Finding the Funny

You can approach a comedy project with the best of intentions, but if the audience aren’t laughing, it’s all for nothing. In this panel, writer, actor & producer Kyla Harris (We Might Regret This), comedian, actress, and writer Ashley Storrie (Dinosaur) and Matt Nida, Programme Manager, Laughing Matters took a deep dive into thinking about the challenges and opportunities for messaging through comedy. They considered some of the diverse ways in which British sitcoms have subtly but influentially explored challenging or once-taboo subjects, tackled the pros and cons of tokenisation, and suggested some strategies to make something funny and impactful. Chaired by Kate Martin, Head of Lived Experience, Wellcome Trust.