If you’re a lover of popular topical broadcast comedy shows like Have I Got News for You, Mock The Week or you are a fan of observational stand-up and think you could do as well, if not better – then Alive Radio 107.3 want to hear from you, as part of a new ground breaking, collaborative project.
Britain’s Got Satire aims to offer new local comedy writing talent the chance to learn and work with experienced professional comics to create a new topical show for community radio and online TV. This will be performed and filmed at one of London’s longest established and revered comedy venues (The Downstairs Comedy Club at the Kings Head, Crouch End, N8) in front a live audience with clips broadcast on Alive Radio 107.3 and a full 30 minute version of the show available for viewing via online TV.
The project is the brain child of Paul Pennington, a seasoned media professional whose weekly report, ‘Word On Health’ (www.wordonhealth.com) appears on Alive Radio 107.3. He has been championing community radio since its inception ten years ago. Commenting on the project Pennington said, “I hit upon the idea of Britain’s Got Satire to raise awareness of the power and potential of community radio, get more people involved and support professionally ran, volunteer led stations like Alive Radio 107.3 that do such a fantastic job serving people locally, yet don’t always get the recognition they deserve. We are looking to do this by celebrating their ‘by the people for the people’ approach with a universally loved form of content – comedy!
Up until the 10th of April, 2016, we are inviting budding local comedy writers to put forward 2 minutes of topical satire that they’ve created themselves either on video or by written submission via our www.britainsgotsatire.com website. After a series of task orientated knockout rounds the best entrants will be tutored from their home and will then collaborate with the Britain’s Got Satire performance team via interactive online video conference link to create, on the day of performance (27th of April 2016), a new 30 minute topical comedy show virtually written from scratch that day.“
Pennington added, “We are not just looking to make fantastically funny collaborative comedy with new local talent and boost involvement in community radio but also to create a vehicle to help generate revenue for the community radio stations involved in the project.
To raise the money to make Britain’s Got Satire into a weekly radio and TV series we’ve created a rewards led Chuffed crowdfunding campaign (full details available via the ‘support us’ page of the www.britainsgotsatire.com website). From just £1, people can support what we are looking to achieve and help cover the considerable production, marketing and administration costs involved in producing a professional weekly show, which we’d like to make this autumn to feature on Alive Radio 107.3 and a network of community radio stations across the UK. By doing so, we hope to raise further awareness of their sterling work, widen the opportunities for new talent to get involved and provide a vehicle for stations to attract local sponsorship for the radio elements of the series. We’d also love to bring the show to Dumfries and nurture a local version to be created and performed.”
Commenting on the project, Alive Radio 107.3’s programme manager, Lee Medd said, “ As a huge fan of comedy and knowing that Dumfries and Galloway has an emerging comedy scene I thought that this was a great project to be involved in. With the award winning Dumfries comic Mark Nelson, getting set for another amazing season at the Edinburgh festival, local comedy clubs like Raw Guffaw, The Bearded Dug and regular events at the Cairndale Hotel comedy is more available to the people of Dumfries & Galloway than ever before. We all think we are funny and now is our chance to prove it. For full information visit the website www.britainsgotsatire.com and keep listening to Alive 107.3″
