I had an article all set to go, related to our new podcast about sitcom writing - then yesterday I found out that Bluestone 42, written by Richard Hurst and my co-podcastee James Cary, had been axed by BBC3. This was not a big surprise, not least because BBC3 itself had been axed a few days earlier.
 

"Jealousy and envy - the only two reasons I write," a friend posted on Facebook recently.
 
It's not often you read something on Facebook that forces you to stop and think, a change from the more familar posts of friends' breakfasts and acquaintances' amusing cat pictures. Quite apart from having to remind myself why those words described two different emotions, reading such a brutally honest definition of being a writer made me consider my own reasons and, because this is a blog about wanting to be a writer, yours.
 

As I was working on an idea for a new sitcom character the other day, I heard myself asking this question of him - why is he always getting into scrapes?
 
It's a phrase that will be familiar to anyone over 40, it was the kind of thing that used to be written about characters like William from the Richmal Crompton 'Just William' books, it belongs to a bygone era of cheeky chappies with grazed knees and short trousers covered in mud, it predates the teenager, glue sniffing, video games, Zoella or whatever it is that kids are running with today.
 

A while back the comedy writer Sam Bain wrote an article for ‘The Guardian’ about how to be a comedy writer. He co-writes Peep Show and Fresh Meat among others, so he knows.
 
It’s a great article which I’m sure you’ll be able to search out, but I thought it would be good to answer the comments. There are loads of general questions here, so I’ve tried to answer them as honestly and fairly as I can. Let me know if you have any more.
 

This week I've been teaching people how to write comedy. By which I mean I've been reminding myself of the basics of how to write comedy, by repeating the stuff that I think I know, and having it questioned by people who are starting out.
 

I'm quite excited about the imminent opening of Shaun The Sheep - The Movie. Probably far more excited than a 56-year-old man should be about a sheep-farming animation aimed principally at children aged between 4 and 8 years old. But if you've never watched the Aardman show I recommend you start - it's as funny as anything you'll see on grown-up TV.