��tv Writers Feed

��tv Writers: What happens on our Voices programme?

2023-12-01T12:00:00+00:00

Our annual Open Call opportunity for script submissions is currently open (the deadline is Tuesday 5th December at noon).

During the submission window we've been running a series of drop in events for writers to ask any questions they have about the opportunity. The final one is taking place on Monday evening at 5pm, full of details of how to take part are here.

One of the most frequently asked questions during the drop-ins has been 'What is the outcome from the Open Call?'. The answer to that is that successful writers may be invited to interview for a place in one of our development groups, either Scripted (previously known as Drama Room) or Voices.

And to follow that up 'What does a place in one of your groups actually involve?'

To try and answer that question, read on to get a sense of what happens if you are invited to take part in our Voices development group.

The Voices writer development programme runs once a year and lasts for about six months. The aim is to offer an insight into how the television industry works, providing participants with the core tools and knowledge to begin their TV writing journey. The writers who take part are mostly identified via our annual Open Call opportunity plus some additional scouting work (for example at the Edinburgh Fringe). We run six Voices sub-groups from six hubs across the UK: Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England - North, England - South and London. Each of these groups is managed by the staff who are based in each of our hubs. There are normally around 12 writers in each sub-group, so around 70-72 writers in total.

Voices sessions are a combination of local sessions (with the other writers in your hub) and full-cohort sessions. We usually try and bring the local groups together in person at least twice, with the majority of the rest of the sessions taking place online. Sessions generally run weekly over lunchtimes or in the evening to fit around the group members' other commitments, be that work, childcare or other factors. During their time on Voices, writers develop a television series outline which involves some homework, alongside viewing recent TV dramas for discussion and analysis during the sessions. Writers are not paid to take part but the programme is completely free, plus we cover any necessary travel and accommodation costs.

We are currently finalising the writers who will take part in Voices 2024, which will kick off in January. These are writers who submitted scripts to our Open Call which closed back in December 2022. Due to the number of scripts we receive (over 4000 in each Open Call), the reading process takes around six months. We firstly determine the writers who we want to consider for the Scripted group before moving onto Voices, so interviews for Voices take place in the autumn ahead of the writers beginning the programme in the following January.

Sessions

(Based on Voices 2023, this is just an outline and will vary depending on the availability of guest speakers etc.)

Week 1 (Local): In Person - Meet the writers who are part of your local Voices hub. These meet-ups are at the ��tv's various offices across the UK (London, Belfast, Cardiff etc) The group get the chance to introduce themselves and find out about the other writers in their hub. We explain the Voices programme and what is expected from the writers. There is also the chance to find out more from alumni from previous years.

(��tvwork to start thinking of 3 ideas for a TV series that you want to develop.)

Week 2 (Full): Big Ideas 1 - What Works on TV.

Week 3 (Full): Big Ideas 2 - What Works on TV (with a presentation from the ��tv Audiences Team).

Week 4 (Local): Sharing ideas with your local hub.

Week 5 (Local): Sharing your initial ideas with the ��tv Writers' team in your area and receiving feedback to select one idea to take forward.

Week 6 (Full): Story & Structure 1, Introduction

(��tvwork - some viewing of recent TV drama)

Week 7 (Full): Story & Structure 2, Unpacking a First Episode (following viewing homework)

Week 8 (Full): Focus on Characters in Drama

Week 9 (Full): Story & Structure 3, John Yorke's 10 Questions (following viewing homework)

(��tvwork to apply the 10 Questions to your chosen development idea)

Week 10 (Full): An introduction to TV Drama Development documents and Writing a Series Outline

(��tvwork to start working on a Series Outline)

Week 11 (Local): Story & Structure 4, Peer Group sessions on the 10 Questions

(��tvwork to work on the first draft of your Series Outline, 2 weeks writing time during the Easter holiday.)

Week 14 (Full): Pitch to Production with ��tv Commissioning Executives

Week 15 (Full/Local): Guest speaker and first feedback session on Series Outlines

Week 16 (Full/Local): NFTS Working with a Script Editor and feedback sessions on Series Outlines

(��tvwork to work on second draft of Series Outline)

Week 17 (Full): Script to Screen, Getting your Script Made (with a guest writer and producer)

Week 18 (Full): How to Get an Agent (with guest speakers)

Week 19-21 (Local): Writing weeks and online drop-ins

Week 22 (Full): The Business of Being a Writer (with guest speakers)

Week 23 (Full): What Makes a Good Spec' Script & Writing the Pilot Episode

Week 24 (Local): Meet Local Producers and final farewell session (In Person)

Working with a Script Editor

Through our relationship with the National Film and Television School (NFTS) a sub-section of the Voices writers also get the opportunity to work directly with a Script Editor from the NFTS Script Editing course to develop their series outline idea and write the pilot episode as a spec' script. The writers retain all rights in the resulting script and can submit it into our next Open Call or send it, as an example of their work, to agents or industry ahead of general meetings if they wish. The script will not be considered by ��tv Drama Commissioning who only accept projects via an attached production company.

We asked several of the former Voices writers to describe the experience and what they gained from it.

Florence Bell - Voices (London hub) 2022

I was paired with Camille following on from London Voices and had the chance to develop my script from treatment to draft and series outline with her. I found that she 100% understood the story I was trying to tell and over the course of working together we really discovered the core of the idea.

Nailing the premise in that way allowed us to streamline the series arc so that we told one narrative elegantly. She also gave me invaluable guidance on stuff I wouldn’t have seen for myself, like holding back on character introspection early on - ‘we still have a whole six eps for them to discover that!’

Most of all, I loved being part of a two person team. Writing and hitting deadlines can be an isolating experience and being accountable to not only myself but someone else who knew and cared about my story was great. I came out the other side of the process with a spec script I’m very proud of and a view of the series that I’m really excited about. I was able to craft my story in ways that I’ll take with me into every project.

Alex Clarke (Voices - North of England hub 2022)

Being on the ��tv Writers/NFTS scheme was a pure joy! Scripts need support to emerge, and the scheme offered me incredible support. I love the script I created.

The process was robust and collaborative, full of respect and flexibility. My script editor was creative, enthusiastic, and open-minded. Despite us coming from different backgrounds the script benefited from this, he helped me see how some moments could be interpreted differently by demographics outside my awareness and vice versa (there’s nothing worse for a script than an echo chamber).

My editor’s ability to listen and be curious enabled trust and this meant we could interrogate the work without fear, all ideas were welcome until collectively discarded. We also had fun, plotting, playing, laughing, and worked fast (around my crazy day job hours) which helped the script grow stronger, it’s always best to strike while the iron’s hot.

Once the script was pitch ready, it was then snapped up for further development with Warp Films, and I know the ��tv/NFTS scheme played a role in getting me there. I’ve often said that great scripts need great teams and I’ve been fortunate enough to have great teams throughout the script’s whole development. The NFTS scheme was truly life changing and I only wish I could do it all again!

Kevin Shen - Voices (London hub 2022)

After finishing London Voices, I had the opportunity to work with a script editor from NFTS to build my pitch into a full pilot and series treatment, and it turns out writing is a whole different ballgame when you’ve got someone else on your team!

My script editor really took the opportunity to get to know me and my writing (she even came to a playreading of mine to further understand my voice!), and helped me execute ideas that I wanted to try but wasn’t quite sure would work. She gave me assignments and exercises to explore these and to flesh out my characters and their journeys. It was great to have a partner who was really rooting for my script and keeping me accountable, while offering insightful feedback and acting as a sounding board throughout. Not to mention, our notes sessions were always a great excuse to meet up and eat!

It was the first time I’d worked with a script editor, and it offered me a new, more structured way of writing as well as the experience of receiving and incorporating feedback in various forms during the writing process. It’s also been very helpful when in meetings with development execs to be able to say that I’ve had a really positive, collaborative experience working with a script editor, preparing me for what’s to come!

Matthew Smith

Before being paired with my script editor, my TV drama idea was a grizzly, absurd, cheesy and contradicting fatberg. Then here comes NFTS student Henry Holmes. Henry translated all the cryptic industry spiel and pretentious auteur jargon (that us writers hear so bloody often), and shared clear, practical opinions throughout our time working together.

Despite Henry was a friendly and patient script editor, the miserable git in me was preparing for him to contort my rumpled fatberg into a sterile, vanilla, TV-friendly script. We’ve all heard those anecdotes before. Thankfully, I was wrong.

The grizzly got more grizzle. The absurdity was raised and praised. Cheesy scenes evolved into sincere moments of fidelity, and contradicting genres were shamelessly elevated. Henry understood what interested me as a writer. We recognised the potential of my show and leaned in further and further and further.

I’d absolutely recommend this NFTS pairing to other writers. My idea still rumbles with its grizzle and contradictions, but this fatberg is now a beautiful and titillating fatberg; a show which is an accurate representation of my voice, and a calling card script that’s secured multiple meetings with production companies.

Find out more about our Voices development group including the writers who have taken part

See details of all our development groups

Find out about our Open Call and submit your script before noon on Tuesday 5th December

My time on the ��tv Writers' Voices programme

2023-11-14T11:00:00+00:00

I’ve recently been lucky enough to complete the ��tv Writersroom (now ��tv Writers) ‘Voices’ programme, as part of the Wales cohort. Six months of expert masterclasses, craft sessions, industry gold dust and navigating zoom. It’s been brilliant. Here’s how it unfolded…

Meet the Voices 2023 - Wales Hub writers

The 12 Voices writers in the 2023 Wales hub

Some people have addictions that are pernicious, eroding, even life threatening. So let’s be clear, in November 2022 my addiction to screenwriting podcasts was none of these things. But neither was it moving my craft forward as I’d hoped. The idea was to blanket myself in the musings of all these ‘successful’ writers until enough of their craft seeped into me that I too would become ‘successful’.

Some screenwriting podcasts often explore how difficult it is to write anything. At all. And these are 9 to 5 full time writers. [Strong L.A accent] ‘Last week I was feeling overwhelmed by which nutritional supplement I should be taking, so I didn’t do any writing… I just focussed on self-care and spent the week in Malibu sitting inside my fear and allowing my juju to re-establish.’ Hmm. Are podcasts just self-help books in audio form? There is a very ironic reason that self-help books are a ten billion dollar industry.

Maybe podcasts aren’t the answer. How about screenwriting books? Well, I had tried but after 11 hours at my desk each day (3 writing/8 day job) I could barely read the instructions on a tin of beans let alone a book on story structure. I have a dozen screenwriting books sat 10% finished on my bookshelf.

Open Call is currently open for submissions, the window will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 5th December 2023.

An email pings into my phone…

‘We are delighted to invite you to an informal zoom interview to be considered for a place on the ��tv Writersroom Voices 2023 programme beginning in January…’

Holy sh*t.

The pre-interview nerves start five days before. I need to get up to speed with ��tv output so I hit the iPlayer. Shall I watch every ��tv drama ever made? Or just the ones made in the last 30 years? I grab my pad and pen.

Five days later, I click Join Meeting with slightly trembling hands but with a forensic knowledge of Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac’s internal obstacles, Fleabag’s external ones, and many things in between. Turns out I didn’t need to know any of it. They were interested in me, not shows the ��tv made decades ago. But the interview went well. I was in!

So how do I get to the next level?

I wasn’t doing terribly as it was. I had placed in the Nicholl and won a screenplay award at a small festival. However, quoting these ‘achievements’ in query emails was not getting me anywhere. No two ways about it. As a screenwriter, I was treading water.

I was aware of ��tv Open Call. In terms of places to submit your script, it stands above all contests and festivals due to what happens if you are successful. You don’t just win three hundred quid and a 30 minute zoom call with some disinterested producer in a basement in Los Angeles… You get onto an actual writing programme where you spend months learning from the people who are writing and producing the TV that we all love.

I’d submitted for the last couple of years and not succeeded. Maybe ��tv Open Call was a step too far for a valleys lad in the back of beyond, writing about ex-mining communities and scheming politicians. Nevertheless, I submitted again and promptly forgot about it.

��tv Cymru Wales building Central Square

Day one of the Voices course was in the majestic new ��tv building in Cardiff. I had googled ‘What to wear on the first day of an emerging writers programme’ until my fingertips were sore, and somehow ended up in a pair of skin tight chequered trousers and brown tank top. As the other ‘Voices’ rolled in looking smart, confident and stylish, I waddled in cursing Google under my breath.

They’d sent out everyone’s bio beforehand, and all the others sounded dynamic, competent and lovely. So I was devastated to find that they were indeed dynamic, competent and lovely. But despite this early setback, it was a fantastic afternoon, and a lovely sense of ‘this is so cool and we’re all in it together’ started to develop within the group.

Incidentally, as well as lovely food, the ��tv put on free coffee urns. I LOVE free coffee urns, but had previous here. When my employers had marked the end of lockdown by dragging us to an all-day bash in a hotel, they’d put huge free coffee urns on for us. By the time I walked home, I was convinced the planet was about to be destroyed by a meteor. I went to bed at 5:45pm and spent 14 hours staring at the ceiling as the caffeine fear drained away.

So I stayed away from the free coffee as we chatted. First we met the wonderful Elise, who was to become utterly pivotal to our existence over the next six months, and then Ros, who outlined what was to come and infused us with a sense of calm and excitement. To round the day off, we met the writer of brilliant ��tv Drama The Left Behind, Alan Harris. Alan, an alumni of ��tv Writers, was very cool and we grilled him on how on earth you get into the industry, and what in Dickens name you are supposed to do when you get there.

After the open day, the learning really kicked in with a series of Wednesday lunchtime Zoom masterclasses, often with the full UK cohort of 72 Voices. Ten minutes into the excellent first session, with Gillian Clarke from Dancing Ledge, I had three notes which contain more clarity than I could get from twenty podcasts…

What is a simple thing that I want to say?
Share a secret and a truth with the audience.
What’s the truth you know that other people don’t?

The next masterclass is from Beth McCann, whose passion for story and structure beams out like lasers and there are pretty much 72 smiles on the Zoom screen throughout the sessions. Incidentally, they always give us a Q&A at the end, but as a bit of a social anxiety sufferer, asking a question in front of 75 people is very nerve wracking to me. Some weeks I put myself outside my comfort zone and ask a question. My preparation for this simple task is long and arduous. While I am waiting for my turn, I am (behind a muted mic), giving it the full Am-Dram class warm up to try and open my terrified throat. LA LA LAAAA!! I AM TALKING NORMALLY… ONE TWO, ONE TWO… (repeat unbroken for 5 minutes). If I successfully ask the question, the relief is so immense that their answer is just a blur and I have to check the recording later to see what they said.

The course bounds along. Story Producer Alexis Hood shows us how to create compelling characters, how to give them agency and utilise conflict and sub-plot to enrich them. Jess Loveland takes us through the myriad types of development docs, something peculiarly ungoogle-able and therefore priceless.

I start to really see the talent in my fellow Welsh Voices now too. I am fortunate to read Melodie’s play about wellness scammers and Emma’s play about catfishing and lost innocence. Both plays utterly blow my mind. I think back to the mess I was in my twenties and early thirties and am incredulous at the talented, imaginative people in this group. On masterclass Wednesdays, our Whatsapp group essentially becomes an immersive, multi-media comedy performance that any San Francisco improv troupe would be proud of.

Our personal project during this course is to come up with a series outline for a TV show. The feedback we receive at every step is incredibly insightful. Ros, and then Celi, laser in on more key questions and ideas in one hour than I could in a month. We’re working with professionals here. By the end of the course I’ve outlined a four part supernatural thriller set in the Rhondda between the 1960’s and the 1980’s. I cannot wait to carry on developing it.

The Voices writers in the 2023 Wales hub at Chapter Arts

We end the course with three priceless sessions. In consecutive weeks, we meet a group of literary agents, the ��tv Wales commissioning team, and a group of TV production bosses. Beforehand, rather than see these sessions as an opportunity to further my knowledge, I see them as an opportunity to mark myself out as an idiot to the very people I may need to connect with in future. But the Writersroom team have created an environment so safe and encouraging that this anxiety disappears and we all bombard them with questions, receiving mountains of insightful advice you just wouldn’t get anywhere else.

The course ends with a glitzy bash in Chapter Arts Centre, and we get to meet lots of industry executives who are just as friendly and normal as the master-class guru’s we’ve been learning from. I walk away from the bash, and therefore the Voices programme, feeling sad. But I also feel like twice the screenwriter I was before I started, and have lots of new friends and contacts on the same journey.

In the same way that being told stories as a kid can take you to a magical place, writing stories can take you to a magical place too. Admittedly, as a screenwriter the stories you are involved with may have fewer enchanted forests and more drug fuelled assaults… but the act of creating a story can still take you to a special, vivid place when the words are tumbling over each other to get out.

And with 6 months of ��tv Writers tucked safely under my belt, I feel far better equipped to translate that special vividness to readers and, maybe one day… viewers.

Oh, that’s weird. I haven’t been near a screenwriting podcast since starting Voices, let’s tune back in… [Strong L.A accent] ‘Last week I was feeling overwhelmed by the political situation in Guam, so I didn’t do any writing… I just focussed on self-care and spent the week by the pool sitting inside my fear and giving my chakra permission to weep…’

Ah, that’s nice.

Writing: My (Neglected) Passion

2023-07-03T11:41:00+00:00

The ��tv Writersroom's Voices development group is six month programme offering participants an insight into how the television industry works, featuring expert masterclasses, craft sessions, roundtables and discussions. In 2023, we worked with 72 talented writers from across the whole of the UK and Republic of Ireland, all of whom had varying levels of writing experience and came from a variety of different professional backgrounds.

GP and emerging writer Mark Williams shares his experience of being selected for the ��tv Writersroom's Voices development programme and how it sparked his "(neglected) passion".

The Full Voices 2023 cohort spread across our six sub-groups from the writers' local hubs - Belfast, Scotland, Wales, North & Midlands, London and South.

Stories have an analgesic, healing, and restorative effect on the orator and the listener. Yes, I’m a GP and a writer so this might sound contrived, but it’s still true. Patients and clinicians use idioms, metaphors, and other literary devices to tell the stories of their illnesses. Being a clinician and writer means working with stories. It doesn’t feel as though I’m balancing two different roles; conversely, there is a synergy between the two that improves my writing and enhances my ability to help patients.

Colleagues ask how I manage to meet deadlines while working as a GP. After all, aren’t GPs always moaning about being busy? Yes, on both counts. I still spend most of the week in general practice. At the start of the programme, I was also working as a clinical director for an NHS mental health trust, and I’ve recently left this position to devote more time to writing. I have always worked long hours and I know I’m privileged to have very understanding colleagues and most importantly, a very supportive wife. It’s also incredibly hard to complain about being busy when during the Thatcher years, my Mum juggled three jobs, alongside night school, as a single parent on a council estate.

