A group of Bath Spa University students have created a comedy show to lift the gloom of lockdown – conceiving, writing, filming and editing it while working remotely and with social distancing measures in place.
Titled Pulling the Strings, the 30-minute improvised programme has been made by students from the university’s BA (Hons) Film, Television and Digital Production degree course in collaboration with performers from BA (Hons) Comedy. 
As part of their studio production module, students Jonty Renk, Emily Hayter, Callum Hall, Caitlin Daly, Max Devine, Gaby Louise, Sam Edwards, Ayla Pengelly-Moore and Sarah Howden decided to think outside the box in a bid for laughs.
The programme challenges the comedians’ acting and improvisation skills, pitting them against each other in a series of topically-themed comical conundrums posed by host and comedian Natasha Bye.
Despite being created as a ‘Plan B’ during lockdown, Pulling the Strings has already been accepted into this year’s Sparkfest – the annual series of innovative live performances that showcases the creativity of Bath Spa's performing arts staged in conjunction with the Bath Festival.
Award-winning TV producer and director Simon Mansfield said: “The programme shows tremendous initiative on the part of the students, who could see how television broadcasters have been responding to the current situation and felt they could produce something just as good.
“And they were right! What a compliment this is to their professionalism and creative drive.”
Supported by Pinewood Studios Group, the practice-based degree course in Film, Television and Digital Production equips students with the skills needed to excel in the industry.
The collaboration with BA (Hons) Comedy has become a defining feature of work in Bath Spa’s state-of-the-art television studios over the past two years.
Bath Spa is one of the UK’s leading creative universities, offering a wide range of courses across the arts, sciences, education, social science and business to more than 7,000 students.
Pulling the Strings can be viewed at https://youtu.be/C2kP5MZEXHM
