Following on from our finalist announcement for Radio HaHa, here are some short biogs of the chosen 9. Many thanks to all those who took the time to submit their moments of comic genius.

Daniel Jamieson
Daniel is a 17-year-old film student from Edinburgh. His submission, AJ and Finnegan, is a spoof American cop show following partners AJ, a young hot-shot rookie, and Finnegan, a gritty old-hand maverick as they fight back threats to national security while constantly arguing about it. It was created in his college’s recording studio, and Daniel directs, storylines, edits and adds sounds to each episode, while allowing actors to improvise some real comedy gold.

Jenni Armstrong
Jenni is a stand-up comedian who writes sitcoms for radio and television, and makes comedy shorts. She uses a DIY aesthetic to enhance the surreal comedy of her work, and has filmed a mini-series called Jenni Shows and Tells which can be viewed on YouTube. In May, Jenni did a comedy review in the style of this show for 4Laughs. Jenni’s submissions for Radio HaHa include Lebacuppacoffee, a mock promo for a Lebanese coffee shop, and the surreal skit The Adventures of Gok Wan.

Lauren O’Reilly
Lauren is a 22-year-old postgraduate student in scriptwriting and drama school graduate who aims to write scripts for radio. Her idea for Radio HaHa, The Race, is an inner space-style comedy skit following sperm as they compete to fertilise an egg following a drunken encounter. Lauren’s inspiration for the piece struck following a night out where Lauren found herself watching a group of drunken men dance terribly and asked herself, “You were the one that reached the egg first?”

Madeleine Brettingham
Madeleine is a radio and television comedy writer whose work has featured on several Radio 4 programmes, including Recorded for Training Purposes, Fordham and Lipson and The News Quiz. She’s interested in comedy that provides a new take on the world, and her submission, Goth Town, poses questions such as ‘What’s it like having to exude satanic majesty while you’re buying bogroll from CostCutter, or visiting your nan?’ Goth Town follows the story of a misfit brother and sister who live in a grimy townhouse near Morrisons, and their struggle to stand out in a grey world.

Richard Cray
Richard is a former radio commercial producer who, in his words, “Left the industry to get a proper job.” He’s been a regular on the London comedy circuit, produces podcasts for Comedy 365 and is co-producing a show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Richard’s submission is a compilation of spoof radio ads and promos: The Dogs Must Be Carried, Top 50, and Liar News.

Nicola Depuis
After studying Radio & Theatre Production, Nicola worked as a journalist for seven years, during which time she hosted a weekly radio show. A finalist in the Galway Film Fleadh pitching competition this year, her first screenplay was recently optioned and she’s currently working on a studio assignment. Tubescent is a radio sitcom that gives a comic insight into the lives, worries and conversations of teenage friends aimlessly riding the public transport systems of their city.

Richard Kelly
Richard is a former teacher who is now focusing on a writing career. His sit-com, The Good Defenders, is a comical take on the traditional superhero story following a team of B-list heroes that protect Earth from rogue celebrities, with some hilarious consequences.

Andy Ward
A recent Keele University graduate, Andy Ward presented, produced and wrote several popular university radio shows while studying there and has recently been trying his hand at stand-up comedy. His submission, Spooky Times, is a surreal ghost story that follows a man who encounters particularly bad problems whilst attempting to prepare a barbecue, juxtaposing the presentation style and atmosphere of a serious ghost story with a comic writing style.

Stephen Yorke & Ben Harris
Stephen and Ben are a duo who write TV radio and press ads at separate advertising agencies in London. The pair recently decided to collaborate on their own comedy pieces. and came up with the idea of creating podcasts to bring their comedy to the world. Their programme, Funpot, is recorded at home on their computer and comprises 5-minute slots of the pair ‘trying to make each other laugh’ by creating comic situations and playing off one another.

As you may have noticed, over the last few months we’ve been calling for up-and-coming comics to fling their funny bits in our direction for a unique competition with E4 Radio, called Radio HaHa. The response was incredible: we had literally thousands of audio clips and scripts snippets piling into our inbox.

It took us a little while, but we have our 9 finalists. They’ll be wending their wily ways to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival next week for a day of intensive workshops, followed by a nerve-racking pitch to a panel of E4 Radio commissioners, who have pledged to match at least one of them with an independent production company to take the idea to broadcast.

So here they are:

Daniel Jamieson for his shrewd spoof of US police drama
Jenni Armstrong for her delightfully surreal Gok Wan adventures
Lauren O’Reilly for her sticky sperm sketch The Race
Nicola Depuis for teen-public-transport-com Tubescent
Madeleine Brettingham for Goth Town’s dark humour
Richard Kelly for his off-the-wall take on the superhero genre
Stephen Yorke for some witty on-air banter
Andy Ward for his dryly hilarious Spooky Times
Richard Cray for taking off local radio cliches with tongue firmly in cheek

You can also read more detailed biogs of all of the above.