Writing has always been my (neglected) passion. In 2019, I took the opportunity to write an episode of Four Thought on ��tv Radio 4. There wasn’t any doubt that I would enjoy writing the script, but I grew up with a speech problem and undiagnosed dyslexia. Giving a talk in front of a live audience, to be heard by millions of listeners around the world, would risk career-ending mispronunciations and embarrassing mistakes. Fortunately, I worked with Sheila Cook, an experienced producer who patiently helped me to perform the talk.

The episode was well received, and I planned to do more writing but then came a shocking twist: I became quite unwell and was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, and at the same time a bat met a pangolin, or a clumsy lab technician in Wuhan made a terrible mistake, (delete as applicable), and the world stopped spinning. In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as some of us began to restart our lives, I decided to start writing again.

Open Call is the ��tv Writersroom's annual window for receiving unsolicited original scripts.

One evening I saw a Tweet that advertised the ��tv Writersroom Open Call. I had never entered a writing competition or open call, but for years I’d had a story called “Heartsink” stuck in my head. It’s about a locum GP’s first day in a strange village and the limits of his tolerance. The script got me through to the Voices shortlist and then the interview. It’s important to note that for Voices, the reviewers want to hear a writer’s voice in their work. Fortunately, I had no preconceived ideas of desirable styles, themes, or genres. “Heartsink” was a story I wanted to tell, and the Open Call was the excuse to write it.

Before my interview with Commissioning Executive, Alice Ramsey and Development Producer, Usman Mullan, I spent hours preparing my answers, googling my interviewers, re-reading emails from Emily Demol (Development Coordinator), and worrying that I was well outside of my comfort zone.

Had I prepared enough? Would my minimal experience rule me out? What the hell do writers wear to Zoom interviews? (I opted for a shirt and tie). Alice and Usman were brilliant and not the least bit intimidating. I tried to be as honest and authentic as possible while appearing normal and selectable.

Weeks later; still recovering from the shock of being selected, I travelled to Media City to meet the other North and Midlands Voices. I’m confident, sometimes loud and always opinionated, but once again my anxiety returned. How do writers act? What do writers talk about? What do writers wear? (I opted for jeans, a polo shirt, and fleece).

The 12 Voices in the 2023 Midlands and North of England hub

There were 12 members of our Voices group for the Midlands and North of England Hub, all of whom were wonderful, non-intimidating human beings. We were split into four groups of three. I was put in a group with Paul Jones and Makeda Matheson, supervised by Usman. Both writers were fun to be around and helpful. Paul is the humblest writer I’ve met, even though he wrote Patterdale, a brilliant audio drama. We enjoyed talks and interactive sessions with experienced writers, script editors, producers, and agents. By the end of Voices, we were expected to produce a fully worked series outline from which we could create a specimen script.

Screenshot from a Voices 2023 Zoom session: Script to Screen - Getting your Script Made with writer Ryan J. Brown & Executive Producer, Noemi Spanos from ��tv Three’s, Wreck

Since joining Voices, I have written a comedy-drama series outline and specimen script called “THE GOAT”. This is about a con man who becomes a televangelist with a plan to build Stoke-on-Trent’s first-ever Megachurch. It’s a story about the effect of losing faith, abusing faith, and then regaining faith in something; religion, family, or vocation. The Voices sessions helped me improve my characters/arcs plus pacing, and Usman’s advice during 1:1s was extremely helpful.

In the Voices groups, there were people younger than my walking boots, people with long careers in the industry, people doing completely unrelated day jobs, and people who found amazing success with their first script. With so many routes into this vocation, I think the best advice for other writers is to:

Write because you want/have to write not just because you want to be a scriptwriter or novelist,
Write truthfully, everyone has unique experiences, perspectives, and a unique voice,
Make peace with the prospect of rejection or embarrassment, even established writers fail to win scriptwriting competitions or fail to get selected at Open Calls.

Most importantly, keep watching, reading, and writing. Cormac McCarthy said that “Books are made of books” and I reckon that statement also applies to TV and film.

To meet the selected writers for our Voices Development Group 2023, visit our blog

If you would like to be considered for our future development groups and would like to find out more about our work, read this blog post on ‘How we find and develop writers’ from Jess Loveland, Head of New Writing for ��tv Writersroom and ��tv Drama Commissioning.

Open Call will return for submissions towards the end of 2023. For further details and updates visit our the opportunity's page on our website.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2023 - Belfast Hub

2023-06-30T10:16:00+00:00

All this week we've been announcing the 72 writers who have taken part in our six Voices development groups for 2023.

For no other reason than reverse alphabetical reason, the final group are the twelve writers (including one writing pair) that we've been working with from our Belfast hub. Meet them all below.

Commissioning Executive, Heather Larmour:

"It has been such a pleasure – not to mention great fun! - working with this incredibly talented and passionate group of writers and it has been so exciting to see their ideas develop and evolve over the course of the six months of the Voices programme. They’ve been an amazingly creative, inspiring, enthusiastic, and supportive group, and we can’t wait to see what brilliant things they all do next!"

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 2023 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ��tv Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.

The 2023 ��tv Writersroom Voices

Sean Dalton

Sean Dalton is an award-winning screenwriter from Dublin. After completing a business degree, Sean co-wrote a few books and co-founded a publishing company. During the Covid pandemic, he switched his focus into screenwriting. Most recently, he completed an MA in Writing for Stage and Screen in UCD. While there, his short film screenplay PUB HEIST won 2023’s nationwide Student Media Award for “Film Script of the Year”.
 
His first comedy pilot THE BARISTA reached the top 12% in the ��tv Writersroom Open Call 2022, the second round of the Launch Pad Pilot Competition 2022, and the Quarter Final of the Creative Screenwriting Unique Voices Competition 2022. He now has several projects in the hands of development teams at some of the country’s top production companies.

Amanda Doherty

Amanda Doherty is an award-winning actor and theatre maker who makes politically engaged work. Areas of focus include working class experiences, women’s rights, and resilience.

Trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, her original work has toured across Europe and the USA including the Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Reykjavík Fringe Festivals. Her award-winning show INHERITANCE has also played at Theatre Row, 42nd Street, NYC. Her work EIST MORAN // CAN BEAGAN [Hear Much//Say Little] was selected for the Biennial of Emerging Artists, Bucharest.

Acting credits include: The Fall (��tv), Seanchaí (��tv NI), Scúp (��tv NI) for television; Bird About Town, Faust, Girl in the Machine for theatre, and forthcoming feature film Pulcinella. Amanda is a company member of Eight Compositions on the lives of Ukrainians for a Western Audience with Archa Theatre, Prague, currently touring across Europe.

PJ Hart

PJ Hart is a writer and producer from North Belfast with credits in comedy, drama and children’s TV. Having studied film at Queen's University Belfast, PJ started contributing jokes to comedy panel shows and storylines to young adult drama while working in production and editorial roles. His first original script commission was the grounded sci-fi short KILL ME NOW, which was broadcast nationally on Irish TV. PJ has contributed material to award-winning sketch shows HEALTHCARE GUARANTEED and SOFT BORDER PATROL, while his original pilot EAT THE RICH played in competition at Seriesfest Colorado in 2020 and was broadcast globally as part of the Best of Seriesfest programme.

Since becoming a father in 2017, PJ has developed a keen interest in children’s television and in 2020, he was commissioned to write 5 episodes of Channel 5’s MIMI’S WORLD by BAFTA-winning showrunner Mellie Buse.

PJ writes class conscious, elevated genre with a distinctly Belfast voice. His original scripts have placed in national and international competitions and he has a number of TV and feature projects in development.

Mike Hooley and Luke W. Hanley

Mike Hooley and Luke Wilson Hanley's creative partnership started a decade ago in a rock band, gigging in sweaty little bars to nobody. Broke and desperate, these gluttons for punishment ventured into screenwriting together in 2017 and accidentally discovered their real passion.

Since then, they have signed a shopping agreement in the US for their feature INTERSTATE 25, and their horror film PÚCA and fantasy series JUDAS have both been Screencraft finalists.

Their ��tv Voices project THE NOBODIES forces a group of everyday people to face the question, "If you had the insider knowledge to make an illegal bet that could change your life… would you do it?"

Mike works in casting. His credits include 'Derry Girls', 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Northman'. He has been a member of the Casting Directors Guild since 2021.

Luke writes/directs brand campaigns for NI's largest independent creative agency. You'll unknowingly have seen his work for Lidl, Samaritans or Subway somewhere…

Byddi Lee

Byddi Lee is the author of REJUVENATION a speculative fiction trilogy, first published by Castrum Press in 2020 and has published flash fiction, short stories and her novel, MARCH TO NOVEMBER (2014).

Byddi co-founded and manages Flash Fiction Armagh, shortlisted as Best Regular Spoken Word Night in the Saboteur Awards and co-edited “The Bramley – An Anthology of Flash Fiction Armagh” Volumes 1 and 2. Byddi co-wrote the play IMPACT – ARMAGH’S TRAIN DISASTER which was staged for the anniversary of the tragedy in June 2019 in the Abbey Lane Theatre in Armagh and again in the Market Place Theatre, Armagh in October 2022 and November 2023. She co-wrote ZOOMEO AND JULIET and SOCIAL BUBBLE, TOIL & TROUBLE – live plays performed on Zoom by the Armagh Theatre during the lockdown.

Byddi is an Arts Council Northern Ireland supported writer and holds professional membership at the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin.

Andrew Lynch

Raised in one of Ireland's most disadvantaged areas, writer and actor Andrew Lynch channels his personal experiences into his storytelling, portraying characters often overlooked in mainstream narratives.

Andrew's journey in writing began with his play, DEATH ROW COWBOY, which had successful runs in Dublin and London. Shifting his focus to film, he scripted a mini-documentary REBIRTH and a short film BRENDA. Both were aired on RTE and received numerous awards.

Thanks to support from Screen Ireland, Andrew's debut feature film, FISHSCALE, was developed as part of the Spotlight Development Scheme. He also participated in the BFI Network x BAFTA Crew 2021/22 program, which supports the next generation of film and television talent. During his time in this program, Andrew wrote the Micro Short film MEAT MARKET. This project, created with fellow participants, received multiple awards at various film festivals worldwide.

Presently, Andrew is part of the 2023 Voices cohort, expanding his understanding of writing for television. Additionally, he is in the early stages of development with Yellow Film & TV, the largest independent studio in the Nordics, to create an original TV series.

Carly Magee

Carley Magee is an emerging playwright, theatre maker, and screenwriter from Belfast. Her ethos is to create accessible, diverse art that is wildly exciting, and provoking, which primarily revolves around horror, magic realism, and casting a female lens on narratives. Graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Drama Writing MA in 2022, she has gone on to be a recipient of Youth Theatre Ireland and Scripts Ireland’s George B. Miller Award, a recipient of Arts Council NI’s SIAP Award 2022-2023, and is currently part of Tinderbox’s Incubate programme for making new work. Youth Theatre Ireland will be producing her script SEABORNE in November 2023.

Her work has been longlisted for the RSC’s 37 Plays, chosen for Prime Cut’s VERGE Season 3, and selected for the London arts festival -VAULT, “A Pinch of Vault” rehearsed readings (June 2023). Her script HAND OF GOD will have a rehearsed reading in the Naughton Studio of the Lyric Theatre Belfast in July. Carley has written numerous short films, having worked with Cinemagic and Good Relations projects to write and script edit for cross-community youth groups taking part in film-making.

Anna Ní Dhúill

Anna is a multi-disciplinary Irish artist who has performed their work internationally. Since finishing their undergrad degree in theatre and English in 2021, Anna has staged a reading of their dystopian play EXIT MUSIC (FOR OUR WORLD) as part of Galway Theatre Festival, worked on various projects with Dublin Fringe Festival and Barnstorm Theatre, and achieved a distinction in Film in Limerick’s diploma in creative producing for film.

Their current passion projects include: re-drafting their first feature-film script under the mentorship of Peter McKenna; writing the queer-coded update of GIRLS set in Galway instead of New York; manifesting funding for their first short film and; developing a site-specific promenade piece in their hometown of Kilkenny. Through the Voices programme, Anna has been working on a folk-horror pilot script re-imagining modern-day Ireland as a pagan society. You can find out more about Anna at annaecd.com

Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair

Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair is an award-winning writer, director and producer from Dublin, Ireland.

Based between Ireland and Germany, she is also the founder of Curveball Media LTD and has an experienced career in film and TV development, having been a development executive for leading Irish companies Blinder Films and Samson Films.

Winner of the 2022 Aer Lingus Discovery Award, Rioghnach’s new award-winning horror short film, DON’T GO WHERE I CAN’T FIND YOU, was selected for SXSW 2022.

She is also the writer and director of BREAK US, which went to over 30 festivals internationally including Fantasia Film Festival. She produced and directed DO I KNOW YOU? and wrote and directed NEON. All three films were supported by Screen Ireland.

In summer 2022, Rioghnach wrote and directed BALOR HALL, a half hour whodunnit TV film commissioned by RTE under their Storyland Scheme.

She is one of Screen International's Rising Stars 2023.

Mark Noonan

Mark Noonan is a writer and director from the midlands of Ireland. His debut feature film YOU’RE UGLY TOO premiered at the 65th Berlinale and was nominated for a European Film Academy award, screened at over a hundred film festivals and won the DGA Finder's Series in Los Angeles, Best Screenplay Awards in Tokyo and Athens, Best Feature Screenplay from the Writer’s Guild of Ireland, Best Debut Feature at the Galway Film Festival and Best Breakthrough Feature at the Boston IFF.

He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and Toronto Film Festival Talent Lab, and been awarded writing fellowships from the Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, the NIPKOW/Berlinale Programm in Berlin, and Pustnik Screenwriters residency in Romania.

His first original TV pilot WHEN THEY ALL VANISH has been optioned and earned him a place on ��tv Writersroom Belfast Voices. He has a number of TV and film projects in active development.

Cathriona Slammon

Cathriona Slammon is an Irish writer/director from the West of Ireland. With a particular interest in family dysfunction, emotional complexity, repressed memories and childhood trauma, Cathriona typically writes in the vein of psychological drama, horror and the surreal. After completing a Master's Degree in Film Direction, she went on to direct two award-winning no-budget shorts, as well as a third short which was funded by Creative Ireland, currently in post-production.   

In 2022, her feature script, WHAT LITTLE GIRLS ARE MADE OF, was awarded a place on the Ardán/BAI Script Mentorship Scheme. More recently, her short film projects have been shortlisted for RTE Storyland and Virgin Media Discovers. She is currently working on her second feature script, a psychological horror/drama, as well as a TV Pilot – EATER - a tense drama set against the backdrop of female obesity and food fetishes. Cathriona is currently seeking representation.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2023 - London Hub

2023-06-29T09:14:26+00:00

All this week we're announcing the 72 writers who have taken part in our six Voices development groups for 2023.

Today meet the 12 writers based in our London hub. Find out more about them below and what they've been up to.

Development Producer, Zahra Al-Sultani:

"We are so pleased to announce our super talented London Voices 2023 cohort, who we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the last 6 months. Between them there’s such a range of exciting ideas and voices, which we’ve enjoyed refining with them throughout the process. They’ve also been developing their craft skills and industry knowledge, to best prepare them for their next steps – which we can’t wait to see!"

The Voices writers in the 2023 London hub

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 2023 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ��tv Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.

The 2023 ��tv Writersroom Voices

Amarjit Bassan

Amarjit Bassan has a passion for telling commercial and accessible stories about communities, particularly little-known stories from British Asian communities. He recently completed the 4Screenwriting course, where he developed his pilot IZZAT (Punjabi for “honour”); a character-driven TV drama about the role of women in British Punjabi and Sikh society, set against a backdrop of corruption and modern-day slavery.

He has been shortlisted twice for the ��tv Writers Academies and Pilot scheme and was one of 10 attendees selected from hundreds for David Higham Associates’ inaugural Open Day for Scriptwriters of Under-Represented Backgrounds. Most recently, he has made it to the final selection for the ��tv Pilot 2022 scheme.

As a stage writer, he was selected for the RIFCO Associate Artists Scheme, under which his play SOUTHALL PARK was commissioned, with support from the Arts Council, as part of the British Asian Festival and performed at Watford Palace and the Bloomsbury Theatre in London. Among other awards, the script for his short film LALIT’S VOICE won the scriptwriting award at The British Urban Film Festival. He is a graduate of Royal Holloway and Screenwriting MA.

Isabella Culver

Isabella Culver is a Writer-Director from South-East London, her short film SEVEN SISTERSis premiering on Sky Arts and Now TV. It follows the character of Juliet who seeks out an ‘alternative’ healer after a traumatic sexual assault. It is a tale of recovery, self-discovery and reckoning with the darker parts of the psyche.

Isabella also directed short film THESE FOUR WALLS about male mental health in the time of lockdown. Isabella kick started her career in theatre when she won The Bristol Old Vic Open Session playwriting competition for her debut play THE DISSOCIATION OF SHIRLEY MASON. Over the course of a year Isabella worked with the Writing Department at The Bristol Old Vic to develop her work. It is a psychological thriller focussing on mental health in the 1950’s, was staged at The Bristol Old Vic as part of their New Plays in Rep season and received a five-star review from A Younger Theatre. During her time working with The Bristol Old Vic Isabella completed an R&D for her new play FLORIDA SNOW a coming-of-age tale set in Daytona Beach Florida, where her American family live.

Isabella has completed writers rooms with Vertigo Films and SLNda for a TV series created by Ashely Walter’s and Bryncoed Productions for youth-based drama series AS DEAD AS IT GETS. In her writing Isabella enjoys bringing in elements of pop-culture and current affairs. With a focus on Magical Realism and mental health Isabella’s work centres on surprising stories with a supernatural twist.

Isabella is represented by Nicola Biltoo at The Agency

Dwayne Gumbs

Dwayne Gumbs is a writer/director from London who's enthusiastic about telling engaging, compelling and diverse stories. His BFI Network funded short comedy HOLY BEEF, was screened at the BFI London Film Festival 2018 and the London Short Film Festival 2019. This led to him being commissioned by ��tv Film to develop an original concept for a feature titled BPM, with this screenplay of Dwayne’s recently shortlisted for the 2022-2023 BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing showcase.

Having a passion for the arts from a young age, Dwayne started a charitable organisation called Diverse Voices, that for the past 13 years has been dedicated to making arts based opportunities accessible for all young people. In his role as Artistic Director he has written and directed various educational films and theatre pieces that address hard-hitting topics affecting the most vulnerable young people.

Keen to continue building his professional experience writing and directing, Dwayne’s looking for opportunities to collaborate on other projects, whilst developing the exciting and commercial ideas he has for screen.

Rhianna Ilube

Rhianna Ilube is a playwright and events curator from London. Her debut play, SAMUEL TAKES A BREAK…, was Highly Commended for the Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award, and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting. She has been a member of the Royal Court Intro Group, Oxford Playmakers, Omnibus Engine Room, and is currently part of the Soho Six. She also recently completed her first TV pilot with Expanded Media for a Sky Table Read. Rhianna previously worked for game and interactive theatre-makers Coney as an Associate Director, and is a film programmer for BFI Flare. She has an MA in Writing for Performance and Dramaturgy from Goldsmiths University.

