Comedy Writing

Currently Script Editor (along with providing additional material) for Kitty Flanagan’s award-winning sitcom Fisk, Bruce is perhaps most widely known as one of the core writers for Good News Week (the Australian Have I Got News For You) for which he supplied gags from its birth at the ABC (1996), through its subsequent move to Ten (1999) and rebirth there in 2008. He also wrote for the spin-offs Good News Weekend  (forerunner of Spicks And Specks – the Australian Never Mind The Buzzcocks) and GNW Night Lite, and from 2003-2006 he was one of the core writers for The Glass House.

Recently developing a new series with Noel Fielding, Bruce’s extensive TV writing credits also include David Tench Tonight and Enough Rope With Andrew Denton, both of the Andrew Denton Logies specials and his earlier programs Denton, The Money Or The Gun and Blah Blah Blah, as well as Anh Do’s The Squiz, Adam Spencer’s F.A.Q., Live & Sweaty, sketch programs Fast Forward, Full Frontal, Comedy Inc (series 2 and 3) and Comedy Inc: The Late Shift, the Elle McFeast special Sex, Guys And Videotape, The Comedy Channel’s multi-awards-nominated animated series Dawn & Barry, The Justine Clarke Show!, and children’s animated series Alien TV, Vegesaurs, Spongo, Fuzz & Jalapeña, The Wild Adventures Of Blinky Bill, Bottersnikes & Gumbles, Winston Steinburger & Sir Dudley Ding Dong, Pirate Express, The Adventures (and New Adventures) Of Figaro Pho, The Flamin’ Thongs, Erky Perky and Dennis The Menace & Gnasher.

In July 2000, he made his debut as a writer-director with his digital short film, Plugged, which won both the Jury and Audience Awards at the Wild West Digital Shootout in Albuquerque New Mexico.

In 2001, he worked with acclaimed, Perrier Award-winning US writer/comedian Rich Hall on a pilot for the BBC, and as Script Editor/Consultant on the Australian independent feature You Can’t Stop The Murders.

In 2002, his first screenplay was optioned by Working Title (producers of Four Weddings & A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary) for whom he subsequently completed a rewrite.

His radio writing credits include “The Andrew Denton Breakfast Show”, “Club Veg”, and more than ten years writing for the “Doug Mulray Breakfast Program” on Triple-M FM, which topped the ratings for 14 consecutive surveys beginning 1988.

For the stage, he has also provided material for fellow Comic Of The Year winners The Umbilical Brothers’ 1998 Sydney Opera House season of “Heaven By Storm”, for Bette Midler (Australian Tour 2005), Raymond Crowe, and with Jason Alexander co-wrote the former Seinfeld star’s sell-out “Comedy Christmas” (Crown Casino 2006) and “Comedy Spectacular” (Australian Tour 2008).

His writing has picked up eight Australian Writers’ Guild Awards for Good News Week, two for The Adventures (and New Adventures) Of Figaro Pho, and an eleventh and an AFI Award for The Glass House.  In addition, he has received the United Nations Media Peace Prize and three Penguins (Australian TV Award For Excellence) for The Money Or The Gun, and a Gold Medal in the New York Festival Film & TV Awards for Sex, Guys And Videotape.

In 1998, his work on the ‘best of’ Good News Week CD won an ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Award) for Best Australian Comedy Release. He has also received seven additional AWGIE nominations, two further AFI nominations and two Logie nominations.

He is co-author of the books The Glass House (ABC Books 2006), Good News Week (ABC Books 1997) and Amanda’s Handy Hints (Penguin 1995) and has had material released on Paul McDermott Unplugged: The Good News Week Tapes Volume 1, and the Doug Mulray releases What A Rude Album, 2 Rude and Nice Legs, Shame About The Fez. He has had cartoons published in Penthouse and The Bulletin, and a series of greeting cards published by Card & Paper House.