A trip to the dump proved an unlikely spark of inspiration for a budding comedy writer who has been backed by Boycie.

Robert Rivett gave up his job to take the challenge of writing his own sitcom before the age of 40.

The Strood resident, 36, was inspired by his idol Ricky Gervais, who got his hit show The Office on TV at the same age.

WATCH: Only Fools and Horses actor John Challis' message to Robert Rivett, writer of The Dump

He plowed £2,500 of his own money into creating a 10-minute pilot for The Dump, which features five characters navigating their way through working at a dump.

Robert, who is orginally from Thamesmead, said: "Most sitcoms on TV are of a certain model. I just wanted to see if I could make something completely different to buck the model, kind of like The Young Ones did in the 80s.

"Someone said to me, 'Where have you never seen a sitcom based?', and that weekend, I went to the dump and I thought, 'Those people have got a lot of time on their hands'"

After leaving his job as a service solutions operative in September last year, Robert threw himself into writing, casting and hiring crew to help him make his pilot.

He now has received the backing of Only Fools and Horses actor John Challis who played shady car dealer Boycie in the hit sitcom.

The actor made a video which Robert posted to the show's Facebook page.

Robert said: "I gave him an overview and he liked my energy and the way I was talking about it, and I was happy about it.

"It's unapologetically close to the bone but also fun, that's what makes it different; there's nothing else like it.

"My girlfriend and family helped me because they saw my drive and they thought it was something they would watch.

"I didn't go to uni, I didn't do well at school, it's all been self-made. I don't care about money or being famous, I want to say, 'I made this' and see it flourish hopefully.

Robert has entered his pilot into a comedy competition where the winner will have their work showcased at comedy festivals, and has been in talks with TV companies.

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