School of Comedy

School of Comedy is a British character-based comedy sketch show that transitioned to television after a successful run of review shows at the Edinburgh Festival. The cast is entirely composed of children, similar to the musical *Bugsy Malone*, a reference often made by creator Laura Lawson in interviews about the show. The series features a wide range of characters, including a lesbian couple in 1940s wartime Britain and a pair of South African security guards. What sets the show apart from other comedy sketch programs is that, despite its content being mature enough to require a post-watershed broadcast, all roles are performed by teenagers aged 11 to 15. School of Comedy aired two series on E4 from 1 October 2009 to 18 October 2010. The show is credited with launching the careers of Will Poulter and Jack Harries. Poulter has since appeared in films such as *Son of Rambow*, *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader*, and *We're the Millers*, while Harries has built a YouTube channel named "JacksGap", which has over 2 million subscribers and has contributed to his popularity online.