Residential Workshops
Pre-2019 we ran writer development residentials from our bases in London, Salford, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.
These residentials were usually initiated by a BBC Commissioning or Production department approaching us and asking us to facilitate the development of ideas and pitches for a genre or strand, for example a potential new returning Radio Drama series. The writers who were invited were writers who we had already identified through our work or who were recommended by the team we were collaborating with on the residential.
Find out more about some of our past residentials from writers who took part below.
Shows & Writers
Original shows that have come through our work developing, supporting and promoting writers include:
- TV dramas: Lost Boys and Fairies, The Break, The Fades (BAFTA winning) , In the Flesh, 32 Brinkburn Street, From Darkness
- TV comedies: The Smoking Room (BAFTA winning), Eyes Down, I’m With Stupid, The Visit, Boy Meets Girl
- CBBC dramas: MI High, Spirit Warriors, Wolfblood, Worst Year of My Life ... Again!
- Radio Drama series: Pilgrim, On Mardle Fen, Have Your Cake, HighLites, Atching Tan
- Radio Comedy series: Pick Ups, Boyle’s Law, In and Out of the Kitchen, Clayton Grange
- Films Wish 143 (Oscar nominated), Turning (BAFTA nominated)
Writers have also gone to write for a huge range of existing shows and strands across the BBC and other broadcasters.
Developing relationships
BBC Writers' job is to find, and develop a relationship with talented writers
Our success is gauged not only by writers going on to be commissioned and produced, but also by the strength of our continuing relationship with them. Here are a handful of the writers who we developed in our early days, and with whom we continue to have a strong relationship.
Jack Thorne
Jack Thorne first came to the BBC through our Sparks radio scheme and has written award-winning work for BBC Radio. He was introduced to BBC Drama, eventually leading to his original series The Fades on BBC Three. He has also written This is England '88, Glue, Don't Take My Baby, Kiri, National Treasure and adapted His Dark Materials for BBC One. He was on the writer committee for our TV Drama Writer's Festival in 2013.
Watch an interview with Jack Thorne
Find out more about Jack's work here
Sarah Phelps
Sarah Phelps came on our first Sparks radio drama scheme in 1999 and went on to write Afternoon, Friday and Woman's Hour plays for Radio 4, then 42 episodes of Westway on the World Service. Sarah also came on a CBBC Comedy Drama scheme and had an original idea commissioned. She then became a core writer for EastEnders. Her original First World War drama The Crimson Field was broadcast on BBC One in 2014. Recent successes include her adaptations of JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, both for BBC One.
Watch interviews with Sarah
Find out more about Sarah's work here.
Alice Nutter
Alice Nutter - previously singer in the band Chumbawamba - was first developed through our partnership with West Yorkshire Playhouse. She wrote for BBC Radio, has since written on numerous TV dramas for the BBC and was on the writer committee for our TV Drama Writer's Festival.
Watch an interview with Alice
Find out more about Alice's work here.
Brian Dooley
Brian Dooley sent in his sitcom The Smoking Room, which ran for two series on BBC THREE and won Brian a BAFTA. He also came on our Comedy-Drama scheme for established writers and has since written for Being Human.
Find out more about Brian's work here.
