Six scripts to be turned into audio pilots

Cult double act The Electric Head have won the first Galton & Simpson Godfathers Of Comedy Award.

The pair – Cy Henty and Alan Ronald – receive £500 while their script, The Cracks Are Showing, will go into production as an audio pilot.

 Judge Steve Nallon described thei script as ‘a dark surreal comedy that brings joy and light to the fancy of the mind’.

He added: 'The Cracks are Showing is an iconoclastic critique of our post-post-modernist world and its skewed cultural values. Besides, who can resist knob jokes such as "his genitals bounced into a nearby art gallery and went on to win the Turner Prize"? Not me.’

Henty and Ronald said in a statement they were ‘honoured’ to be a recognised by an award in memory of the writers of Hancock’s Half Hour and Steptoe & Son.

They said: ‘The Hancock's Half Hour scripts sit proudly on The Electric Head's bookcase of comedy influences – next to Dante’s Inferno, which inspired this particular script. We are delighted to be in the company of such a rich and wonderful history of comedy writing partnerships who have helped to shape what we do.’

Five runners-up will also go into production as pilots. They are:

Square Pegs by Jenny Devaux and Phil Butcher. Judge Lizzie Worsdell said: "Having grown up in the countryside, I was laughing out loud at the accuracy of this script. A feel-good, easy read about what happens when you decide to leave the shining lights of London for a slightly different, more sedate way of life."

Golden Sands by Toby Walker. Judge Jessica Martin said: ‘An irresistible black comedy set in a rainy seaside town on its last legs. Toby Walker has created engaging quirky characters we will want to stay with as a murder-mystery unfolds, threatening to hammer the final nail in the coffin of the doomed Chortle-on-Sea. The tone is set for sardonic, cryptic comedy with a hint of Royston Vasey. It’ll raise more than a chortle… a comedy classic in the making.’

Sad Sunk Rock by Tom Worsley.  Judge Jane Lamacraft said: ‘What I loved about Sad Sunk Rock was how it embraced the theme of the pain of human connection and lack of connection. In the extreme conditions of a scientific research outpost on an isolated rock in the North Atlantic Ocean, a cast of oddball outcasts, including "a mollycoddled millennial’" struggle to find or avoid opportunities to relate. A gag-a-second script, with both laughs and emotional moments that take you completely by surprise."

Scribbling by Amy Xander. Judge Robert Ross said: ‘In Scribbling we have the simple storyline situation of an outsider entering an established community, in order to generate ripples of effect and waves of laughter. It is populated by intriguing characters, and interesting characters, and irritating characters... but always very, very funny characters. Puns, misunderstandings, and diverse and diverting scenarios give Scribblings a sense of mature writing, and fully relatable comedy.’

Members by Jack Bradfield and Fergus Macdonald. Judge Jason Haigh-Ellery said: ‘What struck me about Members was that it was a very original concept. I've always enjoyed political comedies, and enjoyed the fact that this was set in the past and brought in both historical and political aspects. This was both entertaining and incredibly funny.’

The competition was launched by Big Finish Productions in January, as a tribute to the original TV Comedy Playhouse, the long-running anthology series which began in 1961,  with the first two series written exclusively by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Published: 30 Nov 2023