The Army Game

Had a long chat with Jimmy Perry a few years ago about the mountain he had to climb in the 1960s to persuade the Oxbridge tweed jackets at the BBC that his idea for a comedy about the Home Guard would be successful. They told him that the future of BBC comedy lay in satire shows like The Frost Report and that viewers were tired of situation comedy.

I think the lesson to learn from Jimmy's experience is that if you think you have a good good idea keep on Trying. Knock at those virtual doors and don't give up.  I wonder how many other good ideas were quashed by the BBC management over the years in favour of political programming decisions.


I do remember I once sent a script off to the BBC writers room to be appraised.  Before sending the physical script out I sealed the pages with a bit of wax from a candle, just in one corner, but you would need to break the seal to read the pages.  I got a rejection letter back saying that they had read the script and deemed it unsuitable for the BBC.  Had the seal been broken?  What do you think?