A sitcom script by Junior Production’s Joe Reaney has won the 2022 Short Com TV Sitcom Script competition.
‘Coworking’ came out top from a final shortlist of five scripts. Previous shortlisted writers include Joe Barnes (Starstruck), Henry Perryment (Peacock) and Caroline Mabey (Rye Lane).
This year’s contest was judged by BAFTA-nominated director Ben Mallaby, PBJ literary agent Henry Holmes and Rough Cut TV producer Inez Gordon.
Coworking is now in development with Restless Native.
We are delighted to reveal that a two-minute cut of Junior Productions’ short animated comedy sketch Spaghetti has been announced as the May 2021 winner of the British Comedy Guide’s prestigious BCG Pro Video Contest.
Written by the team behind sketch show Birds (Will Noble, Kate Novak, Joe Reaney and Amy Spinks), Spaghetti was animated by the brilliant BenPics, known for his hugely-popular podcast animations for the likes of Athletico Mince (starring Bob Mortimer), Adam Buxton and John Finnemore. You can see more of his work on his YouTube channel - including the original version of Spaghetti, which stretches to a barely credible two-and-a-half minutes.
Yet Spaghetti is only the start. The successful collaboration on this project has led to an entire animated series by BenPics for Junior Productions. It’s called The Green & Pleasant Guide - and it’s out soon. Watch this space…
Birds have been awarded runners-up at the prestigious Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off! 2019 competition.
The sketch group, who also reached the final stages of the competition last year, went one step further this year by placing in the top three acts. Almost 80 sketch groups and character comedians from across the UK took part in the competition, which kicked off with a series of heats and then four semi-finals at London’s Museum of Comedy.
The final of the competition was held at the 400-seater main auditorium of the Leicester Square Theatre. 10 of the country’s best up-and-coming acts strutted their stuff on stage, and after a fun-filled night, Birds were placed third.
You can find reviews of the night’s events by Steve Bennett on Chortle and Bruce Dessau on Beyond the Joke.
Birds can next be seen at a number of sketch comedy nights across London - including Sketchy Ladies in March and Belly Laughs in May - before heading to the Brighton Fringe to perform brand new one-hour show “Pluck”.
Tickets for the show, which runs from 3rd-4th and 29th-31st May, are available on the Brighton Fringe website.
Hot on the heels of the sketch group's successful shows at Brighton Fringe Festival and Prague Fringe Festival this May, we're delighted to announce that Birds have been shortlisted for the prestigious BBC New Comedy Award.
From a pool of more than 600 UK-wide entries, Birds were selected to take part in the heats of the competition.
Birds performing live at the Prague Fringe Festival.
The event takes place at London's Up the Creek comedy club on 26th June 2018, with each act performing a five minute set. The winners of each individual heat will then progress through to the semi-finals, which will take place in Edinburgh during the festival in August. Highlights from all of the heats will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
The BBC New Comedy Award was first held in 1995, and previous winners and finalists include stand-ups Peter Kay, Josie Long, Lee Mack, Nina Conti, Rhod Gilbert and Lost Voice Guy. The award is also open to sketch and music acts, though until now it has only been won by stand-ups. Let's see if 2018 will be the year of the sketch...
Official Brighton Fringe poster for Birds.
Following the sketch group's run to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off!, Birds are now preparing to spread their wings and perform their debut hour-long show at this year's Brighton Fringe.
With a six-night run booked between 5th and 10th May 2018 at Junkyard Dogs (Fringe 'Best Venue' Award Winner 2017), audiences should expect a shower of sharp, snappy and surreal sketches... and quite a bit of childish on-stage bickering in between.
The full list of Brighton Fringe dates are as follows:
Birds is performed by Amy Spinks and Leila Nashef and is written and directed by Will Noble and Joe Reaney. You can find out more about Birds here.
Book tickets for any of these six performances through the Brighton Fringe website. And to keep up with the latest news and developments, simply like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
We are delighted to reveal that our brilliant comedy sketch group Birds has been selected as a finalist at the 2018 Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off contest.
Around 90 sketch acts from London and all across the UK entered the heats of the prestigious sketch comedy competition, which took place at the Museum of Comedy over several nights throughout February.
