What is the Open Call opportunity for script submissions?
Rather than accepting scripts year-round, we have distinct submission windows for scripts which are announced on the ±«Óătv Writers Opportunities page during the year. Each Open Call has a deadline, following which the scripts received are assessed intensively by our script readers and the ±«Óătv Writers team, and a shortlist drawn up. We then offer various opportunities for the shortlisted group of writers including our Scripted and Voices development groups.
Submissions for the latest Open Call closed at noon on Tuesday 5th December. The dates of the next Open Call will be announced during 2024.
Find full details of how to enter your script below.
Why do we run an Open Call for script submissions?
Our Open Call is not a competition but a means by which the ±«Óătv seeks out the best writing talent. We look for writers with the strongest potential to be developed and produced for ±«Óătv broadcast. You could be new to writing or new to the ±«Óătv but equally, you may be a playwright looking to write for TV, or youâve written for radio drama and would like to try your hand at writing for C±«Óătv. We understand that carving a career as a writer takes time and that each writerâs development needs will be different. We receive many thousands of scripts every year and can only focus on the writers who we feel have the most potential.
Find out more on 'How we find and develop writers'
What do we look for?
In our Open Call we are not looking for projects to commission or produce. We are looking for writers to develop rather than specific projects. We look for what the script tells us about the writer. We see all scripts as a calling card to showcase a writerâs talent, ability, and voice.
We are especially looking for distinctive voices - and scripts that express those voices. We do not look for more of the same â we look for the writerâs ability to pull an audience into a world and hold them in it. Itâs not necessarily about finding precincts or situations that have ânever been done beforeâ but having an original take on stories that have the potential to have wide breadth of appeal.
We are looking for characters who are well rounded and consistent and who drive the narrative rather than serve it. We are looking for a sense of storytelling ability - handling of pace, climax, mood. We are looking to unearth the treasures, the page-turners, the new perspectives, the engaging dialogue and the surprising character creations.
We want to find that special something that makes us want to read more.
We look for what a writer can deliver in script form rather than unscripted ideas. We want to see the best possible draft you can achieve. We are not looking for early/first/rough drafts of scripts. Only submit a script to our Open Call when your script is ready, even if it means waiting for a later submission window.
We may also consider whether a script has real potential to be developed further towards production. If we believe a script could be developed further by a ±«Óătv department, we will send it to them with the writer's knowledge. Original scripts written âon specâ are produced extremely rarely, and writers should not send them in with the expectation that they will be produced. However, original spec' scripts are the means by which writers get noticed, so you should always write your script with the same level of commitment as if it were for production.
What should you submit?
In our Open Call we accept:
âą Drama or Comedy/Drama scripts written for Film, TV, Radio, Stage, Online or Childrenâs TV/Radio scripts which are a minimum of 30 pages long (excluding title/character pages).
âą Scripts will be read anonymously i.e. without a name attached, until after the full-read stage so please remove any personal details (name, address, contacts etc) from the front page of the script or within the document itself.
âą If submitting an Online/Childrenâs TV/Radio script then multiple episodes may be submitted as a single document provided the total length comes to at least 30 pages, the scripts are consecutive and form part of the same continuing narrative (ie no anthologies). For further clarification, please contact bbcwriters@bbc.co.uk
âą A paragraph about your writing history (max. 250 words). You do not need to have any credits or professionally produced work. We just want to understand your passion for writing.
âą A paragraph on what you hope to get out of this programme if successful (max. 250 words).
To help writers prepare their Open Call application before submitting, weâve provided a downloadable document detailing the steps of the process. Click on the link below:
Open Call: E-Submissions Application Preview
Please note this list is only for reference. Youâll still need to complete your application via the ±«Óătv E-Submissions system which also includes sections on data usage and equality monitoring. To see a preview of how the application form looks within the E-submissions system please watch the video available on our E-Submissions: Help & FAQs page
Watch the Help Video - Entering an Opportunity
Entries must be written in English. If you submit any part of a script in another language you must also include your own translation of this into English. Your application must be legibly typed and formatted.
Read the Medium and Format guidelines for more guidance.
Please note: All writing software will come with its own user guidelines. We cannot offer technical support for third party software.
Read the Open Call Terms and Conditions for further details on what we accept.
What do we not accept?
We do not accept any of the following:
âą Scripts from overseas â we are looking for writers with whom the ±«Óătv can develop a strong working relationship and who have something to say that will appeal to British audiences. You may be a non-British-born writer, but you must be resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland.
âą Scripts from writers under the age of 18.
âą Submissions by email or post â when our Open Call is open for submissions, we can only accept scripts online via our E-Submissions system. Postal submissions are not possible under any circumstances.
âą Scripts previously submitted to our Open Call (or Script Room) opportunity, including resubmissions of work which has since been re-written and further episodes of a series or serial which has previously been submitted.
âą Ideas, pitches, outlines, synopses, or treatments on their own â we must always receive a script with every submission. Samples or extracts from scripts are not eligible either. We want to see a full script or episode.
