Alumni Workshop: Writing Comedy

Writing Comedy with Dave Cohen

Dave Cohen is a multi-award-winning BBC comedy writer. He’s spent more than four decades as a leading light on the British comedy scene as a writer, performer and podcaster. He’s best known for his hugely popular song lyrics for the hit BBC show Horrible Histories, for which he won 8 BAFTA awards.

In 2022 he published the second edition of his popular and influential book The Complete Comedy Writer,packed with advice about how to craft great comedy scripts for TV, radio and the movies. His latest book, Funny Up Your Fiction was published in 2024. In it Dave turns his attention to the best approach for writing comic fiction.

How to add funny to your fiction

How do you write a funny novel? Whatever genre you’re in, there’s always a way to add light, shade and laughter to your fiction.

People love cosy crime mysteries but they adore Richard Osman. Few romance novels are more popular than the Bridget Jones series. Even the darkest psychological horrors can benefit from funny moments to change the pace.

In this practical workshop, Dave will take you through the foundations of funny using examples and short exercises to ensure the best possible use of humour to enhance your story and characters.