Comedy Panel at Summer in the City 2016

The Comedy panel took place on Sunday at Summer in the City. It featured Jack Dean, Gabbie Hanna, Jacob and Mike Trueman, and Amelia and Grace Mandeville.

The panel took place in Panel Room 1 and was chaired by Jimmy Hill. Topics such as the creative process, YouTube as a platform for comedy, and inspiration were discussed.

Discussing their creative process, Amelia and Grace said that they never script their videos but always have at least a vague plan as their sketches are always based on real events. They added that working as a pair was normally successful as they can take hold of different tasks. Jack Dean said that he prefers to “meticulously script” his videos. Jacob and Mike referred to their series Twin Joke as a “variety show” that is “a way for us to make stuff that we’re happy with that is very immediate” as opposed to sketches, which take more time.

When asked whether they make videos based on what they think their audience will like, Jimmy said that “comedy is about taking risks”. Gabbie revealed that she “would love to do other things” but mentioned that viewers did not like her sketch with Lilly Singh as much as they liked some of her vlogs. Jack said, “I’ll rush a video, I’ll bang it out”, and Gabbie said that she has previously spent longer on making Vines than YouTube videos. Jacob said that he often has to step away and that some of the funniest ideas come to him at the pub, for example.

Speaking about YouTube as a platform for comedy, Amelia said, “I can be as weird as I want”, with Grace adding that it is an “accepting community”. Although Gabbie said that she would like to branch out to traditional media, she added, “There shouldn’t be shame in just wanting to be on YouTube”. While discussing boundaries on YouTube, Mike said, “I am a firm believer that anything can be made fun of”, with Jacob agreeing that “if it’s funny enough, you can get away with it”. Jack added: “I don’t think you should ever apologise for a joke.” Grace said that she “feels fortunate” that she has one hand and added, “If I make a joke about my disability, people are allowed to laugh.” Gabbie, however, said she worries greatly about offending her audience, saying: “I find myself in YouTube videos filming parts of a video, sending it to 40 people, and saying, ‘Are you offended?'”

When asked about their inspiration, Amelia emphasised that she and Grace were inspired by female comedians such as Amy Schumer, and Grace added that they like anything “a bit controversial”. Mike spoke about his friends as his inspiration while Gabbie mentioned Bo Burnham as her “biggest driving force”.