Welcome to the last episode of The Reject Pile’s Summer 2026 run and, indeed, the foreseeable future.

In the podcast intro, host Luke Edwards discusses his decision to draw a line after 12 episodes, before calling back to the previous episodes in this run, where we’ve analysed the first three pages of a sitcom by Annabel Edmonds along with comedy sketches by Peter Beare, Sarah Kelly, Mike Cooper and Sophie Hall, before going deep on The Skewer in our most recent episode with Dan Sweryt, and episodes from previous years featuring a deep-dive into Breaking the News, again with Dan Sweryt and Ellie Hayward which featured material from Nik Ilukkumbere, as well as other episodes covering more comedy sketches from Robbie Fox, James Docherty, Mike Grace, Rob Smyth and Luke.

Luke gives credit to those that helped him to perform the material: Amy Tobin, Rob Stephenson, Kevin Welch, Alexis Coward, Ronan Hatfull, Rachel Cook, Jonathan Amphlett, Chris Gladwin and Annabelle Turner-Wheeler, and of course, I’ve been joined along the way by resident Reject Pile script editor, Phil Stewart.

Luke goes on to introduce this episode’s guest: James Cary.

James is one of the most prolific voices in British comedy of the last two decades, and as you’ll hear in our conversation, his work ethic and storytelling insights are incredible. Over the last twenty years, he has written for massive television hits like Miranda and My Family, and co-created the brilliant BBC comedy Bluestone 42. For eight years, he co-hosted the legendary industry podcast Sitcom Geeks alongside Dave Cohen, and today, he is still actively guiding the next generation of writers.

You can find his masterclasses online through his YouTube channel and his excellent Substack, The Situation Room, where he shares expert advice on the mechanics of comedy writing. He is also a regular speaker on the circuit. He is a true master of the craft, an authority on what makes people laugh, and a fascinating conversationalist, and we dive into all of that in this episode.

During the conversation, James mentions the following past and present projects. Here is a list with links included for reference:

* James Cary – IMDB

* James Cary – British Comedy Guide credits

* Think the Unthinkable

* My Hero

* Citizen Khan

* Milton Jones

* Another Case of Milton Jones

* The House of Milton Jones

* The God Particle

* God, the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes)

* The Stand-Up Theologian

* Writing That Sitcom

* Faith in Kids

* Perrier Best Newcomer Award

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