QUOTES
It's taken me a long time to write these sentences in praise of Andrew Ellard for the simple reason that I didn't feel I could ask for Andrew Ellard's help with them.
Three times now, when I've been lost in the woods, he has come and found me and led me calmly back out. Twice metaphorically, once literally.
A page of notes from Andrew is a breath of fresh air and a weight off my shoulders.
Mackenzie Crook
Writer/Director - Detectorists
"Thank God for Andrew Ellard! He made me feel brave enough to throw out ideas (which I have never had the confidence to do before). Three months with him felt like a masterclass in how to write for television and I hope to work with him again, and again, and again."
Michaela Coel,
Writer - Chewing Gum
I'm glad Andrew was on board, we learnt a lot from him.
Bob Mortimer
Solid, useful advice from start to finish. A masterclass in sitcom!
Lisa Clark
Producer - House of Fools
He's great. Hire him.
Polly Leys & Kate Norrish,
Producers, Hillbilly Films
I've yet to meet anyone who writes better, more incisive, script notes than Andrew. He has no bigger fan.
Doug Naylor
Writer - Red Dwarf
The best in the game. He’s basically a cheat mode for writing television. A good man and a fine collaborator.
Jon Brown
Writer - Loaded, Fresh Meat, Misfits, Veep
We couldn't recommend Andrew highly enough. Along with great comedy instincts and an encyclopaedic knowledge of film and TV he also has a great sense of knowing exactly where the core of the joke is in a sketch, he has a knack for cutting out any of the fluff and getting right to the heart of what is funny or interesting.
Our show was hugely improved from having Andrew be a part of it. Can we stop there before this gets creepy?
Seb Cardinal & Dustin Demri-Burns
Cardinal Burns
The problem with working with Andrew is that he sets the bar so high, it makes working with any other script editor impossible. His knowledge and understanding of storytelling is second to none. He’s passionate about working with writers, getting in to your brain and understanding the show you want to make, and then guiding you towards making the best possible version of that show.
He also has the ability to give you notes in such a way that you’re left feeling excited to get back to your laptop - which is something you basically never hear a writer saying.
In short, he is a writer’s best friend. Work with Andrew - but don’t keep him too busy because I need him across all my scripts.
Kayleigh Llewellyn
Writer, In My Skin
'Thank God for Andrew Ellard' should be a hymn that every comedy writer knows and loves and recites whenever they get together or are about to embark on their next writing project. For Andrew is truly a saint in this industry: generous, wise, self-effacing, hardworking and hysterical (that’s a saintly quality right?). It dawned on me only recently that I have now worked with Andrew on various shows for over 10 years. In fact, if this ever went to trial, in a court of law – which I hope it does – it would be very difficult for me to persuade a jury that any success I’ve ever had is not solely due to the fact that I’ve worked with Andrew. I could write for ages (notably without Andrew’s help) about all the things I’m bad at when it comes to writing sitcom scripts: episode structure, storytelling, series arcs, character developments…one might even reasonably comment: all the key ingredients to make a sitcom! Fortunately, Andrew has always been there as this endless fountain of knowledge, guidance and good humour. Thank God for Andrew Ellard! (Join in if you know it!)
Nick Mohammed
Writer, Intelligence
I have worked with Andrew on a couple of projects now and his great skills are his enthusiasm, his desire to facilitate your vision and his ability to see the wood when you're lost up a tree.
Julia Davis
While anyone can learn the nuts-and-bolts of writing craft, I don't think you can be taught to have a "sense of story" any more than you can be taught to have a sense of humour. Fortunately, Andrew Ellard has both in spades. He has an intuitive grasp of what works, what doesn't, and why - and how to fix it. He's your secret weapon.
