We are so proud of the 2023 ±«Óãtv Comedy Collective cohort and what they have achieved with us this year. We look forward to building on the success of our first year of the Comedy Collective, this year with the addition of editors, who play such an integral role in comedy. ±«Óãtv Comedy are committed to creating pathways into these creative roles and creating opportunities for the next generation of off-screen talent.
The ±«Óãtv Comedy Collective is a supercharged bursary scheme offering 10 places to up-and-coming writers, producers, directors and editors who’d like to develop their careers in scripted comedy.
The scheme is open to anyone who has had at least one previous credit in writing, producing, directing or editing in any genre, across any platform - such as radio, theatre, podcasts, stand up or commercials. Our aim is to develop the best up-and-coming talent into the comedy space, so applicants will also need to demonstrate a clear commitment to comedy.
Each bursary winner will receive up to £10k worth of paid shadowing on a ±«Óãtv Comedy production, along with an allocated production mentor, plus a £5k development grant to put towards new material or to further support the individuals development. They will also have a dedicated point of contact within the ±«Óãtv Comedy Commissioning team to help guide them through their year, as well as access to the Comedy Collective representatives.
In addition, the bursary winners will have their expenses covered to attend up to three ±«Óãtv Comedy events over their year on the scheme. Events last year included the ±«Óãtv Comedy Festival in Cardiff, a round table with Jesse Armstrong in London and the Belfast Media Festival.
Within the 10 places at least one will be guaranteed for an individual based in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland and two from Wales, the additional place supporting Cardiff, our 2023 ±«Óãtv Comedy Festival city. We actively encourage individuals from diverse and under-represented groups to apply and welcome applications from deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent talent to increase disabled off-screen representation in comedy.
The Comedy Collective Bursary combines the leadership and expertise of representatives from our previous bursary schemes – Felix Dexter, Caroline Aherne and Galton and Simpson - alongside Ash Atalla and Christine Gernon. This year they will also be joined by new addition Gareth Heal who will be our ambassador for editors. Bursary winners will therefore benefit from the support and guidance of Ash, Christine, Gareth, Geoff Schuman, Paul Whitehouse, Lucy Ansbro, Tessa La Bars and the Galton Family and the alumni of our previous schemes who together form the ±«Óãtv Comedy Collective. Find out more about those in the ±«Óãtv Comedy Collective.
To support the ±«Óãtv Comedy Collective, ±«Óãtv Comedy will work in close association with ±«Óãtv Northern Ireland, ±«Óãtv Scotland and ±«Óãtv Wales, with the support of ±«Óãtv Writers, ±«Óãtv Academy, ±«Óãtv Elevate, ±«Óãtv History and a range of screen agencies including BAFTA, North East Screen, Creative Wales and Screen Scotland.
We are looking forward to welcoming the next generation of up-and-coming comedy talent from across the UK into the ±«Óãtv Comedy Collective Class of ‘24. Previous ±«Óãtv Comedy bursary winners have gone on to win script commissions, get agents, produce radio shows and make BAFTA award-winning TV series.
Criteria for entry
The bursaries are open to anyone over 18 who is based in the UK and looking to further their career in writing, producing, directing or editing for scripted comedy.
Writers and directors can submit individually or as part of a duo (maximum of two people). Producers and editors can only submit individually.
Only one entry is permitted per person, and individuals can only enter within one chosen field.
Applicants must have one previous credit in their chosen field. This can be across any genre, not just comedy, and any platform. They don’t have to be TV credits, although these are welcomed. For example, you could have written, produced, edited or directed theatre, radio, or podcasts, directed music videos, produced comedy nights, written for commercials. Applicants don’t have to have representation, but this is also welcomed.
Selected individuals must be available to attend the ±«Óãtv Comedy Festival in Glasgow in May.
We encourage applications from under-represented groups, and are actively targeting people from all corners of the UK.
Applicants who have applied previously are strongly encouraged to reapply. We welcome the submission of the same materials previously presented and extend this invitation to include materials submitted for other ±«Óãtv schemes.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate a commitment to their chosen field and a commitment to comedy.
Terms and conditions and privacy notice
Please read our terms and conditions and privacy notice in full before applying.
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Privacy notice pdf
How to apply
Submissions for the current year closed on Wednesday 31 January 2024 at midnight.
Please note, the application system will time users out after one hour of logging in and incomplete submissions will not be saved. It is therefore highly recommended that answers to application questions are prepared and saved outside of the system in advance, and the information copied and pasted into the system when applying.
Users who have entered any previous opportunities via the ±«Óãtv Writers submissions system can use their existing login details. Otherwise they will need to create an account as part of the submission process. Please note that this is a separate account from ±«Óãtv ID (used for ±«Óãtv iPlayer etc).