Contact: Jessica Stewart at ITG

Eloka Ivo

Eloka Ivo is a British-Nigerian actor and writer. After studying Philosophy at the University of Bristol, he joined the 2019 cohort of the NYT Rep Company. His recent acting credits include BLACK SUPERHERO (Royal Court) and FOUR MOTHERS (Port Pictures).

As a means of passing time during the second lockdown, Eloka began to write his own work. He was one of the first winners of The Soho House Scripted Competition in 2021, the award for which included a table read of his pilot script OYINBO to a panel of industry professionals.

With his feet now firmly in both acting and writing, Eloka is currently developing an original idea for TV surrounding the "currency of shame" in Nigeria called DON’T COME AND DISGRACE US, as well as preparing for his West End debut this autumn.

Eloka hopes that his work will contribute to the growing canon of thought-provoking storytelling from historically minoritised communities, and bring a radically honest and refreshing perspective to uplift those who have been left out of the cultural conversation for too long.

Joe Kerridge

Joe Kerridge is a writer from South East London. His work has been performed at Sheffield Theatres, MAC Birmingham, STYX and VAULT Festival, where he won an Innovation Award. He has also been longlisted for the Verity Bargate Award, Theatre 503 International Playwriting Award, Papatango Prize, and is a graduate of the Royal Court Theatre Writers' Programme.

Hartley Lloyd-Pack

Hartley Lloyd-Pack is a lyricist and writer who has worked at Hackney's Children and Families service since 2014. His work in Hackney has inspired him to create RAW GODS, which authentically captures the complex realities of life in care, using original music compositions and frank storytelling to combine hyper-realism with a sense of other-worldliness. In 2022, in partnership with Fully Focused, Hartley released a taster of RAW GODS on YouTube. The film was produced in collaboration with care-experienced young people from Hackney, and has been picked up by the ��tv for development.

In 2018, Hartley launched the podcast Mixtape Assembly, whose guests have included Benjamin Zephaniah and Jimmy Akingbola, both of whom have gone on to support the development of RAW GODS.

Hartley has a background in poetry and rap, and is interested in creating stories that use language in heightened ways to elevate key narrative beats. In 2016, Hartley released an album, Sixteen Sunsets, in response to the loss of his father, the actor Roger Lloyd Pack.

Hartley is represented by Catherine Goldstone at Peach House.

Nadya Menuhin

Nadya Menuhin is a writer from London. She holds a BA in Humanities from UCL and took part in the Royal Court Writer’s Group and Kiln Artist Development. Her writing includes THE SECOND RULE (2020, Mercury Theatre), TREMORS (2021, Bitter Pill Theatre) and I, MOTHER (2022, Fuel Residency, Druid Theatre). Her humour writing has been published by McSweeney’s and Points in Case.

Her short film IN THE NIGHT TIME is in development with The Corps Ensemble, Dublin. She is currently writing a stage adaptation of the novel THE MAN WHO TOOK TRAINS and developing a comedy-drama series.

She’s interested in the way people change over time and sometimes quite abruptly. She loves sad stories, dark stories and funny stories, the best being when all three of these elements come together to make chaotic babies.

Himanshu Ojha

Himanshu Ojha attempted to be like Shakespeare by starting out as a frustrated actor from the West Midlands. Very much not like Shakespeare, he switched to journalism, studying for a Masters degree from Columbia University.

He worked for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Reuters, where he was a data reporter on the investigations and enterprise desk in the US and UK for five years, covering a range of topics from income inequality to corruption in the Russian railway industry to the migration crisis.

Since going freelance, he has enjoyed pursuing stories in very different ways. As a storyteller he has adapted and told Ovid’s TALE OF BAUCIS AND PHILEMON. For the theatre, he has written THE HAND OF HOZAN, one of the stories chosen to be part of James Graham’s Sketching, and ANTECHAMBER, a short play that ran in the White Bear’s Only Human festival in 2020. As a member of the Criterion New Writing programme, he has been able to hone his craft in the company of kinder, better writers. This culminated in his play THE FORGER’S TALE, an extract of which was performed at the Criterion Theatre in 2022.

He is particularly drawn to character-driven genre stories that resonate with the kind of topics he reported on as a journalist.

Pavan Patel

Pavan Patel's TV pilot, THE EMPIRE'S JEWEL, achieved significant recognition, being shortlisted for the Netflix Screenwriters' Fellowship and placing in the top 3% for the ��tv Open Call 2022. Additionally, Pavan is among the eight writers selected for the prestigious ��tv Studio's Writer's Academy 2022-2023, receiving mentorship from John Yorke. His feature script, CAMEL BOY, reached the Top 10% for the Academy Nicholls Fellowships 2022.

Pavan is represented by Nick Turner from Nick Turner Management.

Helen Simmons

Helen Simmons is a writer, producer and Screen Star of Tomorrow. She has produced six feature films, including KLOKKENLUIDER starring Jenna Coleman and Tom Burke, BONUS TRACK starring Susan Wokoma, Jack Davenport and Josh O’Connor, and HOARD starring Hayley Squires and Joseph Quinn. She runs Erebus Pictures alongside Stephanie Aspin, and recently co-directed a BFI Network short starring Callie Cookie and Lydia Rose Bewley. As a writer, Helen has written on shows for Audible and Sky, and her first feature film as co-writer, produced by Caviar, is currently in post-production. She began writing with the short film F*CK, starring Brett Goldstein and Esther Smith, which gained her nominations for best screenwriter and was a Vimeo Staff Pick. She is currently writing Film & TV projects for companies including Netflix, Moonriver Content, World Productions, and Kinetic Content.

Contact: Jessica Stewart at ITG

Jenny Takahashi Stark

Jenny Takahashi Stark is a London-based screenwriter of English-Japanese ancestry with a love for character-driven drama, comedy-drama, and stories that open doors into unusual worlds. She is currently developing original TV projects with Merman and Banijay, and was selected for the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course 2023, ��tv London Voices 2023 and Film London's Breaking The Glass Ceiling Programme 2023. She is also Winner of the All3Media New Voices Drama Award 2022, Richmond International Film Festival Finalist 2022 and writer on the IFT Creative Corridor Transatlantic Diversity Programme 2022. Jenny’s theatre plays have been performed at Cheltenham Everyman, Theatre 503 and Southwark Playhouse.

She is represented by Katie Battcock at Curtis Brown.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2023 - Midlands and North of England Hub

2023-06-27T15:16:28+00:00

All this week we're announcing the 72 writers who have taken part in our six Voices development groups for 2023.

Today it's the turn of the 4th group who are based in the Midlands and North of England. Meet the 12 writers below and find out more.

Commissioning Executive, Alice Ramsay:

"We’re thrilled to announce the 12 writers we’ve been working with from across the Midlands and North of England. Usman Mullan, ��tv Writersroom Development Producer, and I have had the absolute pleasure of working closely with this talented group over the past six months to develop a distinctive series outline that is ready to go to script. Alongside their projects, the group have also been attending workshops and seminars from ��tv Writersroom and industry professionals that have enabled them to develop their craft skills, gain knowledge of the industry and build their network. We feel so privileged to have worked with them as part of Voices and look forward to continuing our creative relationship with them at the ��tv."

The Voices writers in the 2023 Midlands and North of England hub

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 2023 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ��tv Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.

The 2023 ��tv Writersroom Voices

Mo Ahmed

Mo Ahmed is a writer from Yorkshire, focusing on the little-known and surprising intersections that make up modern Britain. Mo’s work spans the drama, satire and thriller genres and draws heavily from his multicultural experience growing up in a monocultural city. Mo won a commission from Channel 4 to develop a comedy and also won the Mother Tongues prize which led to him working with the producers of GOD'S OWN COUNTRY to write a feature film.

In 2022, Mo was selected for C4’s Commissioning Mentor Network, where he was paired with a drama commissioner. He was also involved in Screen Yorkshire’s Flex programme which aimed to generate a new slate of Yorkshire-based stories. Mo splits his time working on long-form podcast series and developing his slate of scripts and ideas.

Lou Burns

Lou Burns is an emerging writer of television drama based in Newcastle. She is passionate about telling social realist stories with strong northern roots, and likes to explore themes such as poverty, injustice, corruption, inequality, and community in her writing.

In 2022 Lou’s pilot RIOT reached the top 3% of the 4718 scripts received by the ��tv Writersroom. Previous to this, Lou was a finalist for both a Northern Writers Award, and Channel 4’s 4stories talent scheme.

In addition to writing her new pilot SHERRIE, Lou is currently working with Lone Pine Productions to adapt the book BE GOOD, LOVE BRIAN into a feature film.

Natalie Cutler

Natalie Cutler is a writer/performer from Dudley who began her career on the comedy circuit with her debut one woman show - NOT YET SUFFRAGETTE which received a 5* review from Broadway Baby and was nominated for 'best show' at the Fringe. She graduated from the National Film and Television School in screenwriting and in 2022 was the only writer from the UK selected for the Cannes Film Festival writers’ residency with Studiocanal. Her TV drama won best pilot on the FilmMarketHub and reached the top 10 scripts in Steven Knight's writing competition. She is currently on the BFI Network’s Writers Development Lab and is mentored by Bafta winning NATIVITY! Creator, Debbie Isitt.

Mia Fairbrother

From the ‘middle of nowhere’, Mia Fairbrother is a Midlands-born emerging writer - joining the Writersroom cohort shortly after receiving the BAFTA Rocliffe prize for Emerging Writers in TV Drama 2021 with her script UNDERAGE. When she’s not writing, Mia works within unscripted television: having worked on several mainstream shows from the likes of LOVE ISLAND, THE CIRCLE, and most recently Channel 4’s FIRST DATES.

Tonally, Mia typically enjoys writing gritty, realist pieces punctuated with heart and comedy. From small-town beginnings, she’s particularly interested in how one’s past can too easily predict their future, exploring this often in coming-of-age narratives. Still in her early-to-mid-twenties herself, Mia is extremely passionate about developing authentic, young adult voices across television.

Paul Jones

Paul Jones is a writer of Maltese heritage based in Liverpool. He returned to education in his forties to study creative writing and screenwriting. PATTERDALE, adapted from his short story, won the 2021 Alfred Bradley Bursary Award and was broadcast on Radio 4. His second radio play, OF A NIGHT, will be broadcast in late June 2023. He is currently developing a television drama centring on three generations of a Liverpool family.

Paul is delighted to have been selected for the ��tv Writersroom Voices programme and hopes to continue writing for both radio and television.

Theo James Krekis

Theo James Krekis is the writer and director of PRAM SNATCHER which was funded by the BFI NETWORK and had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival 2022. His debut feature of the same name is in development with the BFI and will be produced by Try Hard Films. In television, Theo's original series BLOSSOM is in development with Clerkenwell Films which he's also set to direct. He was selected for Channel 4's 4stories scheme where he directed SUPERDAD, a road movie for the BAFTA winning anthology series ON THE EDGE.

His previous short, MEMOIRS OF A GEEZA, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2019, London Short Film Festival 2020 and BFI Flare 2020. His directorial debut, MANGAS, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival the previous year. Theo is an alumni of Network@LFF, Edinburgh Film Festival's Talent Lab Connects and is a Film London Lodestar. He's repped by Independent Talent Group for narrative work and Knucklehead for commercials and music videos.

Jack Mackey

Jack William Mackey is a writer from Liverpool, currently based in London. He began writing during the pandemic, after completing an undergraduate degree in Arabic and German, and whilst procrastinating from starting the dissertation for his Masters in International Law and Diplomacy.

Jack is currently developing an original comedy-drama THE CURES with Can Can Productions and Channel 4. He has also entered a first-look deal with Can Can to develop a further three original projects in 2023. Jack is represented by Julia Tyrrell Management.

Makeda Matheson

Makeda Matheson is a Writer and Director from Huddersfield. Makeda’s directing projects span documentary (her film ALIVE received its world premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2021) and commercial film (Chanel, CNN et al). In her scripted work, Makeda draws on her Afro-Caribbean heritage and background as a documentarian to delve into different worlds and to explore the rich tapestry of untold stories that exist in the north of England.

Makeda was part of Scratch Me (BFI x Film Hub North) 2022-23 where she received mentorship from Fulwell73 and Screen Yorkshire’s FLEX agile storytelling program 2020-21. She is represented by Natasha Salter at Salt Partnerships.

Harry May-Bedell

Harry May-Bedell is a writer and performer based in Leeds. With a background in theatre, dance and comedy, Harry’s work treads the fine line between hilarity and despair featuring bold characters and big stories that explore what it means to be human through a unique queer lens.

Harry has received theatre commissions for Leeds International Festival including the sell-out show ‘Leeds Needs Help’ and has taken part in multiple talent development programmes including Scratch Me (Film Hub North) and FLEX (Screen Yorkshire). In 2020 Harry wrote and starred in the BFI-funded short MONSTER.

Current projects include PLAYING WITH DOLLS, a comedy/drama TV series in development with Wall-to-Wall North, a comedy web-series called HEY BABE! with Tyke Films and most recently Harry has been selected as part of a prestigious mentorship programme to develop a new original TV project.

Harry is currently unrepresented.

Lauren-Nicole Mayes

Lauren-Nicole Mayes is a working-class actress and writer from Blackpool, based in Manchester. Lauren broke into the world of writing having noticed a lack of stories being told representing the women who had raised her. Lauren was chosen as one of the selected five for the Box Of Tricks and Sky Studios ScreenPlay Award with her original script, BABYNUN XO. She was a part of the Sky Studios cohort for the year and the play then went on to receive Arts Council funding and support from The Lowry Theatre for an industry sharing event. The script is now being developed for television. In 2022, her one woman show DEAR LITTLE LOZ was commissioned and developed by Izzy Parriss Productions for Edinburgh Fringe at Surgeons Hall receiving rave reviews. Lauren is an Associate artist at Oldham Coliseum Theatre and the lead facilitator of Scribbles, their playwriting group.

Earlier this year, Lauren was shortlisted for the English Touring Theatre’s NationWide Voices programme via The Royal Exchange Theatre and most recently she was commissioned by Julie Hesmondhalgh’s Take Back Theatre company for Back To The Bone Festival with her original piece, AM I STILL BLEEDING?

Lauren writes about her autobiographical experiences as well as touching on themes such as family, love, social issues, sacrifice and class.

Frankie Meredith

Frankie Meredith is a writer, mother and proud midlander. She often writes about her family & friends (and is awful at changing the names). Her work can be funny, dark, a bit weird and it is almost always set in the West Midlands - coz it’s a lot more than just Peaky Blinders.

She wrote her first full length play TURKEY while on Soho Writers Lab which was produced at The Hope Theatre to 5* reviews, offies noms and a sell out run. FINDING PETER was taken to Edinburgh and had two subsequent runs in London and her play 17 was produced at Vaults Festival by Wildcard Theatre. She wrote and directed her own folk-musical, PETTICOAT COUNCIL which premiered at Warwick Arts Centre in 2021 and toured the Midlands.

MAY QUEEN - her play about myth and Coventry - was performed at the Belgrade this July after it toured the UK with PainesPlough. Her first short film CLEMENTINES won a British International Film Festival Award for Best Film and she is currently developing work for television. She has recently been on attachment with the RSC and on Channel4s mentor scheme. She is repped by Jessie Stewart at Independent.

Mark Williams

Mark Williams mixes humour with realism in his writing to create gripping, authentic stories which reflect his experience of living in Stoke-on-Trent. Mark grew up in a council estate in the 1980s and struggled with severe speech problems and undiagnosed dyslexia but at the same time, he had lots of character-building adventures. Many years later, Mark found himself working as a GP in a semi-rural practice in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

He then decided to write and perform an episode of ��tv Radio Four’s iconic series FOUR THOUGHT, described as “thought-provoking” and chosen as one of the best episodes. Mark is currently working on a comedy-drama pilot: THE GOAT, based on losing and then finding faith in religion, people, and ideas. He has also written about the Monkey Dust crisis in Stoke-on-Trent, Descartes’ theories, and his day job.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2023 - Scotland Hub

2023-06-27T08:46:42+00:00

All this week we're announcing the 72 writers who have taken part in our six Voices development groups for 2023.

Our third group of Voices writers 2023 are the eleven based out of our Scotland hub. Meet them below and find out more.

Commissioning Executive, Stephanie Fyfe:

"We are thrilled to announce our Voices group from Scotland for 2023! Over the last few months, we’ve been working with 11 writers to help hone their craft skills for TV and develop their unique writing voice and it’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to work with such a dedicated and passionate group! We’ve been excited and inspired by the brilliant mix of original ideas and can’t wait to see what they each do next!"

The Voices writers in the 2023 Scotland hub

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 23 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ��tv Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.

The 2023 ��tv Writersroom Voices

Rory D. Bentley

Rory D. Bentley

Represented by Mark Brennan, United Agents

Rory is an award-winning Writer & Director of mixed British-Punjabi heritage from Leicester/Edinburgh. He is currently casting his first feature AMRIT with the BFI after being selected for a coveted place on the ��tv Films / BFI / Creative UK iFeatures initiative - the UK’s premier development lab for debut feature films. He is a BAFTA connect member and a recipient of the prestigious John Brabourne Award. His award-winning 16mm independent short film SURPRI-! premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2022 and won ‘Best Super Short’ at the British Short Film Awards.

Rory co-wrote, shot and directed the award-winning 8mm short JAMELLA, starring Jamie Demetriou - which won first prize at the Straight 8 ‘one roll, no editing’ Industry Competition. He has made several other independent & DIY short films which have screened at Academy / BAFTA qualifying film festivals around the world including Edinburgh International Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, Palm Springs International Shortsfest California, British Shorts Berlin & Aesthetica.

Jonny Blair

Jonny Blair

Represented by Robert Taylor & Tom Shepherd, The Artists Partnership

Jonny (he/him) is an emerging Scottish filmmaker from Dumfries & Galloway. His first short film THE GROUNDSMAN starred David O’Hara (The Departed) and screened at festivals worldwide before winning the Best Fiction award at the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards. After graduating from the filmmaking course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Jonny went on to complete an MA in Directing Fiction at the National Film and Television School.

His NFTS graduation film COME OUT OF THE WOODSstarred Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones) and was nominated for a Royal Television Society award. As a writer Jonny has been commissioned to develop a six-part drama for MAM TOR (Chloe) and ��tv. He also recently directed episodes of ��tv Scotland’s continuing drama series RIVER CITY and in 2024 he’ll direct his debut feature film WALK WITH ME for Silver Reel (Under the Skin).

Maisie Chan

Maisie Chan

Maisie is a well-known children’s author. Her short script LYCHEES AND BINGO BALLS won ��tv Bites (2008) before she rewrote it as a novel – DANNY CHUNG DOES NOT DO MATHS which won multiple awards and was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards in 2022.

