Site Menu

The Ultimate Comedy Web Site

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

David Quantick & Jane Bussmann

Any plans for a second series of Jam?

David- We don't know. C4 would obviously love to do one and there must be enough material for a second but again it depends on what Chris wants to do next.

Jane- Don't know!

Where do you get your ideas for "Jam"?

Jane- We had long talks with Chris Morris and tried to take a more diverse angle than we normally would.

How do you achieve the out of sync and surreal feel of "Jam"?

Jane- These effects were achieved in the edit - they are a continuation of Chris' experimentation in Blue Jam the Radio One series, which he made in his word "woozy".

How did you get into writing?

David- I sent some sketches to Spitting Image and they used one of them right away. Then I wrote comedy in NME with Steven Wells. Armando Iannucci saw some of it and gave us work on On The Hour and The Day Today, which in turn led to other work. Jane came through being a writer at Radio One.

Jane- I was asked to write some sketches for a Radio One comedy show. The show was really shit.

Do you have any advice for young writers?

David- If you want to do your own thing and you think it's original enough, make it yourself or with friends. Technology is easy and accessible and a minidisc is a better demo than a typed-up sketch.

That said, if you're not sure where you want to go as a writer, established sketch shows are a good route in. Aled Evans at R4's Now Show and Vicky Pile at Talkback's Smack The Pony both use a lot of sketch writers. Just read credits on shows and see who uses a lot of writers.

Generally, if you see or hear other people's stuff and you think you can do that or better, keep doing it til someone pays you.

Jane- Yes - you are probably funnier than writers who earn a lot. So just write as many ideas up as you can and send them in to people like Ash Attallah at BBC TV Centre - and look for the names of the producers of shows you like in the show's titles. You can write to them at the company address eg "a TalkBack Production for BBC2" - just look up TalkBack in the phone book or ring BBC for address. Most producers would call you back or pass on your letter - put a phone number in case they can't be arsed writing a letter. Hassle them but be nice because they are usually knackered or hung over.

Can you tell us about the new sitcom "The Junkies"?

David- We had the idea of a) a sitcom about junkies after seeing so many in London and becoming fascinated with the way they seemed so determined and busy when they had no lives to speak of., and b) doing a mixture of documentary and sitcom, that wasn't just another lame docusoap parody. So we decided we wanted to make The Junkies , which would be part US-style (ie good) sitcom and part documentary - docusitcom. We also were fed up with shows and films where heroin and junkies were made to look glamorous and sexy, so we wanted to do a show where heroin was obviously a crap thing and there would be no sexy needles or drugs to ogle at.

When we talked to people, though, we found everyone had different interpretations of what we meant. By now we had a potential cast (Sally Phillips from Hippies and Smack The Pony, Peter Baynham from Armistice and Herring & Lee, Peter Serafinowicz from Spaced and Star Wars), producer (Jess Search) and, thanks to Jess and her web co. shootingpeople.org, even a crew. We decided to make it ourselves; it took five days and £4000. Jess knew people who could put The Junkies on the internet, so we did that too, inventing the world's first internet sitcom. Now we are in talks with TV companies.

Which programmes would you like to write for?

David- American ones, Chris Morris ones.

Jane- Frasier, Friends, any American sitcom at all.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

Jane- Out of this fucking country or I'll kill myself

Do you have any favourite comedy programmes or comedians?

David- (apart from things I've worked on) Seinfeld, Frasier, Friends, Larry Sanders as the top of the US range for inventiveness and professionalism. Fawlty Towers, Porridge, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? and Only Fools and Horses for the British equivalent. The Goon Show, Father Ted, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and Eddie Izzard for controlled surrealism and genius.

Jane- Chris Morris, Ali G, The Goodies.

Do you have any new projects on the way?

Jane- The Junkies is being developed for TV and we are trying to write a BBC1 show.

Many thanks to David Quantick and Jane Bussmann for all of their help.

Copyright of David Quantick & Jane Bussmann for The "Ultimate Comedy" website. (01/5/00)