BBC Last Laugh (continued)

Almost nine months after the deadline closed, the next stage of BBC's Last Laugh Competition will start again tomorrow night. There's not much information on the website, but the first of eight programmes following the selection of the winning writers, will be screened at the not-exactly-prime-time of 11.10pm on BBC Three.

Last Laugh was an open competition where entrants were invited to finish a pilot episode started by an established sitcom writer. The winning show will be broadcast on BBC Three.

From the BBC Press Office (pdf)

The Last Laugh is the UK’s largest-ever sitcom-writing competition and celebrates the comedy classics that have made us laugh, cry and challenge our perceptions.

Launched last year, The Last Laugh dared the public to complete sitcoms started by some of the best names in the business. People who penned the first 20 minutes of brand-new sitcoms included the creators of The Peep Show, Bain and Armstrong, Marks and Gran – of The New Statesman and Birds of A Feather fame – Carla Lane and Paul Mayhew-Archer, co-writer of The Vicar of Dibley.An amazing 5,000 people rose to the challenge and may be in line to have their scripts turned into a comedy pilot for BBC Three.

Comedian Dara O’Briain reveals the winners in an eight-part series that also celebrates comedy as a vital cog of British life.

Tonight’s first episode focuses on the work of Marks and Gran, and in particular their razor-sharp political comedy, The New Statesman. While Rik Mayall and others pay tribute on how to take comic pot shots at politicians, the episode conversely looks at politically incorrect comedy, from Little Britain to Bottom.

In the company of Dara, the judges also give their opinions on the top four entries, who completed Marks and Gran’s sitcom Last Quango In Harris.