More to come from the finalists: watch this space. We’ll be following the ideas through the development process in the next issue of 4Talent magazine, and they’ll even be featuring in a special episode of The Fix podcast, which launched with the first episode yesterday.

After pitching a behind-the-scenes film about the workings of Channel 4 to a panel of big wigs, Summer School placement Catherine Madden reflects on how it felt.

So you’ve worked on an idea that you feel passionate about. You know it has potential, and the thought of anyone ripping it to shreds and making you feel stupid is terrifying. But realistically, how many commissioners ever say, “Wonderful, I love everything about that idea, here’s £10k to develop it?” I went into the boardroom knowing that it wouldn’t be perfect, but prepared to learn something so that next time, I’d be better.

Each of the four ideas we were pitching was very different, but hopefully shared the following characteristics: challenging, insightful, funny, visual, intimate, and the list goes on. You’d almost think I really knew what I was talking about.

I felt confident that we’d come up with great ideas, but that’s what everyone thinks before going into a pitch. But more than anything else, this experience taught me that while there’s no such thing as the perfect idea, presenting your pitch perfectly is a good start.

I was given several tips, all of which are simple to follow. Make things as visual as possible when you describe them: a commissioner wants to visualise the story. But definitely don’t hand out paper before you start: they’ll spend their time reading that rather than paying attention to you. And to introduce your pitch, sum up your idea in one line.

But the best bit of advice was to be yourself. Commissioners are only human; they’re not waiting for you to slip up. If you’re not quite sure about a certain aspect, ask for advice. Don’t try to sound like you know what you’re talking about when you don’t: they’ll see right through you. But providing you’re passionate about the idea and you prepare well, all you can do is learn - even if you don’t get the commission.

Watch this space for updates on how the Summer School placements get on.

“I’ve commissioned something called The Great Sperm Race, which demonstrates the science of conception using thousands of extras shot from helicopters.

C4 science is distinctive in that it’s a breeding ground for completely new forms of television. For years the science output has been groundbreaking and controversial, from Jump London to Autopsy, The Human Footprint to Animal Farm. C4 science rarely feels like a school science lesson.

The environment is very hard – it often feels too worthy – but it’s something we should tackle more than we do, and I’d love to find a C4 way of doing it. I’d also like to find a way of doing medicine.”

David Glover: Commissioning Editor, Science, Channel 4

“We’ve produced a week of programmes on Islam, including a two-hour documentary exploring the Quran and its impact on the world, and a lavish series called The Seven Wonders of the Muslim World – which takes in incredible places such as Jerusalem, Mali, Istanbul and Mecca and explores the basic beliefs of a faith we know so little about.

Our latest challenge is to get multicultural commissions that are not religious, and that can work at 9 and 10pm. The bar will be high, and the projects will have to compete with what’s already in the schedule. Look at the schedule, think about how you can compete story-wise and casting-wise and we can talk.

Channel 4 Religion is more inquisitive, more diverse, and we keep religion at the core of our output rather than try to hide it. We don’t wallow in historical nostalgia nor do we shy away from tough areas. Priest Idol, Cult of the Suicide Bomber and Make Me a Muslim sound obvious commissions when they’re a success, but were all major risks. The output has to stay in primetime or it will die in the long run: we have to market it and make it accessible. This is real risk: it’s not just the subject matter; it’s also about sending out the signal that we care enough to get behind the output.

Being in primetime makes working with new talent more difficult, but it doesn’t stop me trying. We have to be prepared to fail. We’ve given young directors a break, and Robert Beckford and Tazeen Ahmed are two on-screen successes I’ve broken on the channel – but they had to be given a chance to flourish. To anyone who thinks they’re the next talent, on or off-screen, get in touch: my door is open to any suggestions.”

Aaquil Ahmed: Commissioning Editor, Religion, Channel 4

“Many of the most familiar faces on TV got their break on Channel 4. I’m really looking forward to the return of The Charlotte Church Show this summer: Charlotte has proved herself to be a TV natural, with the rare talent of being able to turn her hand to comedy, presenting, interviewing and, of course, music.

I commission all types of entertainment, from star-studded studio shows to high-concept reality shows. Nothing is ruled in or out: it’s about the originality of the idea and the talent (on and off-screen) behind it. Other channels would certainly regard many of our shows as too risky from a commercial point of view – new sitcom in particular is very expensive and rarely pays its way in terms of viewing figures.

But we’re also after shows that might be considered too risky because of their irreverent, edgy and occasionally shocking content. Overall we’re aiming to make television that feels distinctive, young and talked-about.”

Andy Auerbach: Commissioning Editor, Entertainment, Channel 4

“I’m most excited about The Family – it’s big, it’s original, and it’s absolutely what Channel 4 is all about. Our docs are confident; authored; unafraid. They seldom look like your dad dancing. Will they continue to develop? They had better: or I will be in trouble.

I’m very comfortable with the idea of my department being recognised as the ‘home’ of British documentary. If we continue to come up with the best ideas, and attract the best up-and-coming talent, I see no reason why we can’t continue to punch above our weight, creatively and in terms of audience ratings.