She was part of Write4 Film (Scottish Film Talent Network), is a B.E.A.T.S fellow (mentor was Emma Reeves) and a member of EAST, a network for East Asian TV screenwriters. She has been in development writer’s rooms for CBeebies and C��tv.

Her shortFOLDINGwas part of Sharp Shorts (funded by BFI/Screen Scotland) and has played at festivals in Dublin, London, Glasgow and Berlin. Maisie has written an episode of PIP AND POSY (Magic Light Pictures) and is in talks with a production company hoping to adapt her novel. She is developing a TV drama idea as part of the ��tv Writersroom Voices programme.

Eliza Gearty

Eliza Gearty

Eliza is a writer based in Glasgow. She is drawn to writing across mediums and telling character-led stories about the impact of socio-political issues on human relationships. Her novella ON THE DOORS, inspired by her experiences as a charity street fundraiser in Glasgow, was published by Speculative Books in 2019. Her debut play ABOUT MONEY was produced by 65% Theatre and staged at Theatre503 and Summerhall in 2022. It won an Edinburgh Fringe Scottish Theatre Award and was shortlisted for the 2022 Saint Andrews Playwriting Award.

Eliza is a graduate of the Soho Theatre’s Writers Lab and a 65% Theatre Associate Artist. Most recently, she was a 2023 Breakthrough Writer in Residence at the Traverse Theatre, where she was supported to develop her play HOME. She is currently working on her first screenplay, a comedy drama about shame, sexuality and the service industry.

Lewis Hetherington

Lewis Hetherington

Represented by Michael Eliot-Finch, Brennan Artists

Lewis is a Glasgow-based playwright and performance maker. His work is rooted in collaboration, storytelling and play. He has won two Fringe First Awards with Analogue Theatre and an Adelaide Fringe Award.

He is co-founder of fieldwork performance, Constellation Points, and an Associate of The PappyShow. He has worked with companies including National Theatre of Scotland, Platform, Lyceum Theatre, Traverse and Grid Iron. He has created performances in castles, climbing arenas and swimming pools, as well as theatres all over the world, including venues and festivals in Australia, Canada, China, USA, Singapore, Japan and more.

Lewis often makes performances with community groups and has a real passion for uncovering stories which need to be heard, using creativity to empower people to find their voice. He also makes a lot of work for children and young people and finds their capacity for imagination and honesty as audience members hugely inspiring.

James Ley

James Ley

Represented by Kelly Knatchbull, Sayle Screen

James is a playwright and screenwriter living in Glasgow. His plays include WILF (Traverse Theatre), ODE TO JOY (Stories Untold, Summerhall), LOVE SONG TO LAVENDER MENACE (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Summerhall, SoHo Playhouse, New York), SALLY (A play, a pie and a pint) EMMA AND GILL (Catherine Wheels, Lung Ha), I HEART MATHS (A play, a pie and a pint), and SPAIN (Glasgay!, Citizens Theatre).

James’ play ODE TO JOY which he wrote and directed won a fringe first at the Edinburgh Festival 2022. James was Writer on Attachment to National Theatre of Scotland in 2022. He was selected for the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab, and the 2019 Stowe Story Labs in Vermont, USA. James’ feature adaptation of Love Song to Lavender Menace is currently in development, produced by John McKay/Compact Pictures and funded by the Scottish Film Talent Network.

Daisy Jo Lucas

Daisy Jo Lucas

Represented by Peter MacFarlane, MacFarlane Chard

Daisy came to writing whilst performing in theatres across London and Glasgow. Her first stage play FAT CAT was performed Upstairs at the Gatehouse, and her subsequent theatre work has been staged at the Old Red Lion, Tron Theatre, Old Hairdressers, Gilded Balloon, and Glasgow's CCA.

After being awarded a full merit-based scholarship, Daisy studied a Masters in screenwriting where she was mentored by writer and showrunner Liz Lake through the development of an original pilot. Daisy’s first short film EGG was awarded Best Drama Short by the Europe Film Festival and her drama THE PARTY has been shortlisted for ��tv Open call. Daisy was long listed for Play Pie Pint's David MacLennon award and has developed audio drama with Kirsty Williams for ��tv radio 4. Daisy iscurrently working on her first Television commission for ��tv Scotland’s continuing drama series, RIVER CITY.

Grażyna McGroarty

Grażyna McGroarty

Grażyna, technically a Glaswegian, grew up in the rural village of Dunscore and her nearest town was featured in cult classic The Wickerman, which… explains a lot.

In 2016 Grażyna joined the film and television industry as a runner working across scripted television and feature film. Most recently Grażyna has been script assistant for Left Bank Pictures crime thriller Department Q, scheduled to film in 2023.

Grażyna is a graduate of University West of Scotland where she studied Filmmaking and Screen Writing. In 2020 Grażyna completed NFTS Scotland’s certificate course Screenwriting: Finding Your Voice, while working as assistant to director Jon S Baird on feature film TETRIS.

Since then Grażyna has been continuously writing and growing as a filmmaker. PEGGED, her hilarious first feature script has been pitched to Film 4 at Glasgow film festival 2022 and in May 2023 Grażyna made her directorial debut with short film MANIC HEALING.

Eve Nicol

Eve Nicol

Eve is a Glaswegian playwright and theatre director. Their “boundary-breaking” (The Stage) debut play, ONE LIFE STAND for Middle Child, toured the UK for 16 weeks, including the Paines Plough Roundabout @ Summerhall. Eve adapted Belle & Sebastian’s iconic album IF YOU’RE FEELING SINISTER for Avalon and ��tv Arts and has directed critically acclaimed productions for the National Theatre of Scotland, Traverse and Tron.

Their provocative 2022 play, SVENGALI, received the Filipa Bragança Award and was nominated for the Popcorn Award for New Writing. Previously Digital Associate of the National Theatre of Scotland, Eve is now a Mentor Director for National Theatre Connections, a Trustee of the Dewar Arts Awards, and Associate Director for much-loved shows WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF and ISLANDER.

Eve is supported by the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Peggy Ramsay Foundation, and Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland. Their work, exploring music, love, and power, strives to mend broken hearts and recover lost souls.

Emma Ramsay

Emma Ramsay

Represented by Francesca Devas, Independent Talent

Emma is a screenwriter/director represented by Francesca Devas at Independent Talent. She is currently developing original comedy/horror ideas with Long Boat Pictures & Birdie Pictures. Her TV writing credits include C��tv sitcom NOVA JONES and ��tv Scotland’s continuing drama series, RIVER CITY.

After studying for a BSc in Digital Media, specialising in animation and VFX, she undertook an MA in Screenwriting where she wrote a number of short films. Since graduating in 2019 she has been working in television drama development. Currently she is assistant script editor at World Productions working on a true crime drama TBA and across the Scottish development slate.

Jo Spencely

Jo Spencely

Jo is an Edinburgh-based screenwriter and playwright who has just completed her first screenwriting commission, for ��tv Scotland’s continuing drama series, ‘River City’ (26th July 2023). In 2023 Jo was selected for ��tv Writersroom Voices (Scotland), the Young Films Foundation Skye Screenwriters’ Residency Programme, and The Writers Lab UK & Europe.

Her plays have won the London Playwrights Playclub, been presented at The Old Red Lion Theatre, Barons Court Theatre and The Chiswick Playhouse, and her one-act play, ‘Mayday’, won her a place on the London Playwrights Writer Development Programme.
Jo has an MA with Distinction in Writing for TV from Glasgow Caledonian University. Her work has reached the top 3% in ��tv Writersroom Open Call 2023, QF stage in the Stage32 Female Driven Screenwriting Contest (2022) and the top 20% in the New Voice Awards (2021).

Jo loves to write scripts that foreground women’s experiences and explore family dynamics, but always with a wry take on the world.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2023 - South of England Hub

2023-06-26T11:18:52+00:00

All this week we are introducing the 72 Voices writers for 2023 from across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Meet the second group (the newest addition to the Voices family), the 12 Voices in the South of England hub, which covers the East, South East and South West regions of England.

Development Executive Simon Nelson:

"This brand-new voices group is made up of 12 exciting writers who hail from all parts of the South of England outside London. They have been working with us to master their screenwriting skills as well as learning how to think about what makes great television drama and how to craft vibrant, must-see shows for today’s audience. It’s been my enormous pleasure to spend so much profitable time with such an enthusiastic, talented and chatty (!) bunch of writers. I cannot wait to see what each one will come up with next!!"

The Voices writers in the 2023 South hub

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 23 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ��tv Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.

The 2023 ��tv Writersroom Voices

Jason Barker

Jason Barker is an award winning writer/director, occasional actor and sometimes stand-up comedian based in the West Country.

He is currently developing a feature film called MISTER UTERUS with BFI Film Fund, Delaval Films and Tigerlily Productions, an adaptation of the autobiographical feature documentary he made with the same team in 2018 - A DEAL WITH THE UNIVERSE.

Jason has co-written a radio play for ��tv Radio 4 and was selected for the BaftaXBFI Flare mentoring scheme in 2022. Jason’s stories often explore identity, rural mythology and, having been through puberty twice, pregnancy and now menopause (yay), hormonal upheavals usually feature.

Lara Biller

Recently completing a neuroscience degree, Lara Biller is relatively new to writing. At university, she wrote several plays that were produced by the drama society, including dark-comedy THE SHADOWS, which had a sold out run at the King’s Arms in Salford, as well as being picked from 200 playscripts for the WordPlay performances at Bath Spa University.

Both her plays THE SHADOWS and FRANKLIN, a drama about gender and mushrooms, were nominated for Best New Writing at the University of Manchester’s theatre awards. During COVID restrictions, Lara wrote 40-minute zoom monologue, iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou, which was put forward as Manchester’s entry for an inter-university drama festival in Edinburgh.

Her work often blurs genres and she is drawn to strange, dark stories with enthusiastic men, queer women and plenty of blood. The first TV script she wrote, about a pack of runaway teenage girls, got her a place on the ��tv Voices scheme.

Rob Cromwell

Rob Cromwell has been a professional writer for TV, live comedy and advertising for nearly two decades.

Having previously focused on comedy, Rob now writes high concept dramas with a satirical or darkly comic edge, around themes of loss and recovery, natural justice, and moral ambiguity. He’s fascinated by the contradictions of the human mind, its darker recesses and the way memory works.

Rob featured on the ��tv’s New Talent Hot List in 2017 and has written more than 200 hours of television across the comedy and entertainment genres. His diverse writing CV covers some of the biggest shows and names in British television, and this experience has given him a versatile style without ever losing his unique voice.

Rob’s script RebEllieous – a period comedy drama about a wealthy heiress turned highway robber – was his second foray into drama writing, and he has since written two further pilot scripts. He is currently seeking representation.

Florence Espeut-Nickless

Florence Espeut-Nickless is a writer and actor from Chippenham in Wiltshire. She writes for stage and screen about and with working-class communities in the Southwest.

She’s part of Dancing Ledge Productions Screenskills New Talent Scheme 2023/4, an Open Session Writer at Bristol Old Vic, was CRF Writer in Residence at Pentabus, and associate artist at Strike A Light.

Florence adapted THE ODYSSEY for the National Theatre and Trowbridge Town Hall. She’s been commissioned to write a play for NT Connections.

Her award-winning debut play, DESTINY has toured the UK over the last year two years (developed with Bristol Old Vic/Tobacco Factory). She wrote MIRACLE ON 34 SEYMOUR STREET (Trowbridge Town Hall) and is developing a new play BLINDED BY YOUR GRACE (Bristol Old Vic/Strike A Light/GL4/MAYK).

She was a finalist on 4Stories (C4/Blacklight) and shortlisted for Dancing Ledge’s Writer in Residence scheme. Florence is represented by Jessica Cooper at Curtis Brown.

Holly Fitzpatrick

Holly Fitzpatrick forefronts queer feminist rage in all its tragic, comic, epic glory. She is a 23-year-old writer, theatre maker and dramaturg from South Devon interested in transformative, non-linear approaches to storytelling.

After graduating from the University of Exeter with a first class BA in English and Drama, she received Arts Council funding for her debut play, LAVENDER – an intense coming-of-age story traversing gender, faith, politics and time, set along Devon’s eroding coastline. The play was produced at Exeter Phoenix, Theatre Royal Plymouth and the Omnibus Theatre in South London, and as a submission resulted in Holly being shortlisted in the top 1% for ��tv Writersroom’s Drama Room before being selected for the Voices 2023 programme.

Alongside LAVENDER, she has worked as a dramaturg for the queer cabaret-character study Revelations at the Theatro Technis @ 26 Crowndale in Camden, and has facilitated creative writing and performing arts workshops for young people.

Ramsay Hassan

Ramsey Hassan is an emerging writer of comics, plays, and novels based in London. As a Somalian who came to the U.K. as an asylum seeker, he’s super interested in telling gripping and funny genre stories about the black Muslim experience and the refugee experience too.

Under his pen name of RAMZEE, he was nominated for a British Comic Award in 2016 and has gone on to write comics for 2000AD and Marvel.

As a playwright, he’s an alumni of the Vaults New Writers Programme and developing a play in the Royal Court Writers Group.

His kids illustrated novella SANCTUARY won the second prize at the Faber Children’s Fab Prize 2017 and he has recently landed a deal to write and illustrate a three book middle grade series.

Pelé Hearne

Pelé Hearne found refuge in imagination from an early age. With a stick in hand, he wielded it as a sword or lightsabre, while a simple blanket transformed into a shapeshifting cape. Pelé Hearne, aged 31 and still a Jedi.

He spent his youth creating films with friends using his trusted handy cam, plunging himself into an education of classic cinema and water cooler moment TV.

Pelé has a passion for writing original expansive worlds, big colourful genre work, and thanks to his background in theatre directing, he is also drawn to writing strong, memorable characters.

His studies in screenwriting and producing at Regents University London earned him recognition, including a workshop opportunity with an Oscar-winning actor.

Notable accolades include being a finalist in the ��tv Studios A Thousand Stories competition 2021 and being awarded "best dialogue" in the 2020 Fresh Voices competition. Pelé, now seeking representation, expects to live up to his namesake.

Paul Holbrook

Paul Holbrook is a multi-award-winning, working-class writer and director. Despite a lack of formal education, Paul began his career making progress through industry-backed screenwriting competitions including Page, Shore, Screencraft and The Academy Nicholl Fellowship.

Paul's work often fuses the flair of genre cinema with grounded social realism, and his passion for character-driven stories is evident in all his produced work thus far. He has screened and won numerous awards at BAFTA, BIFA, and Oscar-qualifying festivals around the world including Palm Springs, BFI London, Encounters, and Aesthetica. He was also nominated for a London Critics Circle Award and has had his work released on prestigious platforms such Short of the Week, Alter and Director’s Notes.

Paul is a returning member of the Bafta Connect program, has been funded by BFI Network and The Pitch Film Fund, and is developing various TV and film projects including a 6-part TV comedy with Sky.

Laura Horton (credit: Flavia Fraser Cannon)

Laura Horton is a multi-award-winning writer and the first playwright Laureate of Plymouth.

Her debut play LABYRINTH DIET was an OFFCOMM winner in 2021. Her follow-up BREATHLESS was awarded the Pleasance Regional Partnership. It won a Fringe First, was a finalist for the Popcorn Award and was shortlisted for other prestigious prizes. The show enjoyed runs at Soho Theatre and 59e59 Off-Broadway in 2023, where it was New York Times critic’s pick. She has written several short plays. Her first short film, A SUMMER OF BIRDS, was Toast of the Fringe winner in 2021.

An associate of The Space, Laura launched digital projects HIDDEN BY THINGS and THEATRE STORIES, for which she was in The Stage100. On commission at Theatre Royal Plymouth, she is also developing dark comedy, LIFE UNDERWATER, which has been selected for a reading at the Criterion.

She is adapting LIFE UNDERWATER and BREATHLESS for television. Laura also runs Bad Sex Writing workshops and shows. She is represented by United Agents.

Harry Smyth

Harry Smyth is a writer & development producer with one foot in scripted drama and the other in documentary.

Harry has developed an impressive list of unscripted programming for major broadcasters such as ��tv, Channel 4 and Sky. The latest series he developed, ‘STACEY DOOLEY: STALKERS’ for ��tv, was met with critical acclaim and excellent viewing figures. Harry’s unscripted development work accounts for over 50 hours of broadcast content.

Harry's crime-drama script COLDLINE made the 2018 Official LondonTVPitchbox Selection at Raindance Film Festival and was later in development at BAFTA-nominated Salon Pictures. His following script UNTIL PROVEN made the 2021 Pitchbox Official Selection. Though mainly writing in the crime & thriller genres, his work as a screenwriter also includes a web-series for Comedy Central and narrative music videos.

More recently, Harry has worked on funded developments for HBO, Tall Story and NRK. Harry is represented by The Dench Arnold Agency.

Courtney Wilkinson

Courtney Wilkinson is a Mexican-American screenwriter from California living in Henley-on-Thames. She moved to England after finishing her undergraduate degree in English at the University of California, Berkeley to study Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies at the University of Cambridge.

In addition to writing for television, Courtney is a music journalist and interviewer, covering everything from indie shows to large festivals across the US and Europe.

Having been drawn to UK television from a young age, her inspirations have primarily been British from The Inbetweeners to Black Mirror, the latter having inspired HARMONY, her dystopian sci-fi television series about women’s bodily autonomy.

Rowing has also been a large part of her life, having been a coxswain at Berkeley and Cambridge. She is currently working with a US production company to develop her first television series, PUTNEY TO MORTLAKE, a dramatic comedy based on the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

Mo Yilmaz

Though career-wise in nappies, the hope is to bring something to the table which reflects what we all need now, which is a renewed faith in the common goodness in people. This process reflects this; my colleagues in new voices from across the country are fellow travellers, trying to make a connection with you, the audience. The rest is details. Having said that, some details: British born, South East Asian extraction, father, husband, son.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2023 - Wales Hub

2023-06-26T09:00:00+00:00

Jess Loveland (Head of New Writing for ��tv Writersroom and Drama Commissioning) introduces this year's 72 ��tv Writersroom Voices writers from across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

I’m delighted to introduce you to the ��tv Writersroom Voices 23 writers. From January to June this year we have had the great pleasure of working with 72 incredibly talented emerging writers from across the length and breadth of the UK. We'll be announcing their names throughout this week. Meet the first group (from our Wales hub) below.

The six ��tv Writersroom Voices groups

Working closely with the ��tv Writersroom team, out of six UK-wide hubs, the writers have taken part in an intensive programme of craft workshops, expert masterclasses and discussions with guest writers including Ryan J Brown (WRECK), Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn (BLUE LIGHTS; THE SALISBURY POISONINGS) and Lisa Holdsworth (CALL THE MIDWIFE; A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES). The writers have also had the opportunity to hear from key industry representatives including agents, producers and member of the ��tv Drama Commissioning team, as well as sessions with BAFTA Albert and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.

