When Susan Boyle Strikes Back - more comics by kids

From my Comic Art Masterclasses in schools in, most recently, Falcarragh County Donegal, Navan County Meath, Cheltenham, Loughborough and Somerset, here are the front covers of some of the comics they've come up with, plus some of the caricatures I've drawn of their faces.



I travel all round the country, nay the world, teaching kids how to draw comics. By the end of a morning or afternoon they've produced a comic to take home and I've drawn their faces. If I can do the same for your kids, do please look at the link below and don't hesitate to get in touch.

RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians

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Youtoobling - and I'm not making this up

Last night's Youtoobling (you know the routine, one video follows another, where will it leads?) started with a retweeted gag on the subject of Theresa May's ridiculous Conservative Conference speech where she said, and I'm not making this up, "...the illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because, and I am not making this up, he had a pet cat". (She was, of course, making it up, or rather getting her facts wrong as a result of repeating part of a speech by UKIP's Nigel Farage). Here are how last night's tweets went. (NB I wonder if they have Chris Huhne's fingerprints on?)



RT @orkitney: Apparently Liam Fox can not be sacked by Cameron because - and I'm not making this up - he has a cat.

My car doesn't exceed emission levels because - and I'm not making this up - it has a Cat.

SM:TV is one of the best Saturday kids TV shows ever because - and I'm not making this up - it had a Cat #youtoobling

Oh Boy! was a top TV pop show because - and I'm not making this up - it had Three Cool Cats #youtoobling

The Cure can't be forgotten because - and I'm not making this up - they made Love Cats #youtoobling

I'm Not Making This Up - Theresa May & Ken Clarke #youtoobling via @bluebluecow

Brian Setzer can't be overlooked in pop music because - and I'm not making this up - he was in Stray Cats #youtoobling

Al Stewart can't be forgotten because - and I'm not making this up - he sang Year Of The Cat #youtoobling

Elaine Paige is celebrated because - and I'm not making this up - she was in Cats #youtoobling

Squeeze were brilliant because - and I'm not making this up - they made Cool For Cats #youtoobling

Curiosity Killed - and I'm not making this up - The Cat. Down To Earth #youtoobling



Cordell Baker made an animation for Fred Penner's song - and I'm not making this up - The Cat Came Back #youtoobling

Alan Partridge doesn't say in this clip - and I'm not making it up - a cat among the pigeons #youtoobling

Yusuf Islam can't be deported because - and I'm not making this up - he was Cat Stevens #youtoobling

Pet Shop Boys v Cat Stevens v - and I'm not making this up - Jonathan King #youtoobling

Una Paloma Blanca, George Baker Selection #youtoobling

George Baker Selection, Little Green Bag #youtoobling

It's Better To Have, Don Covay #youtoobling

Baby I Don't Care, Transvision Vamp #youtoobling

Don't Stop Moving To The Arse Crack Beat, S Club 7 #youtoobling

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough by... by.... oh, I had the name a second ago ... #youtoobling

Up The Wall, Jack Michaelson #youtoobling

D.I.S.C.O. Ottowan #youtoobling

Disco Boy, Frank Zappa #youtoobling

Dancing Fool, Frank Zappa #youtoobling

Dancing In The Moonlight, Thin Lizzy #youtoobling

Moonlight Feels Right, Starbuck #youtoobling

Moonlight Sonata, Myleene Klass The One Show (hey it used to be from Birmingham! Wh'appen?) #youtoobling

Pure & Simple, Hear'Say #youtoobling

Never Ever, All Saints #youtoobling

All Around The World, Oasis #youtoobling

The Four Chords, Axis Of Awesome. The ultimate #youtoobling @axisofawesome

Nice Video, Shame About The Song, Lufthansa Terminal #youtoobling

She Loved Like Diamond, Spandau Ballet #youtoobling

Pale Shelter, Tears For Fears #youtoobling RT Bath

How Can I Be Sure? David Cassidy #youtoobling

Scottish Falsetto Socks gigs aplenty

Last night's (Sunday) appearance by the Socks on Hardeep Singh Kohli's Chat Masala sadly didn't happen cos the show got cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Having first been asked to appear on the show in Edinburgh in 2010 and it not materialising then either, it's starting to look like the gig that'll never happen. But stay tuned, Hardeep will cook for the Socks yet.

On Thursday 13th October the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre return, for the fourth year in a row, to play Maidstone's famous Walnut Tree. It's a surprisingly good gig, and it's free. This is from an earlier appearance...



Oh and by the way, the Socks have a new Facebook Gig Guide. Not quite up to date yet, but we've done October:

Sitcom Trials Oct 21st - you are invited

(For the attention of TV & radio comedy development)

We have a comedy show coming up as part of The Manchester Comedy Festival that I'd like to invite you to.

It's called The Sitcom Trials and is a showcase for brand new situation comedy writing from up and coming writers, performed by some top notch comedy and acting talent. Scripts have been chosen from online submissions by a peer-review process, and we will be showcasing the five most popular mini-sitcoms, each no more than 10 minutes long, and each ending in a cliffhanger moment. Then the audience will vote and will only see the ending of the sitcom that wins.



