Notice: Guildford Institute Workshop On How To Write Funny

Published on: 29 Jan, 2019
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2019

Guildford-based writer Nev Fountain has written jokes for Barry Humphries and Graham Norton, writes sketches for the Radio 4 impressions show Dead Ringers and is a staff writer for Private Eye. Now he’s running a class at the Guildford Institute on Thursday, February 7, from 7pm to 9pm to teach some of the tricks of the trade.

Comedy writer Nev Fountain.

Learn how to write a good sketch. How do you get a good theme for a sitcom? There will be lessons on writing jokes and even tips if students want to write a novel one day. Nev has written a few, including a thriller called Painkiller.

He said: “Writer’s block is not a lack of inspiration it’s a lack of confidence about making decisions.

“You don’t have to be funny to write funny. You need the basic equipment and you can train your mind to structure the jokes.”

Brexit and President Trump are big themes in his work at the moment. Nev added: “The role of satire is to take the ‘mick’ out of people in power. The public is looking for people to highlight how ridiculous things are.”