All our Voices 23 writers have also spent the last six months defining and developing a new series idea to outline stage with the editorial support of the ��tv Writersroom team.

It’s been an immense pleasure getting to know these talented writers this year; we can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve next. I’m thrilled to introduce them to you now and I do hope you enjoy reading through their biogs and getting to know them.

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 23 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ��tv Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.

Jess Loveland, Head of New Writing, ��tv Writersroom + Drama Commissioning

The 12 Voices writers in the 2023 Wales hub

All week we'll be introducing the Voices writers from each of our hubs separately. The first group we'd like you to meet are our 12 Voices from our hub in Wales.

Commissioning Executive Celi Fowler:

"We are incredibly excited to announce our Welsh Voices group for 2023! Since January, we have been working with 12 writers to help develop and hone their writing skills, each working towards an original TV idea. It has been a delight getting to know and working with such a passionate and talented group who have brought with them such an exciting range of ideas. We are looking forward to seeing what they do next!"

Mari Beard & Hanna Jarman

Mari Beard and Hanna Jarman first met in 2006’s NYTW and went on to be performers living in Cardiff. They started their writing partnership in 2017 when they wrote their dark comedy series MERCHED PARCHUS/RESPECTABLE GIRLS with ieie productions which aired in 2019. Together they were nominated for BAFTACymru awards in the writers and breakthrough categories. The series went on to be nominated for a RTS award for Best Drama and a Celtic Media award for Short drama.

They also wrote the drama series Y GYFRINACHfor BoomCymru with support from the BFI young audience fund and are both currently working on a new writing project for ieie productions.

Mari’s other writing credits include BAFTA nominated BEX(Ceidiog) and Hanna’s include, Y TEIMLAD/THAT FEELING (NYTW), BRANWEN (WMC/Fran Wen), GALWAD 2052 (SkyArts). They both also had babies in 2022 because, apparently, they can’t do anything without each other.

Emma Cooney

Emma Cooney is a Welsh Writer and LAMDA-trained Actor. Her Theatre credits include BELLY BUTTONS AND GOODBYE MEMORY LANE (The Sherman Theatre). She’s also written and performed comedy sketches for ��tv Sesh and is a proud alumna of both The Sherman Theatre’s Writer’s Group and The Royal Court’s Introduction to Playwrighting Group.

In 2023, her play SIAN DE BERGERAC was shortlisted for ��tv Writersroom’s Drama Room, reaching the top 1% of the 4,287 scripts submitted. It was also long-listed for The RSC’s 37 Plays Initiative and an extract was performed at The Sherman Theatre’s New Writing Showcase.

Emma wants to create TV and Theatre that’s hilarious, heart-felt and ambitious. Her work often explores the complexity of women, loneliness and hope.

Phil Hamer

Phil Hamer is a screenwriter from Pontypridd. Arriving late to writing in 2020, Phil’s screenplay SIDE STEP made Nicholl Fellowship quarter final and won Best Unproduced Screenplay at the International Film Festival of Wales in 2022. It also made top 3% at ��tv Open Call 2023. His comedy THE DAVIESES was an SWN TV Pilot finalist in 2021 and made Top 12% at ��tv Open Call 2022. Phil’s comedy drama HIS OWN DEVICES was an SWN Short Film Script quarter finalist in 2021.

Currently smuggling his strongest beliefs into accessible genre scripts, Phil is developing DISTANT PLANET, an alien love story about a single mum with a wormhole in her airing cupboard (‘Socialism could work if it wasn’t for humans’) and LIMBO, a ghost story set in a desolate Welsh mining town (‘Never trust Westminster or psychics from Merthyr’).

Primarily, Phil seeks to explore the devastating effects of modern capitalism on the poorest regions.

Rebeca Hughes

Rebeca Hughes is a Welsh screenwriter based in Cardiff.

Prior to taking part in the Welsh Voices scheme, her pilot GALAR/GRIEF reached the top 12% of ��tv Writersroom’s Open Call. She wrote the screenplay for TV movie romcom ZOE IS HAVING A BABY produced by Reel One Entertainment and starring The Handmaid’s Tale’s Nina Kiri.

Through all genres from drama to comedy, Rebeca enjoys writing quirky, memorable characters and throwing them into situations that speak to the complexity of wider society. In particular, Rebeca focuses on multi-faceted female characters who face moral challenges in their lives and relationships.

When she’s not writing scripts, she’s reading them as a Development Executive in the film industry.

Paisley Jackson

Paisley Jackson is a young female, neurodiverse actor and writer from Newport, South Wales.

Her first play CELTIC MANNERS won ‘The John Thaw Initiative’ and was performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre with two sell-out shows. Paisley’s theatre credits include Chippy Lane Productions, Dirty Protest and Theatr Gwaun.

She reached the top 4% of open submissions for The ��tv Writersroom, and is listed as a ��tv Promising Writer. CELTIC MANNERS was described as “A Wales-set drama – following on from Polly Garter in Dylan Thomas's ‘Under Milk Wood', and Effie in Gary Owen's ‘Iphigenia In Splott".

In 2022/23 Paisley graduated from The Sherman Theatre Writers and The Royal Court Playwriting Groups where she has completed her new play ZETA.

Now looking forward to writing for television, whilst exploring female led stories with a clear sense of place, Paisley champions herself on her dark humoured pieces, conversational characters and sharp wit.

Natasha Kaeda

Natasha Kaeda is a Welsh-based writer working across stage, screen and audio.

After completing Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab, Natasha went on to develop her first play TIME EQUALS ZERO through a seed commission from The Hampstead Theatre. In 2020 Natasha’s play, IN MY LUNGSTHE OCEAN SWELLS was staged at The Vault Festival and won the Origins Award for Outstanding New Writing and received an OffCom Commendation. Other playwriting credits include THE QUARRY (ALRA showcase), A CRADLE SONG (shortlisted for The Orange Tree Writers Collective), FALLOW (developed with the Sherman Theatre).

Natasha’s episode AUTUMN was the first in a series of four audio dramas called LAND SKEINS. The project won the OffWestEndCom Innovation Award 2021. She is currently developing a new audio play, supported by Arts Council Wales.

In 2022, Natasha was shortlisted for ��tv Writersroom’s Pilot scheme with her TV spec script WILL YOU BE THERE TO LOVE ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Melodie Karczewski

Melodie Karczewski is a disabled writer and actor from Thanet who has been living in Cardiff for the last 3 years.

Growing up, she was apart of the BFI Academy, NFTS BFI Academy, HighRise New Gens and the BAFTA mentorship programme where she was mentored by Kayleigh Llewellyn. She is a recent graduate on the BA Acting course at The Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama and is a member of Open Door.

Her short play, THE TASTE OF HEALING, which she wrote, directed and starred in, was put on at The Yard theatre in London in June 2023.

She is interested in telling stories inspired by true events, folklore, forgotten communities and the ethical questions posed by our modern world, in both dramatic and comedic ways.

Photo credit: @Yellowbelly

Hannah McPake

Originally from Edinburgh but now based in Cardiff, Hannah McPake is an actor and playwright. In 2013 she co-founded multi-award-winning gig theatre company Gagglebabble and in 2020 she began writing.

Her first full-length play TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM was performed at Sherman Theatre last Christmas. Recipient of the Radical Creatures Commission from National Theatre Wales, BALLOON GIRL is scheduled for performance in 2025. I AM KEVIN a hybrid theatre/film with Cornish landscape theatre company Wildworks is out in cinemas this July.

Hannah regularly collaborates with yello brick to create audio experiences and is an Associate Artist of Theatr Iolo.

Hannah's work is often inspired by history or reimagining's of well-known stories, it puts female characters squarely centre stage, usually playful and comic but unafraid to delve into the dark side of life, big-hearted and quietly political. Hannah is working on her first TV drama pilot.

Mali Ann Rees

Mali Ann Rees is a Cardiff born writer and actor who trained at East 15 Acting School. Mali debuted her professional writing career with her 30-minute audio-drama BRATIAITH for the Sherman Theatre’s Heart of Cardiff series and subsequently became an Associate Artist for the Sherman Theatre.

She has written sketches for The Size of Us a ��tv Radio comedy sketch show which she also performed in. Mali’s first staged work was a short play called THIEVES, which was performed as part of Theatr Clwyd’s Curtain Up series.

Mali was selected for the ��tv Welsh Voices 2023 and is looking forward to embarking on her journey into television writing.

Hefin Robinson

Hefin Robinson is a bilingual playwright and writer from Carmarthen. He enjoys regular collaboration with a number of Wales-based companies.

Recent work includes: THE FIELD (yello brick); DOCTOR DOLITTLE’S WILD ADVENTURE, PINOCCHIO AND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, THE CURIOUS MUCHNESS OF STUFF AND NOTHING (Hijinx Odyssey); FINAL CUT, COLD CASE/GWAED OER (yello brick with Wales Millennium Centre); DREAMERS & DRAGONS, HUMANKIND, NOWHERE (Mess Up The Mess)

Other plays include SOARING (Dirty Protest with NTW/Sherman) and his prize-winning debut ESTRON (‘ALIEN’) which toured Wales in a production by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. Hefin has been a participant of Theatr Clwyd’s writer in residence scheme and the Royal Court’s writers’ programme.

David Stevenson

Dave Stevenson is a screenwriter and author from Crickhowell, Powys.

In 2020, he was selected for the Emerging Welsh Writers Group by The Other Room Theatre and Bad Wolf, where he developed his TV drama pilot MY FRIEND, THE WALRUS. His short film, I’M AFRAID IT’S BAD NEWS, screened at the 2020 Borderlines Film Festival, and he has worked in development on several feature projects with acclaimed directors and producers.

As an author, Dave’s work was published in Create 50’s sci-fi anthology THE SINGULARITY, while his self-produced children’s audiobook series, POOR UNCLE DAVE, continues to reach a growing international audience.

Despite the 21st Century’s best efforts, Dave remains an optimist and brings this outlook to his writing. His work covers a range of genres, from rom-com to sci-fi via dramedy and fantasy, with the same core goal; exploring authentic, relatable characters through bold, absurdist concepts.

Becoming a ��tv Writersroom Voice

2022-07-11T10:18:05+00:00

All last week we announced the 69 writers who have been part of our five Voices development groups for 2022 across the UK.

But how do you become a 'Voice'?

We asked Katie Elin-Salt from the Welsh Voices to tell us about her writing journey to date and how that led to a place in the ��tv Writersroom Welsh Voices 2022.

Meet all the Voices writers for 2022 and find out more

The Welsh Voices 2022 - one of ��tv Writersroom's five Voices development groups around the UK.

I always say I started writing 5 years ago, but my Mum recently discovered a school report from Mrs Roberts (reception class teacher, 1993) that read “Katie’s stories are delightful and original". To date I’m yet to have a better review, so I think it’s safe to say I peaked at an early age and it’s just been a slow crawl back towards that level of praise ever since. I have definitely taken the scenic route back to the writing desk since my original debut in 1993, locking my own stories away safely and telling those of others whilst working as an actor on stage and screen for over a decade before realising I might have some things to say about the world too.

I think it took me so long because a) I was entirely terrified of being rubbish and being chased out of Soho by pitchfork wielding playwrights and b) because I had no idea about the writing process. I had always just assumed that what happened was that supremely clever and talented professional writers sat down in some sort of Kate-Winslet-In-The-Holiday cottage in the Cotswolds for a weekend, channelled some sort of Aristotle-like muse and then came out with a ��tv commission.

It was only while working on a new writing season with Paines Plough in 2017 that I realised that actually the process from cottage to curtain up involved a whole load of useful things like redrafting, dramaturgy, script editing and conversations with clever people who can help carve out your messy blob of an idea of a story into an actual thing that people actually want to watch. Realising this, and reassuring myself that it was ok if I was a bit rubbish at first (because I’d literally never done it before) - I started putting tentative feelers out to the connections I’d made through my time as an actor, and from that I was fortunate enough to get some time and space in Stockrooms’ new writers’ room (There was a ceremony, I cut a ribbon) and I wrote the first draft of my first play in a fortnight. 80% of it was rubbish, but 20% wasn’t entirely and so I found people that I thought could help me carve out the heart of the story within that 20% (I bought a lot of coffees for people whose work I admired and I got some clever friends round who I trusted to read it out loud and tell me about what they liked and what they didn’t) and then I started again on a clean page. 5 years later, I’m still carving out that particular story, but I’m learning that these things take as long as they take and in the meantime I’ve found loads of other ones to tell and also how to slowly build a career in writing.

Katie Elin-Salt performing as part of the Paines Plough Roundabout season in Black Mountain by Brad Birch: (Hasan Dixon and Katie Elin-Salt, Photo: Jonathan Keenan)

For me as a Welsh writer, companies like Chippy Lane and Dirty Protest championed me to write from the start and gave me the confidence to put pen to paper and feel like I might be heard on the other side. After conversations about how it all worked and how they supported new writers, I had the confidence to send off some work for scratch nights that they were holding, and saw my work performed for actual audiences out loud for the first time. I also booked onto a residential week that Dirty Protest were holding in Ty Newydd writer’s centre, where the great Tim Price was to sit us all down and show us inside the structural matrix of how to tell an actual story. Unfortunately, I’d had a dodgy burger on the way up so I spent the next 48 hours alone in the attic room, with nothing but memories of other dark periods of life for company, like the time I spent my whole Christmas working as an elf in Santa’s Grotto in Westfields. Two days later I emerged to ask Tim to make me some dry toast and to listen to my idea about an elf called Sprinkles living through the worst Christmas ever. And that idea was eventually to become my first full play, developed, R+D-ed and eventually fully produced by Dirty Protest four years later.

After that I applied for every opportunity under the sun (keep your eyes on Twitter), waded through endless rejection emails and eventually found the precious few successful ones for writing schemes such as Royal Court Introduction to Playwriting group and Soho Theatre Writers’ lab. These schemes gave me tools, a community, professional connections and most importantly the confidence I’ve needed to call myself a theatre writer, to write things and to know what to do and who to call to get better at it. In March 2020 I was thrilled to secure a writing residency at Theatre Clwyd, travelling up for a stay in the beautiful Gladstone's library, where I was to spend my time wandering the gardens, reading old books and writing my masterpiece. A day later I sat in a very sad full-staff meeting where Tamara Harvey gently explained that we were shutting up shop for the foreseeable, and off we all went head first into the pandemic.

Like many creatives, I was heartbroken and bewildered - but I didn’t stop writing. I applied for and then wrote a commission for the Sherman Theatre’s online series, for Stockrooms’ Signal Fires piece, I continued to work on the idea I was developing with Theatr Clwyd and I also applied for the ��tv Wales Writer in Residence scheme. Unbelievably, I was longlisted and then shortlisted for that - pipped to the post by the brilliant Faebian Averies, but making my first connection with Helen Perry and the team at ��tv Writersroom and ��tv Wales and encouraged to continue applying, I reached interview stage for the ��tv Writersroom Open Call 2021, and from that was encouraged to apply for the ��tv Welsh Voices scheme, which I was thrilled to secure a place on at the start of this year.

As part of the ��tv Writersroom Voices, in our regional cohorts it was great to have time to share and explore work together, to read each other's work and to have the time to have conversations about it all with Helen Perry and Emily Angell facilitating to make sure we all stayed on task! We also got to meet local production companies and make new professional connections, which I hope we will be able to draw on in the future. When the five Voices groups across the UK all joined together we were lucky enough to have masterclasses with writers and producers who spoke to us honestly about their journeys and how they worked. I also really enjoyed our session with Lisa Holdsworth, the chair of the Writer's Guild - who spoke to us about the work of the union and what we should and should not expect as professional writers moving forward. All of these experiences on both a regional and nationwide level provided a really in depth insight into the craft of carving out and sustaining a career as a screenwriter, and the practical/professional tools we might need to find our feet.

Celebrated Virgins by Katie Elin-Salt (Victoria John and Heather Agyepong at Theatr Clwyd)

In 2022 the idea developed in my Theatr Clwyd residency became my first commissioned play Celebrated Virgins which ran at The Mix, Clwyd and in Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff last month - and I’m also just now coming to the end of my time with Welsh Voices.

What’s been really validating for me about the experience of starting my journey with the ��tv on the Voices scheme has been being given the permission and the space to say I know absolutely nothing about writing for TV. Of course I don’t, I’ve never done it before, Nigella Lawson didn’t know how to scald milk before someone bought her a microwavé, but a lot of the time as a writer you kind of have to smile, nod and pretend that you know everything.

The ��tv team (especially Helen Perry, a brilliant and kind TV commissioner who I think has met this kind of glass-eyed writers’ panic before) have been incredibly generous at creating a safe space where we can learn together, making horrible mistakes, asking awkward questions and being vulnerable with people in the room who can help. It’s been a real learning curve, at times challenging and confronting, but being able to learn and have space and time with people at the top of their game sharing time and knowledge with us - has been so validating.

Again, through securing a place on a scheme like this I am walking out feeling like I know a little bit more about what I’m doing and how to do it, and who to call when I don’t, in this new world of screenwriting. I’ve also really loved virtually meeting the other ��tv UK schemes (apart from Welsh Voices being shamelessly robbed in the end of scheme quiz) and I feel I have made connections with a peer group at a similar level to myself, and I hope to continue to champion and celebrate each others’ successes moving forward.

I think my advice for those who are considering writing or making the move into screenwriting and applying for TV writing schemes would be - just start telling your stories and find the people who can help you to tell them. Don’t expect to be brilliant at first, but know that you can get better if you let the right people help you. Don’t expect to get onto all the schemes straight away, but know that you can if you keep going, keep trying, keep listening and most importantly -

KEEP WRITING!

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2022 - Welsh Voices

2022-07-08T10:52:25+00:00

Welsh Voices 2022

All this week we've been announcing the names of the 69 writers who have been part of our Voices development groups for 2022. The final group (for purely alphabetical reasons) are the 13 Welsh Voices. Meet them all below and find out more.

"It’s a real treat to be able to announce our Welsh Voices 2022. I hope these writers go on to do amazing things, because not only are they extremely talented, they’re a lovely bunch of human beings. Seeing their TV skills and ideas develop over the last few months has been a pleasure and a privilege. I’m excited to see what the future holds for these Welsh screenwriters of tomorrow."

Helen Perry (Assistant Commissioner for Wales, ��tv Writersroom and ��tv Drama)

See details of all the Voices writers 2022

Find out more about the Voices programme

Azuka

Azuka is a playwright and screenwriter, born and raised in London, she has lived in Cardiff since 2012.

She has been a participant in the Royal Court Writers programme and is currently a part of the Sherman Theatre's inaugural Unheard Voices Writers development programme.

Her first full length play ‘The Last Bastion’ has been commissioned by the Other Room Theatre and was shortlisted for ��tv Writersroom Drama Room 2021, making it to the top 1% of the 5167 scripts submitted. She has also had a screenplay longlisted for the ��tv Studios/Thousand Films Thousand Stories competition.