Birds, which is performed by Amy Spinks and Leila Nashef and written and directed by Will Noble and Joe Reaney, advanced from their heat to one of four semi-finals, also at the Museum of Comedy. Then, last night, they progressed again to reach the grand final, to be held at the Leicester Square Theatre on Sunday 25th March.
There will be 10 superb sketch acts competing in the iconic 400-seat auditorium, with a cash prize and showcase up for grabs, so why not pop along? Tickets are available for £15.50 from the Leicester Square Theatre website.
Find out more about the event on the Sketch Off Facebook page, then book your tickets through the LST box office. And you can keep up to date with all things Birds on our own Facebook page.
Our newest short film, Today's the Day, was only completed back in November, yet it has already picked up a highly coveted film industry award.
In December, it was awarded Best Microfilm at the Festigious International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
The film, which was co-directed by Paul Dean and Joe Reaney and produced by Junior Productions, was up against some stiff competition, but managed to walk away with the top prize at its worldwide premiere.
It follows on from the success of The Man Who Stopped, which won Best Microfilm at related festival Top Shorts.
If Today's the Day can get anywhere near matching the breakthrough success of our first short, we'll be delighted.
You can find out more about Festigious International Film Festival here.
It's official. Our brand new short film, Today's the Day, has been released.
The mini-drama gives us a sneak peak into the life of Sally. Every morning, she goes jogging - and every morning, she sees him. Her perfect man.
She fantasises about the happy life they will share together, from their first date right through to their old age. Now all she needs to do is ask him out.
How hard can it be?
Watch a trailer for the short now on our dedicated Today's the Day page. And, if you would like to see the whole film, please get in contact directly.
Last month, the script for the film was awarded 'Finalist' at the Hollywood Just 4 Shorts competition. And we have high hopes that the film itself will do just as well, with some festival screenings in 2018. Watch this space...
Image courtesy of Dan Tambling Comedy
Following our storming (citation needed) debut shows at Diminishing Returns, Comedy Virgins and Party Piece in September, Birds is back. Are back? Is back.
We've got brand spanking new comedy sketches, and we'll be premiering them at the absolutely legendary London comedy venue Downstairs at the King's Head.
On Thursday 9th November, you can see a new five-minute Birds set at the venue's famous Try Out Night, launchpad of some of the UK's biggest comedy stars.
Doors open at 8pm and tickets - on the door - cost just £4. That's less than the price of a beer. Bloody London.
The Try Out Night has been a fixture on the UK circuit since 1986. There will 16 comedy acts on the bill - a mix of new acts and old hands, sketch and stand up - with each doing five minutes. All MCed by comedian Matt Green.
So come along. It'll be a laugh - promise. Oh, and it's usually a sell out, so arrive early to avoid disappointment.
P.S. Can't make it on 9th November? Don't worry. You can also catch Birds at Party Piece on 21st November.
Find out more about the Try Out Night on Thursday 9th November here.
It may only be in post-production, but new short film Today's the Day is already gaining significant industry recognition in Hollywood.
This month, an early draft script of the short, written by Joe Reaney and produced by Junior Productions, was awarded 'Finalist' at the prestigious Hollywood Just 4 Shorts competition in Los Angeles, California. The script competition is overseen by a number of US-based film industry specialists.
Today's the Day is scheduled for release in November 2017, and you can watch a trailer on this dedicated page.
You can find out more about Just 4 Shorts here.
The Man Who Stopped, a short film by writer and director Joe Reaney, scooped top prize at the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival (DMOFF).
The festival shortlist, created by a diverse jury of industry specialists, was announced in September, and included everything from feature films and documentaries to music videos and web series. Awards were announced in early October, with The Man Who Stopped picking up the Best Film.
It's the fourth major award for The Man Who Stopped in 2017, following wins at Top Shorts, TMFF and East Coast Film Festival. The film has also been an official selection for a range of major upcoming film festivals, including the Crystal Palace International Film Festival, Manchester Animation Festival and the Winchester Short Film Festival.
You can see the full list of DMOFF winners here.