Soho Theatre hosts Jane Bussmann’s show, 18-23 November; visit sohotheatre.com for details. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. A credits list of the actors, writers, producers, directors and other cast and crew involved in C4's Smack The Pony. Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Fiona Allen was born on January 3, 1965 in Bury, Lancashire, England. But Jane Bussmann is adamant about one thing: women just aren’t as funny as men. Asked to explain her own success, Bussmann said: “I’m not funny, I’m inappropriate. She has been married to Michael Parkinson since April 2001. Victoria Pile, also known as Vicky Pile, is a British comedy writer, director and producer, most noted as the creator of two Channel 4 comedy programmes, the sketch show Smack the Pony and the sitcom Green Wing. Having also discovered that the writers, Fay Rusling and Oriane Messina, had once been part of the Smack the Pony gang, I felt like I was in capable comedy hands. It normally falls on male comedians to make the dig, making Bussmann’s comments unusual. She co-created and was one of the writers of the sketch comedy show Smack the Pony. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. Stand up straight!”, Bussmann, who is trying to raise funding for Distinguished Ladies, a sitcom she is writing, said the US show The Big Bang Theory was a rare exception because instead of just giving women the odd funny line, it had funny female characters. With Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan, Sally Phillips, Sarah Alexander. “In a writers’ room, you need clanking great balls just to speak up. Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. Smack the Pony is a British sketch comedy show that was originally broadcast between 1999 and 2003 on Channel 4. Jane Bussmann says girls are raised to be nice, not humorous, Women care too much to be funny, says Smack the Pony writer Jane, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. | Hero Trip is a huge-budget superhero/road trip comedy, being developed by the UK Film Council. Bussmann is honing the scripts for each episode by road-testing the gags on audiences as she goes. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Den of Geek Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. ... (5 episodes, 2000-2001) Sarah Alexander. Bussmann, who lives in Kenya but is in the UK for a one-woman show to support the campaign group One World Media, takes offence at the way women are portrayed in the vast majority of comedy shows. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Keira Knightley, Brad Pitt, and Sharon Stone all scored early roles in scary movies. “If you look at most of the posters for American female-driven comedy, in fact all female-driven comedy, and you replace the title of the show with the word ‘Thick’, or ‘Someone with mental-health issues’, all posters promoting female comedy could basically be mistaken for NHS posters advising you to get your family checked for mental illness. Her reasoning hinges on the fact that, unlike men, women are raised “to give a shit what people think about you”. Women are raised to be nice.” That said, Bussmann prefers working with men to women, “who are more likely to stitch you up”. Bussmann, who lives in Kenya but is in the UK for a one-woman show to support the campaign group One World Media, takes offence at the way women are portrayed in the vast majority of comedy shows. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. “They’re standing there, knock-kneed, with a finger in their mouth going, ‘Ooh, gosh! Her remarks revive one of the most contentious issues in the comedy world and pose interesting questions about how children are brought up. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. Her reasoning hinges on the fact that, unlike men, women are raised “to give a shit what people think about you”. | Bussmann is honing the scripts for each episode by road-testing the gags on audiences as she goes. Three female comics perform sketches dealing with a wide variety of topics, from irritating flatmates to workplace issues to people who pretend to be ill to get free things or special treatment. In a writers’ room, you need clanking great balls just to speak up, says the South Park and Smack The Pony writer Susie Mesure @susiemesure Saturday 9 November 2013 12:59 [3], Learn how and when to remove this template message, Green Wing's midwife and surgeon - Telegraph, "Green Wing writers create US pilot comedy", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria_Pile&oldid=979033080, BLP articles lacking sources from August 2016, BLP articles lacking sources from April 2019, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 September 2020, at 10:52. She has also written for Spitting Image and CBBC. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. Distinguished Ladies revolves around a fictional gossip magazine. He has been married to Victoria … Women are raised to be nice.” That said, Bussmann prefers working with men to women, “who are more likely to stitch you up”. [2], She has also written a pilot for ABC, set in a police precinct in America. January 3, She earns a living making people laugh and has written gags for comedy shows such as South Park and Smack the Pony. Christopher Hitchens most infamously stoked the flames in a 2007 piece for Vanity Fair. And, by and large, the two things that are good for comedy, are looking awful, and upsetting people,” she told The Independent. Did I make a mistake?’ God! Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. The debate over women’s comedic talents stretches back through the decades, if not centuries. Looking for some great streaming picks? The debate over women’s comedic talents stretches back through the decades, if not centuries. But Jane Bussmann is adamant about one thing: women just aren’t as funny as men. Sally Phillips interview: Ferdinand, Taskmaster, Smack The Pony, Veep. Henry is also developing a teen drama series set in Cornwall for the BBC. He began his career writing for children's television program Bob the Builder, and is currently developing two projects. And, by and large, the two things that are good for comedy, are looking awful, and upsetting people,” she told The Independent. [1][2] She has also written for Spitting Image and CBBC. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The problem is as acute behind the scenes as on the screen, she added. People say hilarious shit at the wrong time and in the wrong place all the time; I just write it down and build characters out of it.”. They’re not glamour models, but are deliberately made to look more hideous and it’s done incredibly well because it feels fair and balanced.”. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. James Henry is a British comedy writer, best known for his work in the sketch show Smack the Pony the sitcoms Green Wing, Campus and The Delivery Man (TV series). The show's theme tune was a version of the Dusty Springfield song "In the Middle of Nowhere", sung by Jackie Clune. British Sitcom Guide states that "it isn't often that British writers deliberately pitch a series to the American market first".