Generic Research: 'Party' - Pilot Episode

Party Series 1 Episode 1

Web Page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b00r7l7j
'Party' begins in the middle of a conversation that has multiple references to events that have happened prior such as the character 'Elaine' leaving the group. The audience not knowing such details is used for humour as the extent of any damage caused is left up to interpretation. This use of in media res serves to naturally develop character dynamics and allows the audience to develop their understanding of their relationships independently rather than outright state them through stilted introductions which perhaps would be a more obvious technique to use in a pilot episode.


The cast features three men and two women - the women are played straight while the men are serving comic relief functions. Their backgrounds are not explicitly stated in the show but the cast are all white and it is implied that they are all from the same socio-economic background - students from working class/lower middle class backgrounds. They are all socially progressive and left-leaning but their political leanings are used in humorous manners for obvious reasons considering the basis of the show.


The show opens with a music track that lasts around 15 seconds which gets softer as more audio elements are added in. At 5 seconds, one of the cast members says the name of the show at which point the audience applause and cheer until the track ends. There is a transition to dialogue with a soft sound effect.


The show uses laugh-tracks at regular intervals and is entirely designed around setups and punchlines leading into a laugh-track. This is a typical convention of sitcoms.


The early minutes of the show largely use a single extended metaphor for comedy. The metaphor used is one of a plane as the party they have created is "left-centre-right" wing and so they are "inside the plane". The misunderstandings that arise from this metaphor is largely the source of the humour in the initial scenes.


Sound effects are rarely used as the characters are static and in an empty room. They are only used when characters physically move around.

Industrial Context: Types of Comedy Programming on Radio 4

Radio 4 broadcasts a wide range of comedy programming.



Panel Games/Shows
Just a Minute: Now on its 83rd series, this panel game challenges its contestants to speak without hesitation for a full minute on whatever topic that comes up on the cards. Presented by Nicholas Parsons. Web page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006s5dp



Where's the F in News: A comedic news magazine programme with an all female panel hosted by Jo Bunting. Web page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003cpg


Sitcoms
Party: Sitcom about a group of idealist youth setting up their own political party, written by Tom Basden. Web Page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r7l7j



Life on Egg: A prison based sitcom starring Harry Hill set in a prison called "The Egg". Web Page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09kr1pf




Sketch
What the Future: A sketch comedy mockumentary series that is presented as a series of documentaries from the future by Kirsty Wark. Web page:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001vtp



28 Acts in 28 Minutes: A show hosted by John Humphrys in which 28 performers are given 60 seconds to improvise a sketch. Web page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009ly1p

Radio 4 also broadcasts one-off comedy specials, stand up shows as well as radio plays and mockumentaries. Based on the available options, there is a lot for me to experiment with as well as having multiple genres, codes and conventions to learn before I write, record and edit. I am currently leaning towards a sitcom but that may change as I conduct further research.

Industrial Context: BBC Radio 4

Radio 4 is the second most popular radio station in the UK after Radio 2 and it is most popular in the South of England and London. It is considered by many to be the flagship radio service of the BBC and it is also the most expensive. It has no commercial competition as a speech-based radio station. The remit of Radio 4 is to be mixed speech service offering news, talk shows, drama and comedy. It is famous for recurrently featuring alternative comedy and has served as a platform for many new comedians to launch their careers.


Radio 4 has been criticised by the right wing press of taking a left wing approach on topics such as the Iraq War. However they have also been accused of being too middle class and have been criticised of not being appealing to the youth, women and non-white listeners. Since the purpose of my brief is to create a programme that would increase the audience range of the station, I would have to take these criticisms into account during production.


Radio 4 has a sister channel Radio 4 Extra which is the BBC's primary spoken programme archive. It broadcasts both archived programming as well as extended and companion pieces to Radio 4. It would be of interest to look at the scheduled programming of Radio 4 Extra as well in order to fully understand the range of shows offered on Radio 4.