Ben Hillyar & David Mayes
Ben and Dave have worked on original comedy for Various Artists LTD, Delightful industries and Tiger Aspect. They create high concept, hooky comedies that producers have described as “silly, ambitious, verging on the surreal but ultimately, not for us.”
They often create comedic worlds for existing talent, developing on screen personas and weaving sitcom elements in to entertainment formats, most notably across three series of ITV kids’ show Scrambled starring London Hughes. They also write for children’s TV and animation.
You can hire them to write jokes. Their credits include Comedy Central’s Your Face or Mine hosted by Jimmy Carr and Katherine Ryan, Have I Got News For You and Impractical Jokers UK.
They can also claim to be award winning (two). In 2013 they created contract-killing comedy Killer Moves, a pilot they wrote whilst Ben was studying at the National Film and Television School, which won the New York Television Festival Critics’ Award and a Royal Television Society Student Award.
Click here...CV
2020
All the Small Things – Longboat Pictures
Original adult animation treatment in development
Duck & Potato – Blue Zoo
Bible Polish and 11 min pilot script commissioned
2018-2019
Visitors – Various Artists Limited
Original treatment optioned
2018
Censored – Youngest Media/ BBC Radio 2
Commissioned writers for pilot
Now Show – BBC Radio 4
Writers
Your Face or Mine (Series 3 & 4) – Comedy Central
Writers
Sainsburys – Corporate Writing
Mashed – YouTube/ C4
Script Commissioned
2017
RANT – Delightful Industries
Original programme option
Netflix Sitcom Pitch – Whizz Kid
Development
News Quiz – BBC Radio 4
Contributing Writers
Now Show – BBC Radio 4
Contributing Writers
2016
8 Out of 10 Cats (Series 19) – Zeppotron / More 4
Contributors
Impractical Jokers UK (Promo) – Yalli / Five
Writers
The Chastity Butterworth Show (Pilot) – Yalli / Radio 4
Contributors
Remotely Funny – Twenty Twenty / CBBC
Writers
6 x 30’
Impractical Jokers UK – Yalli / Comedy Central
Development
Scrambled! (Series 4) – Zodiak / ITV
Writers
21 x 30’
Have I Got News for You – Hat Trick / BBC One
Contributors
Clicking – Tiger Aspect
Original programme optioned
Series Treatment + 3 Scripts
Peep Date – Wall to Wall / MTV
Writers
1 x 30’
2015
Scrambled! (Series 3) – Zodiak / ITV
Sole Writers
28 x 30’
That’s So Last Century – Objective / Channel 4
Contributors
1 x 60’
2014
Scrambled! (Series 2) – Zodiak / ITV
Sole Writers
28 x 30’
I Know Best – Wall to Wall (Ben)
Contributor for not-for-broadcast pilot
2013
Killer Moves (Not-for-broadcast pilot) – NFTS
Winner: Royal Television Society Student Awards 2014 – Best Entertainment Programme
Winner: New York Television Festival Critics’ Award 2013
Newsjack – BBC Radio 4 Extra
Series 8 Episodes 1 and 4 (Ben) Episode 3 (David)
RELATED EXPERIENCE
As well as writing for some of the country’s biggest comics Ben & Dave have substantial producing experience. Ben has a background in comedy-entertainment development, working up talent-led formats for Objective Media Group and Potato (ITV) among others. David runs new talent schemes for BAFTA and has produced events for the BFI’s public programme. They build relationships with talent and are well connected.