Azuka is passionate about telling stories that centre complex women and shine alight on underrepresented, marginalised communities in both contemporary and historical settings.

Sam Burns

Sam Burns a playwright, was born in Cardiff. She worked for several years as an editor for a small publishing company, and more recently as an assistant to a gardener and a freelance transcriber. Her produced work includes a piece in Paines Plough’s Come to Where I’m From, ‘Two Bears’ for Sixty-Six Books at the Bush Theatre, ‘Amnesty’ in Agent 160 Presents Agent 160 and The Ostrich, a 15-minute play for ��tv Radio Wales’ Dylan Thomas season in late 2014.

Her first full-length play, Not the Worst Place, was produced by Paines Plough, Theatr Clwyd and Sherman Cymru in April-May 2014, and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award in 2011. Her radio play Floor 13 aired on ��tv Radio 4’s Afternoon Drama slot in late May 2017. She lives in the Shetland Islands.

Ross Simon Eccleston

Ross Simon Eccleston is a Cardiff based screenwriter from North Wales. Ross studied theatre and film at Bangor University before being accepted onto the MA Screenwriting course at the Screen Academy Scotland where his short comedy film ‘A Trifling Matter’ was produced by the BFI Academy.

His drama script ‘The Hidden’ was shortlisted for the ��tv Drama Room and he is currently writing his first play. Ross draws inspiration from his own experiences and hopes to bring a unique perspective to themes of grief, community, home and family dynamics.

Katie Elin-Salt

Katie Elin-Salt is a writer from Bridgend, South Wales, living and working in Cardiff. After a decade as an actor working across mediums, Katie developed an interest in writing whilst working with Paines Plough and subsequently gained a successful mentorship as a new writer under the Royal Courts’ playwriting programme.

Her latest play CELEBRATED VIRGINS will premiere at Theatr Clwyd in May 2022. Katie’s one-woman show SPRINKLES was developed with Dirty Protest and ran for a Christmas 2021 production. As a playwright, she has been commissioned by Sherman Theatre, Chippy Lane, RWCMD, Iris Theatre, Out of Joint and Far Away Plays. Katie is a current member of Soho Theatre Writers’ lab. She was a Theatr Clwyd Writer in Residence 2020/21, and is a proud member of the Chippy Lane Welsh Female Writers’ group.

Katie was shortlisted for ��tv Wales Writer in Residence 2020 and ��tv Comedy/Drama Room 2021. She is now carving out her voice as a Welsh, queer, working-class, female TV writer in Wales. Katie is passionate about female-led

Zia Holloway

Zia Holloway is a 23-year-old emerging television screenwriter who specialises in writing drama, magical-realism and sci-fi to create rich, characterful worlds, and authentic stories. She is a Script Angel scholar and the winner of the World Productions Welsh Writers award and has original series in development with The Forge, The Ink Factory, Studio 21 and World Productions. She has gained experience across a range of mediums including television, animation, and theatre.

Samantha O'Rourke

Samantha O’Rourke is a northern writer/director based in North Wales. Recent screen projects include short film Jelly (Ffilm Cymru/��tv Wales/Mad as Birds), winner of the Chapter Queer Film Prize and original comedy drama Mincemeat for Channel 4’s On the Edge series. Sam was Writer on Attachment for Liverpool’s Everyman Playhouse and part of artist led project Future Forms at the Donmar Warehouse. Other theatre credits include Theatr Clwyd, Volcano Theatre, Boundless Theatre and Dirty Protest.

Sam is currently developing her debut feature supported by Ffilm Cymru and a comedy drama series for Channel 4 Drama. Her play Our Town Needs a Nandos will premiere summer 2022 at Liverpool’s Everyman Playhouse. She was also recently selected as a BFI Flare x BAFTA mentee.

Joe and Ruth Ollman

Ruth and Joe Ollman are siblings from Powys, before moving to Cardiff at a young age. Joseph is a multi-award winning Writer/Director, having gained early acclaim for his films, including Meat on Bones, which earned a BAFTA Cymru nomination and Bitter Sky, which was broadcast on ��tv Two Wales. Ruth studied acting at the Guildhall School for Music and Drama before moving into writing. Her previous work includes the play The Blue Hour, which she performed at the GSMD and later TV series The Panic, which was developed with Hillbilly Productions.

They’ve recently started writing in partnership, with their first script All Poor Creatures selected for the Celtic Screen Talent Showcase at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The script later gained interest from World Productions, before they were selected for the ��tv Voices programme. They’ve found they make a well balanced writing duo, with Joseph’s understanding of story structure and Ruth’s comprehension of the psychology of characters.

Richard Pask

Richard Pask was selected from nearly 4,000 writers for the ��tv WRITERSROOM COMEDY ROOM 2020/2021. As part of the scheme, he developed Griff Duff, a poignant but heart-warming comedy-drama based on his own real-life experiences.

Richard is a former BAFTA INTERNATIONAL NEW TALENT and BRITISH COUNCIL WALES INTERNATIONAL YOUNG ARTIST AWARD shortlistee. His short films have been screened on ��tv Wales and the iPlayer, S4C, Sky, and at numerous film festivals around the world.

He has worked extensively in film and television production – firstly as a child actor, but primarily as a script supervisor. Recently, he directed the second unit of the ��tv Wales sitcom The Tuckers.

Richard is originally from Caerphilly, but now lives in Cardiff. In his writing, he tries to find a bittersweet vein of humour in painful situations. He is also a passionate advocate of authentic working-class voices; particularly his own.

Martha Reed

Martha Reed is a young Welsh female writer for TV and theatre. She is currently developing original comedy drama for TV with Objective Fiction and Tall Story Pictures, and she recently worked in the writers room as a shadow writer for an upcoming ��tv drama. She was one of 12 writers on the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course 2021, selected from a record 3880 applicants.

Martha is one of five writers-in-residence at Theatre503. She recently wrote and directed season two BAFTA-nominated crime drama game DEAD MAN’S PHONE. Her debut play EXISTENTIAL FISH AND DREAD toured from The Cockpit (London) to Chapter Arts Centre (Cardiff) and the Exeter Phoenix in 2021-2022. Her second play, THE GHOST OF YOU, placed in the top 10% of a record 5167 submissions to ��tv Script Room 2021, and was longlisted for development at the Traverse. She was Chippy Lane Productions’ Writing Apprentice to BAFTA-winning writer Alan Harris, a position funded by Arts Council Wales. Her previous credits include short plays VERA JONES at The Old Red Lion and HOW LOAN CAN YOU GO? at The Pleasance, Islington. Martha’s work champions underrepresented voices, putting women centre stage and sharing working-class stories.

Owen Lloyd Richards

Owen Lloyd Richards is a screenwriter and playwright, born in Cardiff and now living in north Wales.

In 2021, Owen was selected for Channel 4’s 4Screenwriting scheme from over 3,880 applicants, where he developed a drama pilot titled ANTISOCIAL. His short film OVERS was broadcast on ��tv Two Wales in 2019, produced via It’s My Shout.

Owen most recently worked on the UK-wide immersive storytelling experience StoryTrails with ��tv, BFI and StoryFutures Academy. He’s currently working with Next Door But One theatre company to develop a theatre piece about foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Previously, Owen spent 10 years as a digital storyteller in the social care sector. This experience has inspired the stories he tells: social realism that finds light in the dark, and truth in the complex.

Carol Vine

Carol Vine is a screenwriter and playwright, based in Powys. Her screenplays have been shortlisted for the ��tv Talent Sitcom Writing Initiative and the ��tv Story2K2 Competition. Her recent screenplay, Immaculate, was one of the runners up in the Thousand Films Screenwriting Competition and her latest screenplay, Moose Moose Alpaca Unicorn, was selected as a quarter finalist in the international Screen and Story Film Festival, as well as reaching the top 2% in the ��tv Writersroom for drama comedy submissions. It was also shortlisted for the ��tv Wales World Productions Award.

As a playwright, Carol’s successes have included Rigor Mortis (performed at the Finborough Theatre as one of the runners up for the Papatango Prize) and The Spring Tide, produced at the Old Red Lion Theatre. Her play Borderland was selected for Write Now 3 at the Jack Studio Theatre and the ��tv Writersroom 10. Carol’s latest play, Sugar and Spice, earned its way to the longlist for the Welsh Writer in Residence.

Henry Waddon

Henry Waddon is a 22-year-old writer, actor and medical student from Cardiff. He is currently partaking in Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s Young Playwrights Programme, as well as Pentabus Theatre’s Young Writers National Programme. In 2021, Henry co-created and performed in an original piece of verbatim theatre, ‘HOME’, for the National Student Drama Festival, as part of the 2020-21 NDSF Writers’ Lab.

Henry’s writing has led him to be shortlisted for schemes such as ��tv Writersroom Drama Room and The Oxford Playhouse Playmaker Residency, in addition to being longlisted for the Royal Court’s Playwrights Group. His debut play, ‘PLAGUED’ was a recipient of the Best New Play award at the 2019 Oxford University New Writing Festival. As an actor, Henry has performed at venues such as the Arcola Theatre, The New Theatre, Cardiff and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in addition to featuring in TV commercials. Henry wants to create accessible TV that champions Welsh artists and the Welsh language, and that shines a light on issues surrounding our health and its fragility.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2022 - Scottish Voices

2022-07-07T11:14:47+00:00

Scottish Voices 2022

Today we're announcing the names of the 12 writers who were part of our Scottish Voices development group for 2022. In total 69 writers were part of our Voices groups this year and we're delighted to be announcing them all this week.

"��tv Writersroom Scotland are incredibly excited to announce the 12 Scottish Voices we’ve been working with over the past few months. It’s been a real pleasure getting to know this lovely bunch, and we have loved helping each one hone their craft and work towards an authored TV idea that showcases their unique voice. Watch this space, Scotland!"

Stephanie Fyfe (Assistant Commissioner for Scotland, ��tv Writersroom and ��tv Drama)

See details of all the Voices writers 2022

Find out more about the Voices programme

Tiarna Armstrong

Tiarna Armstrong is a 25-year old queer, black screenwriter from Northern Ireland. Having experimented with fiction as well as writing music articles for local websites and blogs, Armstrong studied French with Creative Writing at Bangor University, where she discovered her love of screenwriting. Having completed her undergraduate degree, Armstrong went onto study MA Screenwriting at the prestigious Screen Academy Scotland in Edinburgh and quickly signed with an agent soon after.

Armstrong is currently in the process of adapting one of her screenplays into a novel and is one of the participants for ��tv Writersroom - Scottish Voices for this year. With such a varied background, Tiarna is a proud and passionate activist in every aspect of her life, but especially in her screenwriting where she creates stories predominantly centred around marginalised people and underrepresented groups.

Alice Clark

Alice Clark writes drama for stage and screen. Most recently she worked in a writers' room for STV Drama and her first short film ‘My Name Is Beth’ was selected for Glasgow Short Film Festival 2023 (winner, Best Young Filmmaker). In 2022 she was commissioned to write ‘Made In China’ by Play Pie Pint, which enjoyed a sell-out run at The Traverse (**** Scotsman). Alice was selected for The Writers Lab UK&I 2021, with Screen Scotland and Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films supporting her place on the six-month script development scheme. She recently completed an MA in Screenwriting and graduated with distinction.

Originally from Bristol, Alice worked in story and drama facilitation in Newcastle and then China where she lived for twelve years before moving to Scotland with her family. She is currently developing new film, tv, and theatre projects and works as a script reader. Alice writes stories that focus on marginalised voices and social issues that resonate, provoke, and give hope.

Craig Stewart Ferguson

Craig Stewart Ferguson is a screenwriter & playwright from Glasgow who writes across drama & comedy. Often character-driven, darkly sardonic & emotionally thrilling stories, his work is centred around relatable misfits, grappling with the challenges of the modern world.

His first comedy pilot ‘Bawbag’ reached the top 2% of submissions to the ��tv Comedy Writersroom 2018, showcasing a “bold voice” and “raucously, rudely funny writer”. His follow up ‘The Right Honourable Member’, a political, trans-rights drama, made the top 15% in ��tv Drama Writersroom 2019 & top 20% of 2020’s Red Planet Prize respectively. Craig’s latest drama comedy spec ‘The Politician’s Keelie’ placed in the top 10% of ��tv Writersroom 2021. His futuristic, sci-fi animation sitcom treatment ‘Clan Robotica’ was longlisted for ��tv Ignite opportunity, also in 2021, and ‘Sleaze’, his latest drama spec, a ‘state of the nation’ piece, made the top 12% of ��tv Writersroom’s Open Call 2022.

Craig has written educational stage plays for young people with additional learning needs, alongside jokes & material for TV, Radio & Digital. His recent BDSM play proposal ‘Kinkhole’ was shortlisted for Tron Theatre & Playwright Studio Scotland’s ‘Writer Lab’ 2022.

One of the twelve ��tv Writersroom Scottish Voices 2022 cohort, Craig is currently developing a high-end drama treatment for a comedic, romantic crime-thriller, based in Glasgow, entitled: ‘Love Heist’.

Jack Gemmell

Jack Gemmell is a Glaswegian writer and producer, for both stage and screen.

His sophomore short film '12th Man' premiered at Glasgow Short Film Festival in 2021 and was screened in Berlin, Norwich, and across the UK. At present, he is producing 'Black Wool' through Sharp Shorts with director Eubha Akilade.

For the stage, he was chosen to be part of the Traverse Young Writers cohort in 2021 and has since been in artistic development with Traverse Theatre with his full-length play ‘Tobojo’ (Boris Johnson is Toast)'. This was staged as part of First Stages Festival in March 2022.

Georgina Love

Georgina Love is an Australian screenwriter based in Glasgow since 2020. In recognition of her writing, Love has been awarded a partial scholarship by Final Draft, was the first international recipient of the Screencraft Fellowship, awarded the John Hinde prize by the Australian Writers Guild and selected for the Blacklist “Aussie List”. She was also one of the recipients of the Smart For A Girl initiative run by Endemol Shine in conjunction with Screen Australia.

Georgina has worked as a Writer, Script Editor, Script Executive and Development Executive in scripted television and as a casting producer in unscripted TV. She writes offbeat character-driven genre, usually sci-fi, and is developing several projects for film and TV. Georgina is currently in development with her original TV series ‘Pig’ with Longboat Pictures and working on the second season of the animated children’s show ‘Space Nova’.

In 2020, Georgina signed with Christine Glover at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. In the short term, she is looking forward to continuing to work in writers rooms and develop her own shows. In the future, Love hopes to couple her writing chops with her development experience and work in a development role on a returning series.

Felix O'Brien

Felix O’Brien is a screenwriter and theatre practitioner based in Inverclyde, Scotland. He has an MA with Distinction in Writing for Television from Glasgow Caledonian, which he attained after securing a scholarship from ��tv Scotland.

He has attended invitational writers' groups at the Royal Court, Theatre503 and Soho Theatre. To date, his work has been presented at The Beacon, Southwark Playhouse, The Finborough, The Bunker, Theatre503, The Old Red Lion, The Cockpit, The Charing Cross Theatre, The Union, Latitude Festival and Paines Ploughs Roundabout at the Edinburgh Fringe, among others.

In 2017 and 2019 he was shortlisted for Channel 4’s 4Screenwriting attachment, making the top 40 from over 1,500 submissions. He also has extensive experience as a performer, director, reader, deviser and workshop facilitator.

David O. Gray

David O. Gray is an award winning screenwriter and director, born in Bonnybridge. He specialises in genre filmmaking with a specific interest in horror, comedy and thriller-y things with a working class spin. He began making sketch comedy five years ago as part of the comedy duo - Kris and Dave - and has accrued over 25 million views, working with online platforms such as ��tv The Social and ��tv Scotland’s Short Stuff. Many shorts were collated for broadcast on television, including a sketch made for 'Socially Distanced with Susan Calman'.

Subsequently, he developed two short form series for ��tv iPlayer. Firstly, he developed and co-directed three episodes of ‘Hings’, which was nominated for a RTS Scotland - Short Form Award.

The second short form series was 'Tales from the Pub’, a pitch-black horror comedy which went on to win GMAC’s Big Flick of the Year Award. He has been shortlisted in the top 1% of the ��tv Writersroom Drama Room and has been shortlisted for the 4Stories writers scheme.

David recently wrote and presented ‘Close Encounters of the Bonnybridge Kind’, a radio documentary about the history of UFOs in Bonnybridge. He currently has several projects in development with production companies.

Michael John O'Neill

Michael John O’Neill is a Northern Irish playwright, dramaturg and theatre producer based in Scotland. In 2019 Michael won the Bruntwood Prize’s Original New Voice Award for his play ‘Akedah’. In 2020 his short monologue ‘Sore Afraid’ was produced as a digital project by the National Theatre of Scotland, the Citizens Theatre, and ��tv Scotland. In 2021 his play ‘This is Paradise’ was produced by the Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won the Popcorn Writing Award.

Michael is currently on writing attachments with National Theatre of Scotland and Hampstead Theatre and is under commission with the Almeida Theatre as one of the Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays writers for 2021/22.

His work as a theatre producer includes Artistic Producer of the Tron Theatre (2014-2020), where he founded the Tron Theatre’s new work department, and commissioned and produced new writing including Isobel McArthur’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’* (*Sort of).

Rachel O'Regan

Rachel O’Regan is an award-winning playwright based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She began playwriting at Australian Theatre for Young Peoples National Studio, and was selected for their 2016 production ‘The Voices Project: All Good Things’. She soon moved to the UK and was accepted to Edinburgh Napier Universitys’ MFA Playwriting programme, where she graduated with Distinction. Rachels first full-length play ‘Hungerland’ won the Bread and Roses Playwriting Award in 2019.

Her most recent play, ‘Afterparty’, was produced by womens theatre company F-Bomb Theatre and sold out its entire run at Edinburgh Fringe 2021. F-Bomb will return this year’s Fringe with Rachel’s upcoming play “The Beatles Were A Boyband”, which explores the impacts of misogyny and violence on women. The project was one of 20 to receive support from Creative Scotland Crowdmatch.

Rachel is interested in writing stories about women, social inequality and urgent issues all with an accessible sprinkle of comedy and pop culture.

Megan Shandley

Megan Shandley is a writer and performer from Edinburgh and a graduate of LAMDA. She gained a certificate in screenwriting from NFTS Scotland last year and was selected as a participant on Short Circuit's 2022 Convergence programme. She is currently writing ‘Paddington Marmalade Messiness’ an immersive theatre show running at Dalkeith Palace this summer. Having spent five years gigging on the UK comedy circuit, Megan has brought several stand-up shows to major UK festivals, has performed several times on the ��tv, and was a 2017 Scottish Variety Award Nominee and a 2018 Funny Women Grand Finalist.