Will we take more risks? Yes, where the subject requires it. The audience is less shockable than ever before. We need to surprise them by making programmes that inform and inspire. In an age of dull, predictable ‘me-too’ factual television, that really would be controversial.”

Simon Dickson: Deputy Head, Documentaries, Channel 4

“I have a one-off film coming up called Working Britney, where young up-and-coming comedian Buddy Dolphin (I suspect that’s not his real name) will live as a paparazzi photographer, working to get a photo of Britney Spears. As Britney faces custody battles and a drink-driving hearing, Buddy will experience the crazy LA scene that‘s worth millions. Hopefully this film will provide an intelligent and honest account of an infamous subject and her even more infamous press entourage.

I’m most proud of I’m Spasticus. Wittily entitled after an Ian Drury song (he had polio, you know), this was a little half-hour Comedy Lab – a hidden-camera stunts show starring disabled comedy actors, poking fun at the able community. Like an amputee running out of the Brighton seafront screaming ‘Shark!’ or a blind man asking a delivery woman to read out an embarrassingly pornographic letter. It was silly and fun, but more importantly it created a bit of a ripple in the comedy world, and a huge splash in the world of disability.

Non-derivative formats are a must; presenters who have opinion (and the authority to possess valid opinion); a sense of social purpose; and a dash of attitude. It’s hard to find suitable slots, but I’m committed to trying out new people in all areas. I’m always interested in presenters that don’t necessarily come from the perfectly-preened presenter’s mould, or are famous for being famous.”

Ruby Kuraishe: Editor, Factual Entertainment / E4, Channel 4

“My first two big 10pm series since I joined the channel are both exciting projects with big-name talent. One sees presenter Mark Dolan searching for extraordinary individuals like the smallest man in the world and the tallest woman in the world, in order to find out the truth behind the images of oddity. The other follows Neil Morrissey and his chef friend Richard Fox as they try to set up their own brewery. They should set a great new benchmark for the kind of tone we’re looking for in that slot.

I really need another series of 3 or 4 x 60 for 10pm for this autumn. It could be an authored journey, but I’m also interested in looking at forms we haven’t tried there for a while – perhaps a docu-soap, or even a multi-item show.

Everything we do in factual entertainment has to connect with a broad audience. It has to be wide-ranging in its appeal, but also rich in content and purpose. It has to be about something.”

Alistair Pegg: Editor, Factual Entertainment, Channel 4

“I have a series coming up called (w/t) Boys and Girls Alone. Ten boys and ten girls aged between 8 and 11 live in their own separate, adult-free villages. With increasing concerns about Cotton Wool Kids, the series creates a safe environment for them to rediscover their freedom.

Ambition and scale mark the work of this department. If I hear an idea and think, ‘I can’t imagine how we’ll be able to pull that off!’ then I immediately want to know more. I was immensely proud of Jamie’s Fowl Dinners; it was an innovative combination of entertaining event television and hard-hitting journalism.

My most pressing need right now is for another popular 9pm series. I’m interested in building formats around stories that are a marker of the current time. Grand Designs tapped into a genuinely new trend of self-build – where else are the middle classes exploring their dreams?

Over the next year we also want to launch a new generation of on-screen authors. Who are the new faces we should be considering to take on provocative stunts, immerse themselves in a world or tackle subjects with subversive wit? And what are the entertaining journeys they can follow to reveal real content and purpose?”

Dominique Walker: Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, Channel 4

Next on 4 is Channel 4’s vision for the future. Fresh talent, fresh perspectives, youth, diversity and innovation in all its forms will lead and shape the channel’s content in the years to come. So with our readers in mind, we asked those at the commissioning coalface what’s pushing their buttons in 2008.

Who we spoke to:

Liam Humphreys, Commissioning Editor, Features | Walter Iuzzolino, Deputy Head, Features | Dominique Walker, Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment | Alistair Pegg, Editor, Factual Entertainment | Ruby Kuraishe, Editor, Factual Entertainment, E4 | Simon Dickson, Deputy Head, Documentaries | Meredith Chambers, Commissioning Editor, Documentaries | Kate Vogel, Editor, 3 Minute Wonder | Jan Younghusband, Commissioning Editor, Arts & Performance | Shane Allen, Commissioning Editor, Comedy | Andy Auerbach, Commissioning Editor, Entertainment | Matt Locke, Commissioning Editor, Education | Jo Roach, Commissioning Editor, Education | Kevin Sutcliffe, Deputy Head, News & Current Affairs | Camilla Campbell, Commissioning Editor, Drama | Adam Gee, Commissioning Editor, New Media Factual | Aaquil Ahmed, Commissioning Editor, Religion | David Glover, Commissioning Editor, Science | Katherine Butler, Head of Development, Film4 | Ade Rawcliffe, Diversity & Talent Manager | Alison Walsh, Editorial Manager, Disability.

Browse all the responses >

Image by Tom Gaul