Peep Show Festive Example: As if, Undercutting and Acting out of Character in Comedy Scripts

In this slightly late festive blog and video I explore using the 'as if' and 'undercutting' tools in comedy writing plus I look at the comedy of characters behaving out of character. All illustrated by a Christmas Peep Show Clip but the techniques can be used all year round!

Here I discuss three key comedic elements as seen in a Peep Show Christmas clip. I’d meant to make this clip on Boxing Day but I’ve been in such a Christmas stupor that it’s taken me to the 28^th. No matter, the comedy techniques discussed are timeless. And here they are:

• The "As-If" Dynamic: The "As If" technique as a powerful tool for generating comedic attitudes for characters. The characters act ‘as if’ they are different kinds of people. The clip features an "as-if" dynamic, with Mark acting as if he is the parent on Christmas morning and Jez acting as if he is the child.

• Undercutting: This is the classic Build-up and Knock-down comedy rhythm. In the cliip, the positive build-up of Jez giving thoughtful, generous presents is repeatedly undercut by Mark giving him shit presents in return.

• Characters Behaving Out-of-Character: Once you have set up a clear, well defined comic character, you can then have fun with them acting out of character. In this case, Jez's thoughtful gift-giving is very out of character for him, which makes Mark's bad presents seem even worse.

And here is a bonus technique. Although we don’t see it in this short clip, in Peep Show we the viewers can hear the thoughts of the Mark and Jez characters.

• Dramatic Irony: The sharing of the characters' internal thoughts in Peep Show (voiceover) automatically creates dramatic irony because the audience knows what they are thinking, but the other characters in the scene do not. Often, the comedy comes from the thoughts contradicting what they are saying or doing.

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When you next write a comedy scene or sketch try:

• The "As-If" Dynamic: One or more of your characters act ‘as if’ they are different kinds of people. (eg: a yoga teacher acts if they are a drill sergeant in the army).

• Undercutting: This classic tool can be used repeatedly. Build something up and then knock it down. (eg: a boss announces a big raise for their best employee – and it turns out to be a tiny amount).

• Characters Behaving Out-of-Character: Once you’re clear on who a character is, you can then create comedy with them behaving out of character. (In the Comedy Toolkit book, I give the example of Larry David incongruously behaving happily in Starbucks as part of an attempt to win Cheryl back).

  
  

And you could also try dramatic irony where the audience know something character(s) do not. You could create this by letting the audience into a characters innermost thoughts as they do in Peep Show. But it needn’t be a literal voice over. For example, your character could confide a secret to a second character, then we see them in a subsequent scene desperately trying to keep the secret from coming out.

This clip is an edited excerpt from a comedy scriptwriting course I did on Zoom leading up to Christmas. If you’d like to do a comedy writing course on Zoom with me here’s what’s coming up in the new year.

And here is my Complete Comedy Script Toolkit book.