There seems to be something of a trade off in life between those who are good technically – and those who are truly creative.

This is a gross over simplification, but in no area of the arts does this standard cliché seem to ring more true than in the world of comedy.

Comedians positively relish the opportunity to ridicule techie geeks – and who can blame them when techies are such easy fodder? You get the odd geek now and again who is aware of his/her lack of right-brain thinking and comedic creativity, but many others seem blissfully unaware.

So why does all this matter and where are we going with this?

The reality is that the production of good TV comedy has necessitated the marriage of the truly creative and the truly technical. But this is often a marriage forged in hell. Sometimes, opposites can attract, but very often, they simply meet head on; so it is with comedy.

But in the internet age with YouTube where any punter can upload the shakiest, worst quality funny video clips ever – shot from a mobile phone – we’ve learned that production quality doesn’t matter too much as long as it’s vaguely watchable at least. In fact, the poor quality sometimes makes things funnier – and this in itself has been parodied by some of the most gifted amateur comedians around.

So the clear lesson here is NOT to ever let your lack of technical prowess limit your ability to be truly creative – with whatever rubbishy tools you have at your disposal. “People will come” (to borrow a phrase from an aggravating Kevin Costner film) if it’s funny. And if you have any real comedic talent, it will shine through whatever is put in its place to dim it.

The Fast Show 2011 is an excellent case in point whereby the creators decided to go down the web only route as they realized where the future of good comedy lay after so many people searched for their old (TV based…) stuff online.

So get out there and have a go at a little comedy DIY– and don’t sweat the techie stuff; for the geeks and masses will follow wherever you lead.