TV There's a deceptively large amount of information in the latest column, which took a week off for the bank holiday. Secret's talking about someone else again but there information that could prove useful should this thing run on long enough that we can read between its many lines.
This week it's about dealing and working with writer/performers. After a bit of preamble, there's an anecdote about a situation in which the a writer/performer is precious over their lines. At this point I should note that there's probably no right answer to this. Some writing has a rhythm to which is important to keep fidelity with and some writers are happy for whatever help they can get to make the thing better. If there's a breakdown in communication here it's that the state of affairs wasn't made clear during rehearsals and there's always the possibility that Secret's friend is being pigheaded about running all over the writer's words which they've had to toil over. Writing isn't easy and comedy writing, if done well is even harder.
Ahem, anyway, they've filming for TV in front of a live studio audience so this is a studio based, multi-camera sitcom or sketch comedy.
No times are given but consider:
The Household Name is a woman.
How many women in the history of television have been writers and performers of their own material in multi-camera sitcom?
French and Saunders
Ruth Jones
Meera Syal
Catherine Tate
Julia Davies (ish)
Miranda Hart
Jessica Hynes
Victoria Wood
Maureen Lipman
Assuming it's the UK of course. Could be anywhere in which case ... shrugs ... I've asked Twitter again. James's old blog post about female writer/performers is pertinent too.
But the point is it's a finite number. Plus it's fairly well indicated that the person who is Secret's friend is a supporting player and not really friends with the Household Name. Plus someone reading the column might even have been at this recording. It's the kind of incident easily remembered. So they would know who the Household Name is and also who Secret's friend is and ...
Well, the other thing is you do begin to wonder who would or could be like this. Secret calls them a "national treasure" which could suggest Wood. But that would send us as far back as Dinnerladies wouldn't it?
Yes, well, not as much information as I thought. It's all rather like being on the edge of trying to remember something but ... what was I saying?
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