end of a restaurant meal got desperately out of hand.

Comedian Brenda Gilhooly, also a writer on Harry Hill’s TV Burp, handed over their award.

Meanwhile Kendall received her prize from comic actress Helen Lederer for her Radio 4 series, Australian Trilogy, in particular the episode entitled A Day In October. The nostalgic storytelling was based on her Edinburgh Fringe shows of the same name.

Former We Are Klang member Larwood walked away with the best online comedy award for Showreel for One Word or Less Parts. The only dialogue in the clip was him saying ‘no’ in half a dozen accents: 

During the ceremony comedian Paul Merton and Writers’ Guild Chair Gail Renard paid tribute to Steptoe and Son scriptwriter Alan Simpson OBE, plus other members of the union who passed away in the last year. 

Ceremony host Vicki Pepperdine said: ‘As a previous Writers’ Guild Award winner I know how much it means to receive one. The knowledge that your peers have considered your work to be the very best in its class is a great accolade, which writers working in any of the broad range of media recognised by the guild, would be proud to receive.

‘It has been a great privilege to be invited to host the Writers’ Guild awards ceremony this year, when once again we honour some truly inspirational writing talent.’

Published: 15 Jan 2018