Plotting a bank heist is hard. Plotting a comedy about a bank heist is harder.

The plot of a comedy is a series of events; what matters is how you turn them into a funny story. Even the darkest material can be delivered humorously: murder, war, divorce, nuclear apocalypse – all can be the subject of comedy, from The Ladykillers to Dr. Strangelove. But it’s like telling a joke: if you just deliver the information, it's not funny. When you know how to use comedy dynamics – set-up, expectation, misdirection, suspense, payoff - you can make people laugh.

This workshop explores the subject of plotting comedy in three sections:

• What makes comedy characters funny.

• How to use those characters to create and complicate a story.

• Why the worst thing that can happen is the best thing you can write.                                                                                                                                         

Paul Basset Davies began his career in experimental multimedia before creating a series of one-man shows that won awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in British comedy as a writer, performer and producer, for radio, television and film, and is the author of four published novels and a story collection. He’s also been the vocalist in a punk band and a cab driver, among other adventures.