This blog has been updated for series 4!

The BBC’s open-door Radio 4 Extra series, DMs are Open is back! It’s open for submissions NOW but don’t rush into it – there’s been a few changes! The big headline is it’s now ONLY a sketch show.

Let’s start with the basics.

You’re going to write for DMs are Open!

(You might not get a credit… but you’re going to try!)

What is DMs are Open?

In the original announcement for series one of DMs are Open, the BBC said, “The satirical sketch show is loosely topical, reflecting online conversations and trends through a heady cocktail of comedy formats. This broader playing field is designed to attract a wide range of submissions and will reflect pop culture, hot takes and the political and social zeitgeist.”

This is still basically right, but it’s now totally non-topical. Which sounds great… and probably leaves you thinking, “Yeah, but what do you actually want from me?”

During a webinar, the shows producer, Georgia Keating and assistant producer, Katie Baym briefed just under 300 aspiring writers on the format for the series and explained what they’re looking for. They were joined partway through by host Stevie Martin, who shared some excellent sketch writing tips.

Much like Newsjack (the BBC’s previous open-door show), DMs are Open features a regular host, joined each episode by a cast of performers – 2 male and 2 female. Only this time it’ll be the same cast for the full series. No more rotating cast! Although they can’t tell us who the cast is yet, presumably because they go to a different school and we won’t know them. The new static cast means that the producers are open to recurring characters!

The host and cast will perform sketches on a wide range of subjects. Unlike most open submission. shows, they’re not looking for topical! Instead the production team will announce TWO new themes via their website and Twitter – this series they’re asking for material for two episodes each week. The themes are open to interpretation and you have space to go anywhere you want with it – the theme is a jumping off point.

For a long time, one big argument that I’ve heard is that open door shows are too heavy on topical comedy. Not everyone likes writing about the news. Some writers think they can’t do it and talk themselves out of submitting. And for a long time it’s been seen as a bit of a barrier. Now thanks to the introduction of themes (in series 3), the show really is open to everyone.

As with the previous series, each episode has a runtime of 15 minutes. This shorter episode length aligns the show to modern sketch series such as I Think You Should Leave, which I personally think works really well for the format but this does mean that sketches will need to really earn their place and be as concise and punchy as possible. Get in, get a laugh, and get out.

The show will be recorded in front of a live audience. An audience brings opportunities but also challenges. I’ll do a whole blog on this but for now the key thing to remember is make sure that your script is FUN! It needs to play to a crowd of people who don’t know you. It needs to grab attention and get a reaction.

If you are successful and make it into the script/edit, you’ll have to wait to be informed on the week of episode broadcast. And everyone knows that one of the best parts of being a writer is getting to tell people you wrote something. Brag away, no need to be humble!

If you’re wondering, no, you won’t be told if you don’t make it into the script/edit. I know that can sound a bit harsh but there will be around 800 people submitting and, unfortunately, that’s too many emails for the team to be sending out. It makes it all the sweeter when you finally get the “YOU’RE IN” email though.

What can you submit?

The submission window will cover two themes each week and you can submit up to 2 sketches – 1 per theme. You can no longer send one liners or voice notes like in previous series!

The good news is that as the themes are being released ahead of time, you don’t have to lose your entire weekend going through the news and working on hyper topical material. Start brainstorming and planning as soon as the themes are released (Thursday evenings), get some drafts as early as possible and then keep editing them up until the deadline.

The first two themes of the series are HELP and SECRET. So get creative and play with these prompts to find something that is unique and hilarious. The deadline for these themes is Wednesday midday so GO GO GO!

Sketches

A sketch is a short comedy scenario that has a beginning, middle, and end.

A good sketch also has an original take, characters that jump off the page, a clear game, escalation, and JOKES! Ideally with the biggest joke at the end so the live audience knows when to laugh. It sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many sketches don’t have this.

Sketches should each be about 2-3 pages tops, typed in the template provided by the show. Again, this series will have a reduced episode length so the producers advise that you aim for 2 pages, with 3 as a maximum. If you’re running around 2.5 pages, see if there are any edits you can make to tighten the script and increase your chances.

Although the show is non-topical, there is still SOME room for some low-level topicality. Forget specific incidents and stories as they’ll be old news by the time the episode airs. But you can think zeitgeist subjects and modern day issues. So things like the cost of living crisis is going to be a part of our lives for a long time and so that would be safe to use within a sketch. The series may be repeated and will live on BBC Sounds for a while, so the material needs a long shelf life.

Once you know what the theme is for the week, you can start brainstorming around the idea (try searching for word associations if you’re struggling, or look at pop culture references that link to the theme). Be creative and playful. Don’t do the obvious things because lots of other people will. What’s a unique take on the theme that’s surprising but inevitable? What would make people say, “of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” Try and find a way in to the theme that allows you to show off your unique voice and perspective, whilst still remaining true to the tone of the show (which means it’s not cruel, there’s minimal swearing, it’s impartial, and it doesn’t punch down).

