There was an Englishman, three Scottish men and three women from The West Country - no, it's not a feeble joke, but some of the 12 participants on a day-long course to find out more about breaking into the world of comedy.

Among them was a trainee teacher, an IT guru, a former record plugger, an accountant and a college lecturer in English literature - and me.

I feel sorry for the spouses of comedy obsessives as it's like being a football widow. They don't really want to hear the recitation of comedy sketches at breakfast.

Andrew Barclay

There already was one joke. I was sitting in a room above a restaurant trying to learn to be funny - when the Rugby World Cup was playing - and all I could decipher about the England/Australia scores was from the various cries coming the streets outside.

And I had beaten through pouring rain, train diversions and gone without breakfast to attend the course - on a Saturday too. It had better be worth it.

The action started quickly. Course leader Andrew Barclay, from St Albans, guiding us through different comedy genres and the elements needed to make a good sketch.

And then we were away, in small groups writing to a deadline - of 10 minutes. Amazingly each group came up with a sketch that had the makings of a good gag.

Master of comedy - Ricky Jervais

We then looked at people with strong characteristics with comic potential - strangely three of the group chose their mother-in-laws!

After lunch, the emphasis turned to the business of comedy - how to get your hilarious sketches used.

Covering things from basic customer research to who exactly to send your script to, this session also included ideas about self-promotion and putting on a fringe production.

And the day rounded off with "some we'd made earlier" - sketches that we had brought along with us to the course. Considering we'd all written them without any help, the standard was surprisingly good!

Afterwards I asked Andrew - who you may recognise from a popular insurance advert - the idea behind the course.

"The aim of the course is to encourage people to get writing comedy.

"It's for anyone who's ever thought about writing comedy and thought they would like to do it.

"This course gives them the tools to get started with a disciplined focussed approach, so using their talent as efficiently as possible."

Andrew, 39, has been running the courses for three years and holds them every few months. One of the courses graduates now runs a comedy club at The Polar Bear pub in London where Andrew comperes.

And Andrew often calls his students afterwards to see how they're getting on: "I feel passionate about comedy and want to see others feel the same way.

"I feel sorry for the spouses of comedy obsessives as it's like being a football widow. They don't really want to hear the recitation of comedy sketches at breakfast!"

And so the course ended and I now have the tools to become a funny writer.

So here's my first sketch:

Bob: What's brown and sticky?

John: I don't know Bob, what is brown and sticky

Bob: A stick of course.

Maybe I shouldn't quit my day job yet.

Andrew and his company, Comedy People, have kindly offered a place on the course to a winner of a BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks sketch writing competition >>

Magical Mela!

Dinosaur walk