James Cary

wordsmith. story guy. jokes.

[James Cary @ThatJamesCary]

So who knew it was the Last Supper? Erm...

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

@MiriamJones @waterandlight

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

@nickmohammed Yup. It relates to the line between/connecting art and entertainment. Art is, broadly, about authenticity/voice. Entertainment is about the audience. Bang the drum of authenticity too hard & the entertainment is diminished. https://t.co/rIY5ZkJIes

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Smart. Writing the scenes you’re excited by is a good idea. If you’re not excited about writing a scene, there might be a problem with it. And it might not even be necessary.

[David Lemon @DavidLemon777]

23 pages into pilot. Hoping to get a rough first draft finished this week. Have opted for a 'skipping around' approach; writing whichever scene takes my fancy as it will all get revised anyway.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

The entire ecosystem for producing mainstream sitcoms has changed, which is why they are now an endangered species…
https://t.co/I3Z1d6rKF0

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

@intrepidia I agree. And it’s always hard to be a freelance writer and be told ‘it’s grim out there’ by someone on a salary.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

You might be wondering where all the sitcoms have gone. The whole TV ecosystem has changed, so we can’t be surprised if some species become rare.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

@BillyTweddell What is Rewind TV?! Sounds like something I’d like!

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Who made The Cuckoo Waltz which ran for 4 series?

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

@alanbritton Not rhetorical! Or a trick!

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Who made Fresh Fields? (4 Series from ’84-86) #ItsOnlySonia

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Who made A Fine Romance? (4 Series from 1981-84)

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Anyway, I’ve written all about it over on my blog. I’m sure you’ll find it.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

With international markets and streaming, murder mysteries become a MUCH more interesting prospect.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

@Floatinginwaves @AlexWattsEsq Yes, all the hits from the 70s, 80s & 90s emerged from an economy of sitcoms, some of which were brilliant, some of which didn’t work - but paved the way for other shows, or gave people their break. The Comedy Connections documentary series was brilliant for showing this.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Is there a crisis in mainstream comedy? Yes and no. I think the main problem is that we’ve forgotten the art/entertainment balance. May I explain? https://t.co/rIY5ZkKg40

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Basically, there’s Miranda. And there’s Fleabag. I explain more here: https://t.co/rIY5ZkKg40 Why not read the whole thing?

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Interesting piece in @Broadcastnow about the crisis in mainstream comedy. If I’d been part of the conversation, I’d would have said:

We’ve lost the balance between ‘art’ and  ‘entertainment’.

Art is about the artist. Entertainment is about the audience.

[James Cary @sitcomgeek]

Their predecessors learned their craft through music hall, variety and entertaining the troops. Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Perry and Croft learned their craft on stages close to the front line, trying to bring joy to tired, working-class men.