Megan is keen to bring both her classical drama and comedy experience into her work, and likes to deal with themes of identity, self acceptance and belonging. She is drawn to vulnerable yet resilient characters who are trying to make sense of the world around them.

Martin Smith

Martin Smith is a BAFTA winning filmmaker whose short ‘Tracks’ won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Short Film. He relishes drama rich in moral complexity, and is currently directing 2nd unit on Jack Thorne's latest drama ‘Best Interests’ with Chapter One Pictures and Endeavor Content for ��tv One. He is developing original feature ‘Tarantula’ with First Features and 104 Films, plus several original drama series.

‘Armchair Detectives’, the crime drama hybrid Martin directed for Tiger Aspect and ��tv One, won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Entertainment. Martin directed two episodes of ‘Holby City’ for ��tv One, which was Nominated for Best Continuing Drama at the 2022 BAFTA TV Awards.

Martin is a member of the Directors UK Disability Working Group, and 2021 saw him selected for ��tv Elevate. He is represented by Jennifer Thomas at United Agents.

JD Stewart

JD Stewart is a gay playwright, TV writer, screenwriter, performer, and digital content creator from the Scottish Borders. He holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University and an MSc in Playwriting from The University of Edinburgh.

His work includes: ‘Gay Boy’ (Frigid Festival, New York, 2018), ‘Compression’ (Theatre Uncut Finalist, 2019), ‘One Twenty-One’ (Verity Bargate Top 100, 2020), ‘The Birthday, Engagement, Funeral Party’ (Hope Mill Theatre Prize Shortlist, 2021), ‘Elastic’ (Platform Presents Play Prize Finalist, 2021), ‘Pinkface’ with Olivia Fischer (Vanishing Point: Everyone is Creative Award, 2021) and ‘Daniel Getting Married’ (dir. Kenny Miller, Play, Pie & a Pint 2022). In 2021 he was commissioned by the National Library of Scotland and 1623 Theatre.

Alongside Frazer Flintham, JD is co-host and co-creator of the UK LGBTQ+ History Podcast, The One Fifty Marchers, which charts the first LGBTQ march on November 27th, 1970.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2022 - Northern Voices

2022-07-06T10:46:19+00:00

Northern Voices 2022

All this week we're announcing the 69 talented emerging writers from across the UK who have taken part in our Voices development programme for 2022. Today it's the turn of the 14 Northern Voices.

"We’re delighted to announce the 14 writers we’ve been working with from across the North of England, over the past few months. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know this talented group of writers and helping them to develop TV Treatments that showcase their authentic and original voice. The Voices Programmes has enabled the writers to develop their craft and allowed them the time, support and creative space to work on ideas they’re burning to write about. It’s been so great to see their creative growth and we’re excited to see what they do next!"

Usman Mullan (Development Producer, ��tv Writersroom North)

See details of all the Voices writers 2022

Find out more about the Voices programme

Sian Armstrong

Sian Armstrong is a performer, theatre-maker, writer and creative practitioner. Sian created her one woman show STUPID (2017), which toured regionally to sell-out shows & received excellent reviews describing the show as, “[the] best piece of theatre seen this season.” In 2018 Sian was awarded Young Writers Talent Fund (New Writing North).

In 2019 Sian was part of 'Intro to Playwriting' at Live Theatre which led her to developing her newest show MAGIC BUS, which won Live Theatre's Artist Bursary 2019/20, and was shortlisted for Traverse Open Submissions 2020.

Sian was part of Scratch Me 2020-21 (BFI & Film Hub North), where she received mentorship from Baby Cow Productions & adapted STUPID into a short film. Sian recently performed in Zoe Murtagh's film 'After The Break' (��tv4: Female Filmmakers Too), has been commissioned as part of The Dukes’ 50th Anniversary 2022, and is co-writing a comedy about the women of 1700's Newcastle supported by Live Theatre & Arts Council England.

Amy Arnold

Amy Arnold is an emerging writer living in Macclesfield. She spent several years wandering all over the UK and beyond, working a variety of weird and wonderful jobs (including a brief stint milking cows), before settling by the Peak District to pursue her love of stories and scriptwriting.

Amy likes to explore power imbalances, family relationships, and the effect of grief and trauma on memory in her work. In 2021 she made the final shortlist from over 5000 entries for ��tv Writersroom Drama Script Room with her TV drama pilot VOID. Her most recent drama script, BONE AND FEATHERS, has just been shortlisted for ��tv Drama Room 2023.

Amy has spent the past two years working in the script team at Coronation Street, as well as reading scripts for Channel 4, and is very excited to be working on a brand-new drama as part of ��tv Northern Voices 2022.

Alex Clarke

Alex Clarke’s work explores everyday people overcoming extraordinary circumstances. She uses her 20 years’ experience as a support worker to create TV about the human capacity for healing and change. Her original TV drama REFUGE is in development with the ��tv and Dancing Ledge Productions. She is a writer in residence at DYSPLA working on her comedy VENUS IN 13. She adapted the memoir HOW TO BE AUTISTIC for TV with Adapted Pictures. She is also developing her original TV drama, LITTLE DEMONS, as part of The ITV/Dancing Ledge Productions New Talent Scheme – her mentor is Paula Milne (THE POLITICIAN'S WIFE / THE VIRGIN QUEEN). She is currently developing a new TV comedy as part of her BAFTA Writing Mentorship – her mentor is Lisa McGee (SKINT/DERRY GIRLS) and as part of The ��tv Northern Voice’s Scheme worked on her new dramady series THE CON MOTHER.

Alex won the ��tv’s Alfred Bradley Award with her drama WAKING BEAUTY and a New Writing North/Channel 4 TV Drama Writing Award with her drama BELOW which later went into development with Channel Four and Bonafide Films. She is represented by Mark Brennan at United Agents.

Billie Collins

Billie Collins is a writer from the Wirral, based in Manchester. Her debut play ‘Too Much World at Once’ is being developed by Box of Tricks Theatre for production in a future season, following rehearsed readings at the Stephen Joseph Theatre and HOME Manchester. She is also working on a new stage project with ThickSkin Theatre, as well as ‘Rathbone’s Antiques’ – an original children’s animated series in development with Toastie Animation (with development funding from the BFI's Young Audience's Content Fund.) Billie is an Associate Artist at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre, has previously written audio drama for ��tv Sounds, been shortlisted for the 2021 Papatango Prize and selected for Film Hub North’s 2020 Script Lab. She loves playing with genre, as well as stories about nature, folklore, queerness and growing up. Billie is represented by Maeve Bolger at the Agency.

Daneka Etchells

Daneka Etchells is a disabled writer and performer from Carlisle. They were writer-on-attachment with Box of Tricks’ PlayBox 2021/22 scheme, developing their play Rogue Comet(s) with a rehearsed reading at HOME. They’re currently developing Sappho with Emmerson and Ward for UK tour Spring 2023 and have written for theatres such as Paines Plough, Theatre by the Lake and DaDa Fest.

After partaking in ��tv North East Voices in Summer 2021, Daneka is receiving further support in developing their spec REEL. She’s completed development schemes with Sky Studios, New Writing North, Royal Exchange and Live Theatre.

Daneka writes about sore-thumb otherness - through disability, queerness, gender, class, rurality and technology - centring underrepresented protagonists in big cosmic stories in forgotten spaces, set on the precipice of (un)reality.

Later this year, they are commencing a MA in Disability Studies - investigating the portrayal of disability in TV and film.

Jasmin Mandi-Ghomi

Jasmin Mandi-Ghomi is a British-Iranian writer born and raised in Yorkshire. Her work has been staged at the Southwark Playhouse, the Arcola Theatre, and the North Wall, with her debut full-length show MADDY premiering at the VAULT Festival in 2020. Between 2019/20, Jasmin was on attachment with Tamasha Theatre Company as one of their developing playwrights which culminated in a virtual showcase of her play Your Vote Will Not Count. Her most recent play was The Magic of Wild Heather which was written for the National Theatre’s Public Acts and performed at Cast Theatre in August 2021. Over summer 2021, Jasmin was part of the Sky Writes programme managed by New Writing North. She is currently one of the artists that make up The Bank Cohort at Sheffield Theatres.

Olive Nwosu

Olive Nwosu was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and is a BAFTA-Pigott Scholar, Alex Sichel Fellow at Columbia University School of the Arts, and an ‘African Promises’ director selected by the Institut Français.

Olive has written and directed two award-winning short films, Troublemaker, now streaming on the Criterion Channel, and BIFA-nominated Egúngún (Masquerade), which screened at TIFF 2021 and Sundance 2022.

Olive is a 2022 Sundance Screenwriting Fellow and is currently developing her first feature film with Film4.

Her work is informed by the intersectional nature of her life across multiple continents and identities. Her mission is to tell urgent, cinematic, African-centred stories.

Liv Parkinson

Liv Parkinson is a writer from Merseyside. As a teenager, Liv won a National Theatre playwriting prize and was a runner up in a short story competition sponsored by Penguin. She then went on to specialise in Screenwriting at Westminster Film School. Whilst there, Liv wrote prolifically, writing and producing short films which featured at festivals such as Underwire and Encounters, won Best Drama at the Learning on Screen Awards, and won a Royal Television Society Award. Liv has just graduated from the National Film and Television School’s Screenwriting Course, where she developed several TV pilots as well as a radio play, two theatre pieces and several short films. Liv’s ultimate ambition is to pursue a career in TV Drama. Liv is represented by Amy Sparks at United Agents.

Rory Platt

Rory Platt is a writer who grew up just outside (and now lives in) Manchester. He writes offbeat, darkly comic, genre-bending tales about weirdos, loners, and misfits. Undead detectives. Survivalists living on roundabouts. Homicidal aristocrats. Mancunian vampires.

His work for theatre has been performed at the Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503, the Hope Mill Theatre, the Pleasance, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His play Without That Certain Thing, a "smart, fast-talking comedy thriller" with "a razor sharp and witty script" (The Upcoming, Reviews Hub), premiered at the VAULT Festival in 2019. He has an MFA in script writing from the Central School of Speech and Drama (supported by a Sky Arts disabled student bursary) and was a member of the Soho Theatre Writers' Lab.

He is the author of several books for children, including a volume of poetry, published by The School of Life. In addition to writing for TV and theatre, he is currently working on a collection of short stories.

Sufiyaan Salam

Sufiyaan Salam is a writer and ex-animator living in Manchester, UK. He wrote his first film at the age of 7 – it was shot entirely on a 2-megapixel cameraphone, years before Sean Baker shot Tangerine on an iPhone! Unfortunately, this early masterpiece has since been lost.

In 2019, after winning an award for a short film he wrote during his English Literature BA, Sufiyaan enrolled on to do an MA in Screenwriting at the University of Manchester. He then wrote his first play, White Girl, which was performed at the Bunker Theatre in 2020… the weekend before lockdown began.

In 2020, Sufiyaan started working in TV, as a junior storyliner at Hollyoaks. He now works as a Script Editor for JoJo & Gran Gran.

He currently has several projects in development, including a short film with Madre Films and an animated children’s series with the ��tv.

Sangeeta Shakos

London-born Sangeeta Shakos is a half Indian, half French teacher who has lived in Greater Manchester for 30 years. She works part time in a specialist unit for vulnerable young people, where having a somewhat unconventional view of the world is an asset. She often draws inspiration from seemingly mundane people or situations and has a passion for writing character-based, uncompromising drama.

In 2017, Sangeeta’s drama ‘Absconder’ reached the final of the Channel 4 course 4Screenwriting. In 2018 she wrote theatre piece ‘Real Voices’ to raise awareness of issues such as criminal and sexual exploitation, which young people are facing today. The piece has now been seen by more than 25,000 people. In 2020, ‘Real Voices’ was commissioned and made into a short film (Isaac Who UK). In 2021, Sangeeta’s comedy drama ‘Changes’ was long listed for the Netflix Screenwriters’ Fellowship. She is currently working on a new drama as part of Northern Voices.

Matthew Smith

Matthew Smith, originally from Wakefield, is now based in Manchester and writes plays that are performed in a mixture of diverse venues; from damp pub attics to acclaimed theatres. As an alumnus of the Liverpool Everyman Young Writers programme, Matthew works with professional theatre groups, independent artists and people completely new to live performance.

Recently Matthew has written scripts for the Oldham Coliseum's online programming, secondary school students in Tameside, and an illustrated bedtime story for the Sandbach Transport Festival.

Chris Sutherland

Chris Sutherland is originally from Huddersfield but is now based in Sheffield and works full-time in Mental Health services. When not working he spends most of his time writing and learning about the craft of screenwriting.

He sees himself as an emerging writer and has been shortlisted for a Northern Writers Award, Writing for TV with Channel 4 and Bonafide Film 2021. He has been shortlisted for 'Writerslam' UK TV and Triforce Creative Network, writing for TV Award 2021. He was selected for Sky TV and New Writing North, 'Sky Writes' writing for TV talent development programme 2021. He was previously selected for Freedom Studios 'Street Voices 5' playwriting programme in 2015.

Kerry Wright

Kerry Wright is a writer and theatre-maker based in Keighley. Originally from Kent, she studied MA Writing for Performance at the University of Leeds before settling in Bradford a few years ago.

Kerry is currently developing KAILEY, a comedy drama play that is based on her teenage experiences of having parents in prison. She has previously secured funding from Leeds Council, Bradford Producing Hub and Arts Council England. Furthermore, Kerry was the recipient of the Live Theatre bursary which led to a rehearsed reading of KAILEY at Live Theatre’s Elevator Festival ’22.

Her short radio play SUCH IS LIFE was developed as part of the Dream Reality Radio Scheme and was performed at Leeds Playhouse's Furnace Festival 2021. In 2020, Kerry was awarded an Arts Council DYCP grant to explore working-class female voices within her writing. She was a writer on Freedom Studios' Street Voices 8 where her short play POUND TWENTY was part of a live streamed sharing.

Outside of writing and the arts, Kerry is a lover of grime, rap, politics and hot sauce on everything.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2022 - London Voices

2022-07-05T09:30:49+00:00

London Voices 2022

All this week we're announcing the 69 talented emerging writers from across the UK who have taken part in our Voices development programme for 2022. Today it's the turn of the 13 London Voices.

"We’re so pleased to introduce these super talented, passionate writers from London, who we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the last few months. They all delivered brilliant treatments with a diversity of fresh ideas and subject matter across the board. We’re excited to see all the great things they’ll do next!"

Zahra Al-Sultani (Development Producer, ��tv Writersroom London)

Meet them and find out more about them below.

See details of all the Voices writers 2022

Find out more about the Voices programme

Florence Bell

Florence Bell

Alongside acting (‘Wolf Hall’, ‘The End of the F***king World’) Florence Bell writes offbeat comedy drama exploring sexuality, consciousness, addiction, family, late-capitalism and magic.

In 2015 she co-founded Brave New Word, a new writing showcase through which she produced and directed 70+ pieces of original theatre and built a community of creatives over its four year life.

She is now writing for TV; her screenplay ‘Super Spiritual’, a darkly comic recovery drama about being saved by a two-thousand-year-old genie landed her on the C4 mentorship scheme in 2021 and London Voices 2022.

She looks forward to creating more work as an antidote to bewilderment in a chaotic and absurd age.

Florence is represented by Steven Russell at Collective Talent.

Safaa Benson-Effiom

Safaa Benson-Effiom is a playwright and screenwriter from London.

An alumna of the Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab, her play ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ was shortlisted for the 2019 Tony Craze Award and was one of the finalists for the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. The play premiered at Theatre503 in May 2022 and earned Safaa an Offies nomination for Most Promising Playwright.

Her Play ‘For The Culture’ was longlisted for both the 2021 Women’s Prize for Playwriting and the Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award.

Safaa’s aim with her writing is to gain an understanding of the varied complexities of life from all perspective, no matter how unpopular or unconventional.

Jason Bradbury

Jason Bradbury is a London-based writer/director. In 2019 he wrote and directed the short film ‘My Sweet Prince’, commissioned by the ��tv and BFI which premiered at BFI Flare and was shortlisted for Best of British short at the Iris Prize Festival. His work often explores the themes of home, memory and the search for belonging for LGBTIQ+ people.

As a director, his films include ‘Isaac and the Ram’ (2020, The Uncertain Kingdom), web series pilot ‘Dirty Laundry’ (2015, Winner of Best UK Pilot at Pilot Light TV Festival) and ‘We Once Were Tide’ (2011, BFI Flare) which has been viewed by over 17.5 million people on YouTube.

In 2020, he was one of six emerging filmmakers to be selected for the BAFTA x BFI Flare Mentoring Programme and has attended the Berlinale Talent Campus and Zurich Film Festival Academy. He recently finished the first draft of his debut feature and is developing a scripted drama series.

Eva Edo

Eva Edo is a screen and stage writer who tells stories which celebrate women and young people. Her work's coloured by her child protection lawyer and mother experience.

For TV, Eva’s developing a project with Renegade Productions and working on ‘Denial’ an original TV drama. For Film, Eva’s commissioned by Artemisia productions. Her short film ‘Maternal’ reached the finals of the 2022 Pitch Fund and picked up The Lucy Scher Prize.

For stage, Eva’s writing ‘Cake and Condoms’ for Open Clasp theatre which is co-created with women who support sex workers. In 2020 Eva wrote and performed ‘Tiger Mum’ at VAULT Festival. Also, she won the Royal Society of Literature Matters Award to develop ‘A Mother’s Courage’ where mothers explore youth violent crime. Eva’s debut play ‘Looked After Children’ was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award.

Outside of writing, Eva's a facilitator at the National Youth Theatre. She’s also an alumna of Writers’ Lab at Soho theatre and the Criterion theatre. Eva is represented by Emily Hickman at The Agency.

Onyinye Egenti

Onyinye Egenti is a writer/director from a scripted background and writes for TV and Film. She is about to direct her first crime drama series for South African streaming service, Showmax.

For TV, Onyinye is currently working on an original drama series ‘Talent Nerve’ with support and mentoring from SISTER Pictures. She has two more projects in development, a period/contemporary drama series ‘Lost Queens’, and climate-change inspired series ‘I Will Take the Northern Lights’.

For Film, her first feature screenplay ‘A Season in Talgarreg’ was selected for MUBI & Wscripted's 2nd Cannes Screenplay List Selection 2022 and featured at the Cannes Film Market’s Producers Network on 17/18 May 2022. It was previously selected for Film London’s Microwave 2017 where she became a semi-finalist, and EIFF’s Talent Lab Connecta in 2019.

Her past work has been selected for London Calling Plus 2016 and the TCN Writerslam 2016 where she became a finalist and won a ��tv Writers Award, later joining the ��tv’s CDS workshop in 2017. She is also a 2013 Berlinale Talent Alumna.

Onyinye would love to write comedy on demand, but this usually only happens by accident. Currently she is a shadow writer and mentee on Netflix's mythological series in development ‘KAOS’ with SISTER Pictures and Charlie Covell (‘The End of the F***ing World’).

