"Dave knows his onions. Can probably write jokes about onions. They'll have you crying with laughter (it's ok he didn't write that one)" Lee Mack
FUNNY UP YOUR FICTION – ADD LIGHT SHADE AND LAUGHS TO YOUR NOVEL… OUT NOW
Comedian, broadcaster, BBC TV writer, and novelist, 8 times BAFTA winner for his Horrible Histories songs – Dave is one of the most respected teachers of comedy writing in the UK.
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About Dave Cohen
Comedian, broadcaster, BBC TV writer, 8 times BAFTA winner for his Horrible Histories songs – Dave is one of the most respected teachers of comedy writing in the UK.
He has written several books packed with fun and tips for writing great comedy including The Complete Comedy Writer, Build A Script and Ready, Steady, Joke!
In 2021 he published his first novel Stand Up, Barry Goldman -“funny and fascinating, a lovely tale” Jo Brand. Book Two – Barry Goldman: The Wilderness Years – is out now. The final book in the trilogy will be published November 2025.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait too long for Dave’s next book. How To Write A Funny Novel is out this September.
Latest blogs
How Do You Write A Topical Joke?
I mentioned earlier this week that some of the top comedy writers began their careers writing one line jokes for BBC Radio. We do still have a BBC Radio Comedy office (now incorporated into BBC Sounds) but there are half as many producers and fewer shows. Decades of cuts, underfunding
Conference Calls
Great news! The British Comedy Guide have announced they’re running another conference, which will take place in the last weekend of September. Meanwhile on the 21 and 22 May you can catch Steve Coogan and Lisa McGee at the BBC Belfast Comedy Festival. https://www.comedy.co.uk/pro/opportunities/318 I always recommend you go if you
How We’ve Helped 42 Writers To Their First Professional Credit
How We’ve Helped 42 43 Writers To Their First Professional Credit There are many ways to start your career as a comedy writer, and nothing gets you noticed faster than being able to write topical jokes for the radio. Times have changed. The opportunities for a successful topical comedy writer are
What Is A Joke?
What do the following top writers have in common: Georgia Pritchett (Succession, The Thick Of It), Simon Blackwell (Back, Breeders, Private Life of David Copperfield), Mark Burton (Madagascar, Shaun The Sheep), John O’Farrell (Chicken Run, Mrs Doubtfire The Musical)? The answer is they all achieved their first professional credits writing
Can You Make A Living Writing Comedy?
Yes. The answer’s yes. Emphatic. You can start earning money today. Thanks to the almost year-round existence of topical comedy, you can listen to the news, come up with a joke about it, send it to a producer and hear it go out on BBC Radio in the next couple
How To Write Funny – your 60 day plan
Can You Make A Living Writing Comedy? Yes But… Doors opening… For the first three decades as a comedy writer for TV and radio there was only one piece of advice guaranteed to confer an immediate advantage over your competitors. All you needed was to be a white middle-class man.