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 2, I sit down with the show’s director, Ben Kent, to talk about the practical realities of getting the pilot made – from setting your intentions for what you want to achieve with the project, through the practical considerations of visual storytelling that enable you to achieve those goals, and finding the right cast to bring out the comedic rhythms of a script. We also discuss how to achieve the perfect golf score. 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!

WATCH EPISODE 1:    • We Made A Sitcom Nobody Asked For  

WATCH THE FULL PILOT: Coming 5th November 2026

WATCH THE MAKING-OF SERIES HERE:    • We Made A Sitcom That Nobody Asked For