My good friend Pete recently wrote this about 'The Micallef Program':

"They never push for laughs, instead the sketches have a concept that is followed through."

I hope he doesn't mind me repeating it here, but I found it a really insightful comment and something that I have thought about a lot since. It's true of many of the best and most edgy comedy programs, whether sketch or otherwise. I love that idea that a laugh is not necessarily the driving force, but instead it is more about the communication of an inherently funny idea. This notion really reinforces the complexity and also intangibility of humour.

To add to that, Tony Martin recently wrote this article in 'The Age'. Essentially it is about important figures in British comedy in the past twenty years. This article really made me think about my own influences when I write. Comedy and comedy writing is an area I'm fascinated with. It's definitely an area I would love to work in professionally.

Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to include a segment in this blog entitled 'Comedy Influences'. Here is Installment No. 1. (in no particular order)

Shaun Micallef
Without doubt, a huge influence. I have all of his DVDs and for me, the three seasons of 'The Micallef Program' are probably a peak in Australian comedy. I really love Micallef's command of the English language, when Micallef talks his language manages to go off in all manner of tangents, doubling back on itself and going on a comedic scenic route before getting to his eventual point. Micallef's sketches have a very strong sensibility to them which I suppose you'd have to call distinctly Micallef-esque. Often they play with conventional television formats such as the quiz show or the documentary tropes, subverting them hilariously.

Armando Iannucci
Much of the British comedy that I love has Armando Iannucci's writing behind it. Although I have not seen all of his work yet, his sketch show 'The Armando Iannucci Shows' has some of the finest sketches I've ever seen. He really focuses in on the awkwardness and silliness of many of life's conventions. I won't mention all of the shows he's written for, but 'I'm Alan Partridge' in particular is one of the best sitcoms I've seen. Really, Iannucci's comedy writing track record is ridiculously strong and although much of his stuff hasn't been shown in Australia, a lot of it can be found on Youtube.

Larry David
By following up 'Seinfeld' with 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', Larry David created something totally new, but which still retained that Larry David feel that made 'Seinfeld' so funny. There are definite similiarities between the two shows, particularly in the tone and structure of the stories, yet 'Curb' still feels totally original. To be honest, I wasn't sure 'Curb' could sustain as many seasons as it has but after just watching the sixth season, I'm still loving it. The reason is the quality of writing, every episode has a solid arc and because the dialogue is all improvised it always feels very fresh and very, very funny.

So I think I'll leave it at 3 for the first installment.