We made a sitcom pilot that nobody asked us to make. In 2024, I wrote and made The Happiness Chain, an independent sitcom pilot created without a broadcaster, a commissioning editor or any guarantee that anyone would ever see it. It tells the story of Hannah (Kathy Maniura), whose life is falling apart, and Alex (a hopeless idiot, also coincidentally played by me), who decides to help her by attempting everything that anyone, anywhere, has ever done in the pursuit of happiness. It also stars Huge Davies, Rosalie Minnitt, Phil Ellis, Donna Preston and Boo Miller, and was directed by Ben Kent. In this three-part behind-the-scenes series, I’m talking to the cast and director about how we wrote, funded, cast, filmed and edited the pilot ourselves – and what happens when you decide to make the thing you want to make rather than waiting for someone to give you permission. In Episode 3, I sit down with some of the cast – Kathy Maniura, Huge Davies and Rosalie Minnitt – to talk about making your own scripted projects in a time of shrinking budgets and commissions. We discuss learning by doing and how we approach building characters, as well as breaking down the perfect wink and the exact definition of the word “grist.” If you enjoy it, please like, subscribe, leave a comment or share it with someone who might be interested. It genuinely helps independent projects like this find an audience!
