BBC COMEDY FESTIVAL – Thursday Afternoon Session: Holly Walsh, Larry Rickard, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Lee Mack

Doors: 13:45

14:00 – 14:45 CHARACTERLAND: MAKING COMEDY ENSEMBLES WORK

How many funny characters do you need for a comedy to succeed? One seems the bare minimum; 396 is probably too many-there just aren’t enough names for them all. Somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot, and here to reveal the secrets of making them all funny in a room together are two writers with a strong track record in ensemble comedy: Holly Walsh (Amandaland, Motherland, The Other One) and Larry Rickard (Ghosts, Amandaland, Horrible Histories). They are joined by Amandaland’s Philippa Dunne to explore the creation of comedy characters that people will love, and love laughing at. 

Hosted by Rhianna Dhillon.

15:15–16:00 FROM SKETCHES TO STING OPERATIONS

From sketch comedy roots on Famalam to undercover operations on Black Ops, Akemnji Ndifornyen and Gbemisola Ikumelo are two comic voices who’ve helped push the dial and won BAFTAs in the process. They take to the stage to unpack their comedy journeys so far, discussing building characters, creating their own work, and navigating an industry that increasingly rewards those who make things happen for themselves.

16:30 - 17:30 LEE MACK: STILL GOING OUT

Lee Mack is one of Britain’s foremost comedians, known for entertaining the nation in Would I Lie To You? and, of course, his sitcom Not Going Out, which has been running for 20 years this autumn .He talks to Boffola supremo Shane Allen about how he writes Not Going Out, and how he has periodically reinvented it to keep it fresh over two decades.