Tim Fraser

Tim Fraser’s five-star, sellout debut play ‘Candy’ was performed at the King's Head Theatre in 2020 (right before you-know-what), and is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe this August, with a short film adaptation also in development. With animator Sarah Soe, Tim is co-writing ‘Juniper Mae’, a series of illustrated children's books for Flying Eye Books, with the first set to be released next year.

He was shortlisted for the ��tv Writersroom Drama Room in 2020 and got into the top 100 of entries for the Verity Bargate Award with his play ‘As It Comes’, assisted in the writers room for History Channel's ‘Knightfall’ in 2018, and graduated from the NFTS in 2017 with an MA in Screenwriting.

Topics that interest Tim include love, loss and identity. Having grown up a young carer, he often writes about disability and care, and draws from his experiences at a Catholic state school to explore subjects such as guilt, masculinity and authority. Along with his passion for comedy, drama and sci-fi, he would love to write TV for older children and teens. He also likes cats.

Lucy Goodman

Lucy Goodman is an emerging writer based in London. As a Cystic Fibrosis sufferer she seeks to tell stories based around illness and disability, both visible and non-visible. She wants to change the narrative of how disabled characters are commonly portrayed; subverting the overly sanitised approach, and showing that people with illnesses and disabilities are human beings with flaws, who don't always operate with moral purity.

Lucy made the shortlist for ��tv Writersroom Drama Room 2021. In 2022 she was selected for Channel 4's Screenwriting scheme, where she is currently developing her next script.

Recently, she completed the Curtis Brown Creative course with tutor, Colin Teevan. By the end of the year Lucy plans to have directed her first play ‘The Little Yellow Pill’.

Stephen Hoo

Stephen Hoo is a British-Chinese writer and actor who grew up in Croydon. He studied Theatre at The Brit School before studying Modern & Classical Chinese at SOAS.

He then went on to complete an MA in Theatre Lab at RADA. His staged works include: ‘Jamaica Boy’ (Theatre Royal Stratford East), ‘Naked Eyes’ (Tristan Bates Theatre), and ‘YOLO’ (Arts Theatre).

He was a member of the Critical Mass programme at the Royal Court Theatre, and of New Earth Theatre Voices.

Stephen's writing explores themes of displacement, race and sexuality and the diasporic experience.

Lao Lee

Lao Lee is a British-Chinese playwright and composer. She is currently under commission with New Earth Theatre as part of their Professional Writers Programme.

She wrote her first play ‘Roots’ whilst on Soho Theatre Writers' Lab 2018/19, which was long listed for the Tony Craze Award and the Women’s Prize for Playwriting.

She was also part of Selladoor’s New Writers Programme and writing groups at the Royal Exchange. Her first musical ‘Spaces’ ran at Camden People’s Theatre in 2017.

Roberta Livingston

Roberta Livingston is an actor and writer of Caribbean heritage from London. Her writing credits include ‘Bite Your Tongue’ (2017) for Talawa Theatre Company, ‘La Merde’ (2018) for The MonoBox and ‘��tvtime’ (2020) for Tamasha Theatre Company's writers’ group. She also wrote her radio play ‘Precious Little Thing’ (2021) for Talawa, feralinc & Radio 4 which led to a ��tv Audio Award nomination.

Roberta was selected by Sky Arts & Creative England for shortFLIX, their scheme for emerging filmmakers. Roberta is also co-founder of Speaks of Rivers, a theatre collective of black women dedicated to making work for young audiences, she co-wrote their play ‘The Fourteenth Stop’ (2021) which debuted at Upstart Festival hosted by Shoreditch Town Hall and went on to be performed at Camden People's Theatre Sprint Festival and the Arcola's Outside Theatre in Autumn 2021.

Recently Roberta just concluded her time with the Almeida's Anthem writers group and currently has a TV series in development.

She enjoys writing about Black British womanhood through genres she adores from comedy to supernatural to thriller.

Shaan Sahota

Shaan Sahota is a doctor and writer living in London. She worked in domestic violence advocacy with Southall Black Sisters before re-training as a medic.

Her first play, ‘The Estate’, deals with a Sikh family in crisis over a disputed inheritance. It was shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize in playwriting and earned her a place on Tamasha’s Writers’ Collective. The play is in development with ��tv Drama Studios.

At the height of the pandemic Shaan was commissioned by The Oxford Playhouse and Tamasha to write ‘Under the Mask’ when her reflections on working in Covid ICU were published by the Guardian. ‘Under the Mask’ is an audio drama in 3D sound, and had a national tour of the UK in summer 2021.

In 2022 Shaan was seed commissioned by Theatre 45 North to write a new play and is taking part in a Royal Court writers’ group. She is due to start a writing attachment with the National Theatre in April.

Kevin Shen

Kevin Shen is an Asian-American and British East Asian actor and writer based in London. His feature screenplay ‘Angel Island’ was selected to the 2021 CAPE List (ten screenplays curated by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and The Black List), as well as to Dreamago’s Plume & Pellicule workshop in Sierre, Switzerland.

He is a recent alumnus of the Royal Court Theatre Introduction to Playwriting Group, Soho Theatre Writer’s Lab, New Earth Theatre Professional Writers Programme, School of High Tide, BEATS Screenwriting Fellowship, and Well-Tempered Productions’ Fresh Ink feature development programme, among others.

His short plays have been produced by Theatre503 and New Earth Theatre. Kevin co-produced and starred in the UK Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Pulitzer Prize finalist play ‘Yellow Face’ at the National Theatre and works as an actor across stage and screen in the UK and US.

Ava Wong Davies

Ava Wong Davies is a writer from London. Her theatre credits include ‘i will still be whole when you rip me in half’ (Bunker Theatre), ‘Half Blue’ (Audible/LAMDA), ‘small hours’ (IF Festival/Oxford Playhouse), and ‘Rime of the Second Sister’ (45North).

She is an alumna of the Soho Theatre Writers Lab 18/19, the Bush Theatre Emerging Writers Group 19/20, and the Royal Court Writers Group 20/21. In 2020, her play ‘scum’ was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate and Tony Craze awards, and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting.

Her first TV project is currently in development with DNA Films and ��tv Drama. Her play, ‘Graceland’, will premiere at the Royal Court in February 2023.

��tv Writersroom's Voices 2022 - Belfast Voices

2022-07-04T08:24:25+00:00

Belfast Voices 2022

It’s an immense pleasure to introduce you to our incredible Voices 2022 cohort. This year we have worked with 69 talented emerging writers from across the UK as they hone their craft skills and industry knowledge and apply their learning and creativity to the creation of treatment documents for new and original series ideas.

Between March and June this year the writers have participated in a range of craft workshops, expert masterclasses and panels with writers including Alice Seabright, Tony Schumacher, Daragh Carville and Lisa Holdsworth, plus industry talks from agents, producers and key industry organisations such as BAFTA Albert and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. The Voices have also been working collaboratively in their local groups to define and develop their original ideas with the guidance and editorial support of the ��tv Writersroom team.

We’ve had a blast working with and getting to know these talented early career writers and we’re delighted to introduce them all to you. We'll be announcing one group a day this week (Belfast, London, Northern, Scottish, Welsh).

We are still in the process of deciding which writers will take part in the Voices development groups for 2023 following our Open Call script submission window which closed in January this year.

Jess Loveland, Head of New Writing, ��tv Writersroom and ��tv Drama

It has been an absolute blast working with this incredibly talented group of writers and it has been so exciting to see their ideas develop and evolve over the course of the programme. They’ve been an incredibly creative, enthusiastic, inspiring and supportive group and we can’t wait to see what our brilliant Belfast Voices do next!

Heather Larmour, Assistant Commissioner for Northern Ireland, ��tv Writersroom & ��tv Drama

Tom Berkeley and Ross White

Tom Berkeley and Ross White began working as a writing partnership in 2019. Their debut short film ‘Roy’, which the pair co-wrote and directed, played in competition at 14 Oscar-qualifying film festivals, before going on to be one of ten films longlisted for Best British Short at the 75th BAFTA Awards.

Their second short, the rural black comedy ‘An Irish Goodbye’, was filmed in Northern Ireland in Spring 2021 before going on to premiere at the Oscar®, BAFTA and IFTA qualifying Leeds International Film Festival. Currently on festival release, ‘An Irish Goodbye’ has recently won the European Audience Award at the Academy Award® qualifying Leuven International Film Festival in Belgium, the inaugural Norman Houston Award at the Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington D.C., and the Festival Award at Chicago Irish Film Festival.

The duo are currently in pre-production on a third short film whilst also developing a number of television and feature film projects.

Ash Corristine

Ash Corristine

With screenwriting training from UCLA, Ash Corristine’s work has been selected and showcased at the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum twice. Her TV and feature scripts have won a number of awards including Table Ready, My Screenplay and Shore Scripts. In 2020, her play ‘David Duchovny’s Sperm’ was chosen for the New Irish Playbook and she made the interview stage of ��tv Dramaroom. In 2021 her short script ‘Shadow’ won funding from Screen Ireland and her play ‘Savages’ was selected by Prime productions for Verge Season 2. She has a feature film in production with Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Next Wednesday Films. She lives in Spanish Point with her partner and son.

Gina Donnelly and Seón Simpson

Gina Donnelly and Seón Simpson

SkelpieLimmer (Misbehaving Child) is a writing partnership featuring Seón Simpson and Gina Donnelly dedicated to making uncensored theatre that provokes change and starts conversations. They believe that “serious theatre doesn’t have to feel serious” and that is why they are committed to discussing taboo subjects in a fun and entertaining way. They premiered their partnership at Dublin Fringe Festival 2019 with the award winning ‘Two Fingers Up’. They have gone on to become resident Hatch & Scratch Artists at The MAC, Belfast for 2020/21 and are currently developing new piece ‘Crushed’ under the Abbey Theatre & Dublin Fringe Festival Creative Thinking Award, to premiere early 2023. Their hit show ‘Two Fingers Up’ is featured in Summerhall at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022 as part of the Culture Ireland showcase.

Oliver Doone

Oliver Doone is a playwright from the North Coast of Ireland, who now lives in Belfast. After deciding writing was a pipe-dream, he abandoned his ambitions to go and study something he didn’t want to study, travel somewhere he didn’t want to travel, and work as something he didn’t want to work as. But no matter what he did, the spectre of writing always haunted him, and he eventually capitulated to his dream and started writing again.

His first play ‘The Free State of ‘Rathlin’ was shortlisted by Druid Theatre Company, his second play ‘A Matter Of Course’, is being performed by Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass at Latitude Fest in July. Oliver recently entered the realm of television writing, and subsequently reached the interview stage for ��tv Dramaroom 2018 & 2020. He has several writing credits for ��tv NI comedy ‘Soft Border Patrol’. In 2020, Oliver set up Feckless Theatre Company, and will be staging excerpts from his newest play ‘Murder Hole Beach’ in Belfast in August. His short film ‘Fable of a Ditherer’ will hit the Irish film circuit later this year.

Tom Floyd

Tom Floyd grew up on the north coast of Northern Ireland, a landscape and community to which he is constantly drawn back in his writing. He is a graduate of the Screenwriting MA at the London Film School. His background is in writing films, with numerous short credits over the years, and his most recent feature script in development with TW Films - ‘Heather’ - a drama about a woman nursing her dying mother while managing her own condition of lycanthropy. At the start of 2020, Tom completed the NI Screen-funded short ‘Caroline’ with Village Films, which he directed from his own script. His work exists at the intersection between a naturalism of the everyday and the excitement of genre conventions. Not all his projects are single word titles of a woman’s name however. Increasingly interested in the scope offered by TV miniseries as a broader form for storytelling, Tom is developing, amongst other ideas, a four-part thriller about the mental health pressures faced by a man who works for the police, on the task force for a serial acid attacker investigation in contemporary Belfast. Its working title is ‘Policeman’.

Dan Gordon

Dan Gordon is a writer, actor, and director. He has presented and co-authored many tv and radio documentaries, has a number of produced stage plays to his credit and is a weekly columnist for the Sunday Life Newspaper since 2009. He has written a series of published plays for children on Shipbuilding, Linen, Blitz, Education, Agriculture and Titanic. His work has been performed across the UK and Ireland in Belfast, Dublin, London, Edinburgh, Mold and New York. He won the ��tv NI inaugural Radio Drama playwriting competition and has had a short story broadcast on Radio 4. He regularly writes for the public and corporate sectors recently completing work for Belfast Harbour Commission (175 Anniversary), Belfast City Council (Commemoration), Bushmills Whiskey (Tasting Notes), Titanic Visitor Attraction (Chartered Association of Business Schools) and W5 Science & Discovery Centre Belfast (Belfast Blitz). He has written and performed radio comedy for ��tv Radio Ulster and is a regular contributor to news and current affairs programmes.

Aidan Largey

Aidan Largey is the Writer/Director of numerous award winning short films, with commissioned work for ��tv, ��tv3 and RTE. He created the crime series ‘Farr’ which debuted at Number 1 on the RTE Player. It was also critically successful, winning Best Drama from ITVFest and Best Original Pilot and Best Director at Series Fest and is now in development as a long form series.

Aidan then directed new episodes of ‘The Break’ series ‘Last Night In Belfast’ and ‘Binbagged’ (Nominee for Best Short at Celtic Media Festival) for ��tv3 as well as ‘Eat The Rich’ for RTE Storyland. He was selected for the prestigious David Puttnam Scholarship and recently completed post-production on ‘Human Error, an ambitious BFI sci-fi short and directed 20 episodes of the first series of Channel 5’s new kids’ drama ‘Mimi’s World’.

He is currently in development with Causeway Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen on debut feature thriller ‘Monsters(s)’ with Heather Basten casting (Dashcam/Blumhouse Production, Jungle/Amazon Studios, Dreaming Whilst Black/��tv3). ‘Monsters(s)’ was an international screenplay finalist including Austin Film Festival, PAGE International, Screencraft Fellowship and Austin Film Festival. Aidan is currently directing episodes of a YA Sci Fi Drama series for Zodiak.

Nicky Larkin

Nicky Larkin is an incurable introvert who feels a bit too comfortable writing about himself in the third person. He's a writer/director and documentary filmmaker from Offaly, living in Belfast.

Excused from the obligations of human interaction during the first lockdown, he wrote the comedy short ‘Gone Viral’ about a middle-aged man’s bleak quest for social media stardom during the Covid pandemic. Funded by Northern Ireland Screen and produced by Green Dragon Media, ‘Gone Viral’ was filmed during a brief window between lockdowns, and went on to win 'Best UK Short' at the North London Comedy Festival, and 'Best Comedy' at the Oxford International Short Film Festival.

His feature-length screenplay 'The Screamers' is currently in development as part of the Northern Ireland Screen New Writer Focus, the first draft of which he also wrote during the lockdown - an incredibly productive time that as an incurable introvert he sometimes pines for, but is afraid to admit that publicly.

Nell Mercier

Nell Mercier is a comedy writer and improviser from Connemara. She is a resident performer at the alternative comedy company ‘Mob Theatre Dublin’, where she performs with her house team ‘Sneak Preview’. She also writes and performs with her improv group ‘Pseudo Queens’. Nell’s first script was shortlisted for the ��tv Comedy Writer’s room in 2020, starting her screenwriting career. She has a playful approach to any theme she writes about but gets a great kick out of writing about wild Irish women and teenage girls.

Katie Bridget Murphy

Katie Bridget Murphy is a writer, filmmaker & actor from Belfast. She is also a law & politics graduate with a background in radio production, having produced several shows for local radio station, Blast106.4fm, including music & politics/current affairs.

After completing her law degree, Katie studied acting & filmmaking in London at the ‘International School of Screen Acting’ in East London at the Three Mills Studios and at the ‘Margie Haber’s Studio’ in LA where she received a scholarship to study. In 2018-2019, she was offered a place on Northern Ireland Screen’s ‘New Shorts Focus’ writing scheme and subsequently wrote & directed her first funded short film ‘Miss & Missus’ produced by Farset Films, Northern Ireland Screen & BFI Network.

She has most recently finished writing & directing her NI Screen funded film ‘Fourth’ and her Arts Council funded film ‘Silver’. Her poetry has recently been included in CAP’s newest ‘Poetry in Motion’ anthology ‘Threshold’ 2021-2022.

Mark Kavanagh

Mark Kavanagh is a graduate from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) and has worked as an actor in the UK and Ireland. Mark has always written extensively and for the theatre wrote/directed ‘Mad North Northwest’, ‘Cold Snap’, ‘Wake’, ‘A Noose for Hanratty’, and ‘Ratchet’. Mark moved back to Northern Ireland in 2019 and his new play ‘The wife and me…and my sex doll Ruby’, premiered in Belfast in 2022. Mark has recently been commissioned by the ��tv and worked on ‘The Break’ and ‘Soft Border Patrol’.

Eimear Morgan

Eimear Morgan is a screen writer from Newry. She came to the attention of the ��tv by applying to multiple writing opportunities through their ��tv Writersroom page. To date she has been short listed for the ��tv The Biggest Weekend comedy monologues May 2018, short listed for Sideline Production’s comedy showhouse radio play Oct 2019, long listed for ��tv Zodiak Kid’s Writers Award Scheme Dec 2019, long listed for ��tv iPlayer comedy shorts March 2020 and long listed for 33Films Short Film call April 2021.

Eimear wrote her first feature, ‘Faces In the Grain’ during the 2020 lockdown. With a love for dark comedy, she finds writing an excellent form of therapy for grief. After ten years working in retail, she is more than ready to try and carve out a career as a writer.

Karen Quinn

Karen Quinn is an award winning writer and educator based in Donegal. She was longlisted for the Mammoth Screen TV Writer’s Award 2021, and twice shortlisted for the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting award run by the International Emmy Committee, in both 2014 and 2015. She was also the winner and recipient of the Northern Ireland Comedy Writers programme in 2016, organised by Grand Scheme Media, and a shortlisted writer and director for Jameson First Shot 2016. She has toured her writing both nationally and internationally. She is also a published children’s writer, with her work broadcast on television and published in short story collections. At the moment, her main focus of creative work is on young women’s mental health.

Claire Whyte and Matt Whitby

Matt Whitby and Claire Whyte’s first screenplay ‘Living with Abaddon’ was shortlisted for interview by the ��tv Writersroom Open Call 2021. They subsequently joined the ��tv Writersroom Belfast Voices programme 2022, where they developed ‘Charitable Causes’, as well as an anthology series ‘Dog Walkers’ – both with a dark comedy slant.

In 1997 Matt and Claire moved from the UK Midlands to Ireland and retain a shared connection to their roots and the sharp tongues they grew up around. After thirty years of friendship, they formally began writing collaboratively as Whitby and Whyte.

Determined and hardworking, Whitby and Whyte write surreal stories with darkly comic undertones and authentic, multi-layered characters. These two have an appetite for telling original and funny stories - that bite!

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