Well met: Will Ing, comedy writer

Who are you?

Will Ing. And yes, it is my real name. I know, it’s extremely silly and my parents have never given me a satisfactory explanation. I’m over it now. Just.

What do you write?

I write and script-edit television programmes, primarily comedy and entertainment shows. So I might work on anything from a sitcom to a kids’ entertainment show to a panel show (like 8 Out of 10 Cats or A League of Their Own). People often don’t realise that panel shows require writers, either to work on the host’s script or to generate ideas for the show.

Do you have a ‘day’ job?

I’m lucky enough to make a living from writing, though in my dim and distant past I have had several other jobs, including work as a teacher, an actor, a stand-up and, one memorable winter, as a turkey plucker. I was pretty average at all of them, but outstandingly bad at turkey plucking. Didn’t have the speed or the dexterity. Or the mindset.

Where ten years ago a show might have employed a handful of writers, now it’s only one or two.

What are you working on currently?

I’ve just finished co-writing a three-part sitcom, Zapped, for UKTV and am just starting to work on the second series of a BBC2 panel show called Insert Name Here. This is partly made by my own production company, Black Dog Television.

How has the market for your writing changed over the past decade, and how have you had to diversify your work?

Everything has got harder! I started out writing on sketch shows like Spitting Image and Alas Smith and Jones – these sorts of show hardly exist now as they’re considered prohibitively expensive. It’s very difficult to get shows commissioned and writing budgets for entertainment programmes have, generally speaking, been cut. Where, ten years ago, a show might have employed a handful of writers, now it’s only one or two.

As a freelance writer, I’ve tried to diversify by working on as many different kinds of show as possible. I have worked on some great programmes and some truly terrible ones, which you will not find on my CV. The one thing they have in common is that they have all paid the mortgage. I’m just grateful for that.

I’ve also diversified by setting up Black Dog Television with two writing partners with whom I have worked for many years. The three of us develop formats and sitcoms for TV. As a result, I now produce as well as write.

How did you hear about ALCS?

A friend told me about it about 15 years ago.

For what sort of uses of your work do you receive ALCS income?

Nearly all my ALCS money has come through retransmission of TV programmes that I’ve written for.

How consistent has your level of ALCS income been over the years?

Fairly consistent. It ultimately comes down to how much material I’ve contributed to a programme. If it’s just a few minutes on a show, then the payment is small, but if it’s a sitcom episode I’ve written on my own, then it’s a reasonable amount.

How important are your ALCS payments in terms of your overall income?

They are not a huge percentage of my income, but they’re still important. It’s enough to pay for a few more weeks’ food for my permanently ravenous teenage children. It adds up to a substantial amount over 15 years and it’s also the best kind of payment, as the work is already done. There’s nothing a writer likes less than receiving the money and then having to sit down and actually do the work for it. Or is that just me?

… nearly all television writer fees are a buyout now, so you very rarely get repeat fees (apart from through ALCS – thank you!).

Which is your highest-earning work?

It’s probably work that I do through my production company, as we can retain certain rights which will create further revenue down the line. The three of us spent many years helping other companies flourish, coming up with ideas and formats for them, and finally we realised that there was nothing to stop us from doing it for ourselves. However, we do manage to offset any potential gains by writing as a threesome. As a result of group writing we probably come up with better ideas, but a script fee split three ways is not the path to riches.

I started out writing for radio and it’s a really fantastic medium in which to work. However, the pay is now appallingly low, despite audience figures often being larger than TV viewing figures, and it’s impossible to make a living from radio writing, which seems wrong to me.

Which is your most surprising source of ALCS income?

I co-wrote a kids’ puppet show for the BBC about five years ago and it was shown several times in both Ireland and Estonia. I have no idea why this is – we certainly didn’t set out to write it with an Estonian audience in mind – but I’d like to thank the viewers in both countries and congratulate them on their excellent taste in puppet-based slapstick.

Are you aware of any potential threats to your income, and if so what are they?

Ha! You’re kidding, right? Writers are constantly under threat these days! For a start, nearly all television writer fees are a buyout now, so you very rarely get repeat fees (apart from through ALCS – thank you!). Also, at the start of a project, writers are being asked to do more and more for free, such as providing sample material, or indeed entire scripts before anything is commissioned. Every week I speak to writer friends who have been in a TV meeting where the sole purpose is to discuss their script, and yet they are the only person in the room not being paid to be there.

Any advice for TV and radio writers struggling in the current climate?

I think it’s very tough for writers at the moment. You have to be almost as good a salesperson as you do a writer and I think it’s definitely worth devoting creative energy to working out how you’re going to get a show on, not just what the idea is. One other thing I would add is that you should never give up on an idea. My two writing partners and I took five years to get our latest panel show on television and six years getting our sitcom on, having been round every channel (some of them twice). If something doesn’t get on, move on to the next thing but come back to that idea later. It’s not dead, it’s just in hibernation – or in our case, long term cryogenic suspension.

Every week I speak to writer friends who have been in a TV meeting where the sole purpose is to discuss their script, and yet they are the only person in the room not being paid to be there.

What do you think the future holds for your area of writing?

My kids do not watch television in any regular way. The younger generation have many other screens craving their attention. Audience figures are down year on year and budgets are falling. It’s not great, is it? Fortunately people will always want to see new programmes, whether it’s comedy shows, sitcoms or dramas. I cling to that thought. I’m never going back to turkey plucking.

Will Ing has worked as a writer, script-editor and producer for 20 years. See more about Will and his work at Black Dog Television.

© Will Ing

Do you know a TV writer who is not currently a Member of ALCS? Tell them about us.

Tell them that:

• ALCS is holding £1.9 million in unclaimed royalties for TV and radio writers.
• This September we’ll be distributing £2.5 million to our Members for TV and radio works.
• Last September we distributed £2.6 million to our Members for TV and radio works.

The highest paid Audio-visual comedies at ALCS over the past three years are:

Mr Bean
Father Ted
Only Fools and Horses
Dad’s Army
‘Allo ‘Allo

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