Showcase Your Own Writing

And what Lee-Ann does with her spare Fridays

In this post, I’ve asked writer JY Saville some questions about her experience writing, producing and voicing her own audio comedy, Lee-Ann’s Spare Fridays. It’s a lovely show about Lee-Ann and her overbearing sister. Beautifully subtle and understated, with a very clear sense of what it is.

I like to tell others about it, especially new writers, for another reason. It’s a good example of content that you can make yourself to a high standard on a low budget that also showcases your writing. So let’s find out more:

Where did this whole thing originate?

Jacqueline: In 2021 I signed up for James's Writing Your Sitcom course to work on the pilot script for a radio sitcom about chalk and cheese middle-aged sisters Lee-Ann and Gina. Unfortunately, all professional radio sitcom writers are basically competing for a few slots on BBC Radio Four; consequently, there's much less scope for a new voice than there is in TV with its multiple channels.

So why not give it up or rewrite for TV?

The thing is, I love radio comedy. And I'd grown fond of the entangled but antagonistic sisters and Lee-Ann's dry, laid-back neighbour Douglas. I had lists of one-sentence plot ideas, pages of escalation, and a finished script for episode 1. In theory I could keep it audio and make a podcast. All I needed was some actors, money to pay them, a studio...

How did the one-voice version come about?

I did have a microphone, some experience of recording my short stories, and I'd once got brilliant feedback when I read a six-minute monologue on community radio. So, I set about rewriting the pilot script as a monologue from the point of view of the character with the voice closest to mine, retaining the scene breaks and some cue-giving sound effects. Lee-Ann's Spare Fridays episode 1 came out in mid-December and the series finale was released in late June.

What did you learn from the experience?

I learnt that sometimes it's best to leap before you look. If I'd thought about the commitment required to produce six half-hour episodes, only one of which I had written an actual script for, I wouldn't have started. Once I got going, I was determined to make a whole series. Partly as a calling card to show I've got more than one plot idea and I can write consistently, partly because I correctly guessed it would feel really satisfying when I reached the end. I learnt to write a good enough script on time rather than agonising over every line. Though ideally I'd write further ahead next time.

Did it all go to plan?

Life intervened, as it does, particularly when you're writing around a day-job. I changed from mid-month releases to the end of the month, and skipped May altogether. Producing my own show gave me the flexibility to not work myself into the ground while writing something I was happy with, and the change of schedule didn't lose me my audience.

What about drumming up an audience?

Building that audience was the hard part. It's easy to release to the biggest platform, Apple podcasts, but they don't provide a handy list of all available shows, so the chances of anyone stumbling across it are tiny. In the week episode 1 was released it got eleven plays. On the plus side, I didn't personally know eleven people who were interested in it at the time so I figured some of them were genuine listeners I could potentially entice back for episode 2, and the streaming figures have steadily grown. A friend asked me recently if I thought I was limiting my audience by writing a sitcom set in a Yorkshire village, read in a Yorkshire accent, but I think this is the beauty of DIY: you can follow your interests and find your niche.

Thanks, Jacqueline! Go and have a listen to Lee-Ann’s Spare Fridays over here.

And for more information on that Writing Your Sitcom course, have a look here.::