Aschlin Ditta

Aschlin Ditta has written TV sketch comedy, TV drama, and feature films including The Catherine Tate Show, No Angels, Totally Frank, and Scenes of a Sexual Nature. His latest movie, French Film, was completed in 2008 and he is currently writing a TV biopic of Benny Hill for BBC One.

How did you get started as a writer?

I started by writing jokes for a couple of stand-ups, like many others I used to send jokes into radio and telly and got nowhere fast, so I started doing stand-up for a few years. While I did that I wrote a couple of spec television scripts and was lucky enough to get an agent. Although they weren't ever made I got a few jobs staff writing and things went from there.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to write for a living?

I would say that you should write as much as you can and at the beginning don't worry too much about structure and selling the piece but try and be as raw as you can be. Finding your voice will ultimately be the thing that gets your work read and appreciated, structure can always be learned. When I started I had a quote from an old screenwriter above my computer which is still the best advice I ever had - "Don't get it right, get it written." Then try and get yourself an agent. Essential.

What's your writing routine?

It's a little inconsistent to be honest. I try and write something every day but I can spend a good deal of time working and thinking about character and story before I actually start writing. But when I start on the draft I'm pretty quick. I find that once I'm going I tend to keep going and can write for ten hours a day but not always. Whatever happens I try and write in the morning, then the rest of the day is a bonus.

You've written TV drama, TV sketch comedy, and feature films - what are the differences between them? Is there one medium you love best?

They all have different goods and bads as you'd expect. TV drama is very disciplined and very much about committees. But it can be hugely satisfying and certainly the quickest way to be heard and seen by millions. Also you can take more time in character development in television whereas in film you tend to have to set up and hook the audience in a couple of pages. Film is a joy for different reasons, the excitement of making films is wonderful and I think it's the thing I enjoy most. Sitting in a cinema and hearing the audience reaction is thrilling and terrifying and the challenge of telling a story over ninety minutes is I think the most satisfying. Sketch comedy is an entirely separate discipline. It's scary in a different way, much more raw and you live entirely by what is funny. Unlike drama comedy has a litmus test... did they laugh? I like that but you are still trying to tell stories, however small, but I think entirely through situation and character and very little plot.

What's it like being part of a huge hit like The Catherine Tate Show? How does it feel to hear catchphrases take on a life of their own?

It's a strange process where you sit in a room and tell each other what makes you laugh, and then you nuance it, and then you show it, and then it's not funny. You talk again, you rewrite it, you doubt you will ever be funny again, and then you show it again and it's even worse. Finally you rewrite again, and show it again, and then some people like it. Then the next thing you know people say your lines back to you on buses. It's great and it's odd and involves a mixture of pride and embarrassment.

Tell us more about your forthcoming Benny Hill biopic – what made you want to tell his story?

I find Benny interesting because he was the first comic made entirely by television. He also straddled the eras of vaudeville and alternative and was killed by progress. I wasn't a huge fan of his comedy but I'm fascinated by people who feel the need to make people laugh and get affirmation entirely from others. I'm glad I've done the story though, I like him a lot more.

What's the best thing about writing for a living?

The buzz of getting an idea and then getting someone to show interest in it. Then getting someone to pay for it. It's always good but the birth of the idea is always the best bit. Then writing the first draft is like giving birth to a fifteen pound baby but polishing, cutting, and finessing is a joy. It's a great way to make a living and the hours are great.