Andy Diggle
Comics Writer
People often say to me that script writing is easy compared to a proper job like being a miner. How wrong they are. Anyone who has worked at the coal-face of comedy knows the potential disasters one can face. This job really is too dangerous unless you have a canary (script editor) like Andrew. He, literally, faints when he smells a bad script and as you toil away, mining for the jokes that will one day warm the cockles of the hearts of your audience, he will warn you when your whole metaphor is about to collapse under the weight of its own premise. Like now, apparently. I would recommend Andrew to all writers but I can't because I don't actually want him to work with anyone else.
Georgia Pritchett
Writer - Smack the Pony, Miranda
Andrew is The Script Wizard! He is a joy to work with, with clear expertise and methods that help with those sticky story, structure and character moments. Everyone should work with him at some point, surely.
Molly Seymour
Producer - Jax Media
Script editor extraordinaire, psychiatrist, sociologist, friend and all round good guy. Brilliant.
Emma Strain
Producer - Miranda
A cool, calm and collected script doctor. I'd like to carry Andrew's brain around in a little jar for all my script meetings.
Jon Petrie
Producer, Roughcut TV
Andrew is an absolute joy to work with: his thoughts and notes are always a welcome addition to any script development.
He's the best!
Mary Burke
Producer - The Midnight Beast
He is one of the best comedy people I've worked with. Knows his stuff. He will impress. Honestly. This man has taught me many things about writing. He has seen everything and dissected. You will learn a lot.
Jonathan Harvey
Writer
We hired Andrew to give us notes on our Brian Butterfield Movie script and what he came back with was so impressive we asked him to come on board and write it with us! A hugely talented man indeed.
Peter Serafinowicz & James Serafinowicz
Andrew is the Fresh Prince of structure.
Daniel Kaluuya
Writer - Skins
Andrew's notes were very different from many you get because he understands story from the inside out, rather than just looking for the three act structure checklist. Andrew understands character and tone instinctively which leads to a much more satisfying rewrite. He also has an unfailing knack of knowing when a scene is over, spotting its strongest beat and telling it to quit while it's ahead. But perhaps most of all, Andrew gets comedy. Many claim to. Few do. Many notes sap your script and make you depressed. The opposite was true in Andrew's case. He is a natural.
Jane Bussmann,
Writer - Brass Eye, Smack the Pony, South Park
Andrew came to us on a strong recommendation, and now I pass that same recommendation on. He has an unerring ability to get to the heart of a script, with suggestions that not only improve the work, but do so in line with the writer's original vision.
Anyone can locate plot holes and continuity gaffes, with Andrew you find character beats strengthened, comedy heightened and a structure that has become invisibly reinforced.
Paul Jackson
Producer
Perceptive but never pushy, fun to work with and an excellent comedy brain. I'd like Andrew to script edit my life.
Nigel Smith
Writer - Vent, Teenage Kicks
Andrew is a good man, easy to work with and brilliant on story. Very reassuring to have him across scripts, and he's incredibly thorough in his approach.
Owen Bell
Producer - Mountain Goats
Andrew has an unmatched gift for the quirks of storytelling - the way it really works, not just the 'standard rules' - and brings an encyclopaedic knowledge of film and TV to every script.
Tailoring his advice expertly to the style of the project at hand, his recommendations are consistently aware of what the writer is trying to achieve, providing notes that unerringly take you towards a sharper, stronger and funnier rewrite without ever sacrificing a project's unique qualities.
Michaela Hennessy-Vass
Producer
I couldn't have asked for a better script editor than Andrew, he has a great passion for comedy, and has clearly watched all of it several times. If Fags Mags and Bags ever transfers to television, I am fairly certain his ear will be hot.
Donald McLeary
Writer - Mountain Goats, Fags Mags and Bags
Andrew has an inbuilt understanding of comedy and comedy writing, and also how the structure and rhythm of a script are all-important along with the strength and truth of the characters. I would certainly vouch that his involvement improves the shows.
Richard Boden
Director
I’ve often thought there should be a website which combined details of my writing work, my contact information and over-the-top compliments about my script editing...
Andrew Ellard