âą Multiple submissions from an entrant.
âą DVDs, videos, CDs, audio tapes, or any video/audio material (whether it accompanies a script or otherwise). Any links to video/audio content will not be considered in the reading process.
âą New scripts written for existing or previously produced shows and/or characters (for example scripts of Doctor Who, EastEnders, Sherlock or using characters from these shows).
Find out more about the if you are interested in writing for one of the ±«Óătv's Continuing Dramas.
âą Short stories, novels, unpublished prose manuscripts, poetry or work you wish to have adapted into a script.
âą Adaptations for broadcast of another writerâs idea (including adaptations of other writersâ novels).
âą Comedy sketch shows and pure narrative comedy series or sitcoms.
Please see ±«Óătv Comedy Commissioningâs website for the latest updates on Comedy opportunities.
Read the Open Call Terms and Conditions for further details on what we do not accept.
Submission dates
The latest Open Call window for DRAMA and COMEDY DRAMA scripts was open between 12 noon on Tuesday 7th November 2023 and 12 noon on Tuesday 5th December 2023.
The dates of the next Open Call will be announced during 2024 here and on our social media.
- Check out other Opportunities from the ±«Óătv and other organisations.
- Follow us on twitter or for announcements.
Enter the Open Call
When submissions are open the link to submit a script and other supporting information via our online E-Submissions system will be made available further down this page. Please ensure that you read this information before clicking on it to submit your script.
Once you have clicked on the link for the opportunity, you will firstly be asked to confirm your eligibility before entering.
Please note: If you do not meet the listed criteria, you cannot enter the opportunity. If you still proceed with your application, your submission will be flagged as ineligible and you are unlikely to hear that this is the case until after the deadline has passed.
You will then need to login to your existing E-submissions account (or create an account if this is the first time you have entered).
If you have not created an e-submissions account before, visit our E-Submissions: Help & FAQs page for an instructional video.
You will then need to fill in a simple application form along with uploading your script and supporting information.
If you would like assistance on how to submit your application, visit our E-Submissions: Help & FAQs page for an instructional video.
To help writers prepare their Open Call application before submitting, weâve provided a downloadable document detailing the steps of the process. Click the link below:
Open Call: E-Submissions Application Preview
PLEASE NOTE:
âą We will not accept late submissions under any circumstances. Writers have four full weeks to submit an entry, giving plenty of time to navigate the E-submissions system and meet the deadline.
**If you have specific access requirements then please contact bbcwriters@bbc.co.uk ahead of the deadline to discuss your application.**
âą Do not leave it until the day of deadline to create an E-submissions profile or to submit your script as you will leave yourself no time for troubleshooting.
âą The ±«Óătv Your Account at the top left of the web page is not the same as a ±«Óătv Writers E-submissions account. It is totally unrelated, so having a ±«Óătv Account (for ±«Óătv iPlayer etc) does not automatically sign you up to E-submissions.
Read the E-Submissions: Help & FAQs for further information.
Accessibility Support
- E-Submissions: Help & FAQs Further advice on the E-Submissions system including with instructional videos.
- Open Call: E-Submissions Application Preview
Who will read your script and what is the reading process?
Visit the Open Call FAQs page for details of the reading process.
Do you have a question?
The answers to most questions can be found on our website.
- Read the Open Call Terms and Conditions and FAQs
- Advice on
- and get help, advice and Dos and Don'ts to give your script its best chance of success
- Get advice on writing Comedy Drama in this blog post by Robin Taylor and this blog post by Chris Head
- View and download example Script Formats
- Visit our Script Library to read scripts
- Find out how we find and develop writers with Jessica Loveland, The Head of New Writing for ±«Óătv Drama Commissioning and ±«Óătv Writers
- Get more help and advice on our blog including Getting Your Screenplay Ready
- Read the Help & FAQs for our E-Submissions system
If you cannot find the answer to your question on our website (please see section above for links) and need to contact us, the best way is to email bbcwriters@bbc.co.uk
***We cannot guarantee that weâll be able to help you on deadline day, as we are often extremely busy. We highly recommend all writers to submit well in advance of deadline day. It is your responsibility to ensure that you leave enough time to complete the submission process.***
±«Óătv Comedy
From 2021, Comedy writer, writer/performer, director and producer development is looked after by ±«Óătv Comedy Commissioning, which brings together all comedy outreach that is happening across the ±«Óătv under one strategy.
The separate Caroline Aherne Bursary, Felix Dexter Bursary and Galton & Simpson Bursary for writers have been brought together with two new bursaries for directors and producers into the ±«Óătv Comedy Collective, a supercharged bursary scheme offering 10 places each year to up-and-coming writers, producers and directors who’d like to develop their careers in scripted comedy.
Find out more about the ±«Óătv Comedy Collective leaders and alumni
We will no longer open a window specifically for Comedy script submissions or run further Comedy Room writer development groups via ±«Óătv Writers.
Interested in breaking into Comedy?
Visit the ±«Óătv Comedy Commissioning website to find out about more opportunities