Luke Beddows, a top comedy writer, revealed how all is not what it seems on Britain’s Got Talent, one of the UK’s biggest TV shows.
Speaking to an audience at Leeds Trinity University Mr Beddows told how he discovered Viggo Venn at a comedy club in London and helped him write his routines. Viggo Venn became the 2023 BGT winner, scooping £250,000 prize money.
Revealing the shows insider secrets Mr Beddows said: “Heartbreak for you all, it’s not all as organic as you think, a lot of it is heavily produced.”
Mr Beddows claimed he is not working on the next BGT series as despite providing a runner up and a winner the show would not increase his weekly wage by £25 a week. Of Viggo Venn he said: “I’ve messaged him since, if you get a show on telly I want a cut, but he blanked me!”
Despite not really profiting from his success Mr Beddows has loved working on BGT. As well as talent spotting, he worked with adult and child performers to develop their acts, wrote scripts and songs. All things he would be very happy to do again with the show’s team.
Mr Beddows kept everyone laughing during the Journalism & Media week talk claiming to have been part of the team that showed the first puppet nudity on British television whilst working for BBC Childrens TV.
Hitting on the topical subject of artificial intelligence Mr Beddows advised his student audience to make sure their introductory emails and letters seeking work were clearly not AI generated. Mr Beddows deploys the unusual approach of writing his first sentence using poor grammar as: “AI writes in posh, well pronounced English.” A proud northerner he is keen to hear more strong northern voices on the TV.
He is best known for CBBC’s Class Dismissed which won a BAFTA Comedy Award. He wrote Class Dismissed with two friends, Stephen Collins and Andy Potter, whilst working as a secondary school English teacher. Set in the fictional Dockbridge High, it features an ensemble cast that has included famous names such as Naga Munchetty. Mr Beddows is currently working on BBC Bitesize, a free on-line study resource designed to help with homework. When asked if he missed being in the classroom he replied that it was only the kids he missed as they were much more fun than the adults he taught with.
