Writing on a panel show often means creating dozens of gags and sketches that will never be used. As Ian Simmons, Gerald McCulloch, Mark O’Toole and Warwick Holt discussed, much of the work is not about writing but about constructing an environment that will stimulate the panelists of the program.
Ian Simmons has spent years working on shows such as Good News Week and The Glass House. Writing for these programs which rely on current affairs for material can be particularly challenging.
