Join us for The Mercury’s Script Club as we dive into the comedy classic Airplane! (1980). We’ll explore how the film’s unique blend of deadpan delivery, rapid-fire jokes, and structured parody set the standard for modern spoof films. With comedy evolving and genre parodies making a comeback (Barbie, Popstar), it’s the perfect time to revisit how Airplane! made absurdity timeless. Whether you’re a comedy writer or just a fan of clever, chaotic humor, this session will unpack what makes the script soar.

Dr Ben Crisp is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and tertiary education manager and academic.

His credits include Season 1 and 2 of the hit ABC TV comedy series Squinters, starring Tim Minchin and Academy Award nominee Jackie Weaver, as well as the Logie Award-winning series The Living Room for Network Ten, starring Amanda Keller and Chris Brown.

Ben is the writer and creator of the ABC comedy series Goober, winner of Best Australian Comedy at Melbourne Web Fest. He has been nominated for the Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award and the Western Australia Premier’s Book Award, and was the recipient of Screen Australia’s Enterprise People, the Colin Thiele Scholarship for Creative Writing, and the University of Adelaide Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence.

Ben served as Director of Sydney Film School, where his curriculum is still taught. He has a PhD in Creative Writing, and his teaching features in the higher education programs at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). He is a regular juror for the International Emmy Awards’ Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award, and is the co-author of the chapter “Having Something To Say And Saying It Well” in The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production.

See the link to Airplane! here. Please read the script prior to the Script Club to allow a deep-dive with Ben on the night.