The Sitcom Trials has been running since 1999 in London, Bristol, the Edinburgh Fringe, on local ITV, and for a brief run in LA, and this is its third Manchester outing. It is a fantastic interactive format that keeps the audience involved throughout while road-testing brand new comedy intended for TV and radio. Alumni of the Trials include Miranda Hart (Edinburgh 2001, tour 2002), Laura Solon (Edinburgh 2002), James Holmes (Edinburgh 2002, TV 2003) and 2009's London season final featured rising stars Stuart Goldsmith, The Unexpected Items, and winners McNeill & Pamphilon. We're hoping this latest show will discover star writers and performers of equal quality.

The Sitcom Trials takes place on Friday October 21st at The Lass O'Gowrie pub theatre, Charles Street, Manchester at 7.45pm and a place on the guest list awaits you. Please email me back, and I shall add you, or any minion you care to send along, to the list with pleasure.

NB: The winning sitcom from July's Manchester Sitcom Trials, Checkpoint Dave by Vince Stadon, is being performed in full at the Lass O'Gowrie on Thurs 20th and Fri 21st Oct at 5.45pm. Tickets £2.50

Looking forward to seeing you at The Sitcom Trials, all the very best


Kev F Sutherland
Creator & Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials

The Sitcom Trials Manchester
Fri 21st Oct 2011, 7.45pm
The Lass O Gowrie, 36 Charles Street, Manchester M1 7DB Tel 0161 273 6932
Tickets £3
Press contact: Kev F Sutherland 07931 810858

Sitcom Trials script voting thoughts (still time to vote)

The voting continues to select the scripts for this month's Sitcom Trials in Manchesters. Anyone and everyone is invited to read, review and vote on the scripts in contention. Read the scripts here in the SitsVac files, then post your reviews and a Yes, Maybe or No vote for every script you read, in either the SitsVac forum or the British Comedy Guide forum. The deadline for votes in midnight Saturday Oct 8th. Here are some thoughts on the process.

JUDGING SITCOMS

It is a lovely irony that I introduced the online peer-review system of voting so that I wouldn't ever have to read a big pile of sitcom scripts, then stopped doing the Sitcom Trials largely because of the amount of time it was taking up, and here I am greatly enjoying reading and reviewing the scripts that are coming in to the latest Manchester Trials, and am getting the biggest thrill from, of all thing, counting up the scores.

Having just added up another set of scores and amended the running total, I am delighting in the way every vote can make such a dramatic difference, with every Yes vote suddenly boosting a script by 2 points, and every No dragging it back by one. At the top of the table we now have a script with 15 points, and bringing up the rear another script with minus 6. And that will, of course, all change.



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The diversity of opinions really does make one worry about the usual situation where your work will be rejected by just one script reader or editor. In practice, I think, the BBC get three people to read a script before making a final decision, though often it can be just one person's opinion that lets the script get that far.

I fully appreciate the difference between an experienced, trained or professional script reader, who knows how to read and judge a script properly, and someone who may be speed-reading, just picking out gags they like, or making their decisions on a dozen other spurious bases. But a large part of any reader's judgement, whether in the Sitcom Trials' amateur realm or in the professional world of TV and radio, is going to be subjective. After all, even once a sitcom hits the screen it can divide viewers. I've had recent conversations with people who in turn love or loathe Miranda, Gary Tank Commander, My Family and Fresh Meat (yes, it is possible for someone to not like Fresh Meat) and it's quite possible all comedy is Marmite. Certainly this round of Sitcom Trials voting suggests the 18 scripts in contention very much fall into the Marmite category, every one of them having received at least one damning No Vote, a Maybe and a Yes vote from someone.

So carry on enjoying your power, Sitcom Trials readers. Every opinion matters and I like to think we're all learning something along the way.

Read the scripts here.

Scottish Falsetto Socks' new Facebook Gig Guide

Rather belatedly, the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have found how to make a Gig Guide on Facebook. Here it is, isn't it lovely? And a little plain. So, assuming I keep this up to date, there is now a one-stop shop stop place to find all the Socks' forthcoming gigs.

Of course I haven't got it up to date yet, but I've done October. So, quick, let's get these gigs sold out. Spread the word if you know anyone who lives near any of the following:

SUN OCT 9 - Exeter. The Socks are guests on Hardeep Singh Kohli's Chat Masala at the Northcott Theatre

THU OCT 13 - Maidstone Walnut Tree. An hour by the Socks, totally free!

SAT OCT 15 - Salisbury Arts Centre. The Socks perform ...Goes To Hollywood, their movie themed show. For one night only, do not miss.



THU OCT 27 - Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells - Socks 90 minute show

FRI OCT 28 - Ropery Hall, Barton on Humber - Socks 90 minute show

SAT OCT 29 - Hull Comedy Festival - Socks solo show

Sell sell sell! Why, I know acts with shorter tours than that, and these are just some gigs that didn't make the tour flyer and seem to have clustered themselves together. Let's make them all a whopping great big biggie shall we?

Don Quixote - Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre

Brand new from the Socks, a look at Cervantes' classic work, Don Quixote. You may notice this needs some work doing on it, but enjoy it as far as it's got.



And a Socks date for your diary: London Nov 23rd. Stay tuned for details.