About Writing – Page 5 – Simon Dunn

Category: About Writing

Funny For Money

I think I saw this at the time, but it’s nice to be able to see it again. Bob asks thoughtful questions, and listens to thoughtful answers. As far as I know, this was a one-off, and there were no more.

November 12, 2018
Scene Breakdown: Darling Fascist Bully Boy

The more I think about the scene in The Young Ones where they write a letter to the bank manager, the more I think it’s one of the best scenes in the whole series. Let’s have a look at it. So what makes it so good? It barely advances the plot, but it does do…

May 24, 2018
Wilt

I’m re-reading some Tom Sharpe at the moment, and I’d forgotten, or never quite realised, just how informative he has been of my own writing. As a bonus, I watched the movie version of Wilt, which was adapted by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick (rather well too), and I had equally forgotten how many of…

May 12, 2018
Jon Plowman & Paul Jackson On Comedy

One of the most enjoyable afternoons I ever spent was watching an off-the-record conversation between Jon Plowman and Paul Jackson at a writing festival. I find them both fascinating, and here they are sharing some more thoughts on comedy.

May 8, 2018
How To Tell A Joke

Everything I ever learned about comedy, I learned from this sketch.

March 27, 2018

Buy My Books

Proctology: A Bottom Examination

For a long time now I’ve been wanting to write an old-fashioned programme guide. One you can hold in your hand and thumb through, make notes on, spill coffee on. So I did. Proctology: A Bottom Examination is my deep dive into Bottom, the hit BBC Two sitcom starring Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. That’s…

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Re-Casting Keanu

Keanu Reeves is 56. That makes him eight years older than Clive Dunn was when he was first cast in Dad’s Army. But don’t panic, Clive Dunn was always playing much older characters than his own age. Keanu Reeves is 56. That makes him seven years older than Stephanie Cole was when she was first…