THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST EP.204 - JESSE ARMSTRONG
Sep 24, 2023
Adam talks to Jesse Armstrong, writer of Peep Show and Succession, about his comedy influences, leaving the 4th wall unbroken, the challenges of writing Succession, separating the art from the artist, audiences laughing in the wrong way, and whether satire does more harm than good.
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Why Writers Are Striking (WGA Context)
- Armstrong explains the WGA strike centres on pay, streaming residuals, and AI protections for writers.
- He worries models train on human work and insists writers need ongoing revenue from their creations.
Prioritise Immediacy Over Meta Tricks
- Jesse Armstrong prefers immediacy and realism over meta-formal tricks when writing comedy.
- He aims to capture "what would it be like if you were really there" to make scenes emotionally true.
Defending The Controversial Wedding Bit
- Armstrong defends the Peep Show wedding scene where Jeremy urinates into a collection bucket as believable for those characters.
- He and Sam rationalised each step to keep the moment emotionally true rather than pure shock value.