Take something that anybody could understand or relate to and then flip it over, turn it inside out, stretch it out to the extremes. Make clever observations, switch the perspective, amplify the silliness, reveal a truth about us as people, zoom in on a tiny detail and exaggerate it beyond recognition. Have FUN.

When writing a sketch, get into the game as soon as possible. That means skip any unnecessary setup/exposition and remove any information that’s not needed. Within a couple of lines, the reader should be able to understand what your sketch is about. Your intent needs to be clear and understandable to each person who reads your work throughout the process – reader, producer, script editor, performer, editor, and ultimately, the audience.

The producers have advised that they always are overloaded with advert, and newsflash sketches. Adverts are easy sketch formats and I often go this route but if you want to stand out (which is what this show is all about) then try to think out of the box and surprise the readers with something different. Remember, it’s radio and you can go anywhere with your sketches.

But as the host, Stevie pointed out – don’t try to do something completing radical and game changing. Focus on being creative, silly and fun. And read your work out or ask someone you trust to read it. Make sure it’s full of jokes, has a satisfying ending (if you’re struggling, try to end on a callback to something from earlier to get that reaction from the audience) and builds as it goes. Try and have one good clear joke/concept that you can play with throughout.

Your writing will be sent to people who don’t know you or your incredible sense of humour. They can’t physically hear you perform the script. So your writing needs to be strong enough that a person can pick it up, read it, understand it, and most importantly, enjoy it. They need to get a sense of your voice and style just from your words. So don’t be lazy – work hard on what you submit and make sure it shines.

The producers have previously warned of what they call “navel gazing sketches”. Which are basically people sat around chatting. This type of scene may play well in a Kevin Smith or Tarantino movie but it doesn’t work in a quick-fire audio sketch show. Keep it lean and don’t stop moving. Remember to have a setup/punchline structure throughout that escalates. You need a satisfying (and ideally, surprising) ending. You need to show a part of yourself in your submission (not THAT part).

Don’t just deliver a funny idea – deliver your funny idea that only you could ever have thought of. Show your voice, not just a scripted recreation of an event or a tired caricature. But don’t try to do something completely wild – it needs to work within a recognisable sketch format. There’s no time to front load sketches with intros or setup. Get straight into it and make it FUN.

You don’t need to write intros to your sketches. This is an old feature from Newsjack/DMs series 1 that has now gone away. The producers have said previously that you can include a short (no more than two sentences) intro with your script to provide content, but I’m going to say that if you need some preamble to explain your sketch, then your sketch probably isn’t good enough yet. The show won’t feature intros so the audience needs to get everything they need to enjoy the sketch from the sketch itself. Y’know, like how basically every sketch show you’ve ever watched.

You might find writing an intro helps you to write your script, as it can be a good way of concisely describing the point of your sketch (for example, this is about what happens when someone tries so hard to be woke that they actually become anti-woke). But then once you’ve written and edited your sketch – delete that intro because the subtext should now exist within the script.

Also, don’t send musical comedy or song parodies. That’s what the producers said… but I also don’t like them much. And don’t send a sitcom script – THEY ONLY WANT SKETCHES!

I’ve stuck my sketches from series one up on my SoundCloud – have a listen to get an idea of the tone of the show. Just skip the intros because you don’t need them in series two.

The producers have said that the voice/tone of the show will be similar to series 3, so listen to that to set the mood.

How to submit

By this point, hopefully you’re hyped about the show. You’ve decided that you’re going to give it a shot. So, uh… how?

Full instructions are up on the DMs Are Open website. Templates are available and you have to use these. Don’t try and work around them or design your own. Use the templates and follow the brief.

Everything submitted before each deadline will be read. Anything that comes in after the deadline won’t be read. Submissions can’t be carried over to the following episode.

You’ll now have to upload your submissions via the BBC’s website instead of emailing. For those who used to submit to Newsjack, say ‘goodbye’ to the panic you felt when you didn’t receive an auto response email and ‘hello’ to anxiously wondering whether your file uploaded or if your internet connection timed out.

A few last bits to address questions you may have:

You don’t have to be a UK citizen or resident to submit.

You will get paid if your submission is broadcast.

You won’t get paid if your submission is performed but cut out in the final edit.

You can write with a partner and share the credit/payment/glory/anxiety. The producers have previously recommended people try to find a writing partner as this has worked well for people previously.

You can submit under a different name.

Don’t be an idiot and send sitcom scripts, show pitches, manuscripts, or anything else. Just send what the producers have asked for (sketches based on the themes) and stay within the limit of 1 sketch per theme.

Ready?

It is not going to be easy to a credit on DMs are Open but it’s 100% possible.

Check out my next blog for 5 tips on how you can boost your chances of a credit (not updated for series 4 yet… but might be soon!)

You can also find my blogs on writing for Newsjack (which will mostly still apply) right here.

And you can hear my sketches/jokes from Newsjack on my Soundcloud.

Oh and hey, if you found this useful, I have a Ko-Fi and enjoy coffee and appreciation from strangers.