Aimed at our past and present Scottish Voices writers groups, we asked for audio pitches that reflected this theme of issues around mental health and young people. Michael Richardson’s and Brian McIver’s pitches stood out and they soon found themselves commissioned for their very first audio drama. Supported and guided by BBC Radio Scotland Drama Producer, Kirsty Williams, Brian and Michael worked across the summer on their audio dramas with Kirsty expertly leading the way. The end result is two thought provoking audio dramas that remind us how difficult and challenging life can be for young people in 2020.

We asked Brian and Michael to share their experience of writing for radio for the first time:

Fissures by Brian McIver, broadcast Wednesday 11th November at 11.30am, Listen now on BBC Sounds

A group of young people on a respite weekend go on a journey through a mountain cave system which will challenge them in ways they never thought it could….

I wanted to explore how young people can feel trapped by their situation and often struggle to accept help. And having read about BBC Children in Need supported groups who take young people off on outdoor adventures, I thought that’d be a great setting for my characters to get stuck in the dark – literally having to find their voices to progress.

The key advice I was given when writing for radio was to think of it as a visual medium. To be economical with the use of action, language and air and to create pictures for the audience. Thankfully I was in very good hands. And when Kirsty gathered an incredible cast of talented young actors to perform my story, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

The End of the World by Michael Richardson, broadcast Thursday 12th November at 11.30am Listen now on BBC Sounds

A witty and touching drama about a father and son that really need to learn how to communicate better...

I had assumed writing for radio would lean a lot more into the parts of writing I’m really comfortable with, writing dialogue and jokes. So I was surprised to hear Kirsty say that radio drama is the most visual medium to write for - and I soon learned what she meant! It’s been a really interesting challenge; creating a world for the listener through context cues and sound, and it was absolutely fantastic to hear that world brought to life in the studio and work with two really amazing actors.

I’ve been a youth worker for ten years now, so I’m really aware of the stigma there can be around young people opening up about their mental health, especially amongst boys and young men. I think A Million & Me offers to meet young people where they’re at, and help them access support that’s relevant to their age group, hopefully before some of those stigmas have settled.

If this has piqued your interest, Producer Kirsty Williams has some top tips for first time radio writers…

• Audio drama devours story. Feed it.
• Paint as few characters as you possibly can. Make each of them emotionally rich and psychologically complex. Thin characters sound thin when there are no visuals to hide behind.
• It’s an interactive medium. Help your audience paint vivid and tangible pictures in their imagination. That applies to the entire sound world you’re creating as well as to the stories characters tell and share.
• Audio drama isn’t about sound, it’s about significant sound. Give your audience subtle clues to understand any sounds that are not characters speaking. And don’t disembody the sound world when you write a script (eg. “SFX: a door opens”) – link everything to the characters and world you’re creating.
• Always think about rhythm and pace – playing with these elements changes nearly everything.

In Tim’s own words:

Before writing Rare Beasts, I spent time working with GISDA, a charity that offers accommodation and support to young people aged between 18 to 25-years-old in North Wales. I was attached to a specific programme designed for young homeless mothers and their children, supported by BBC Children in Need.

What struck me about the time I spent with these remarkable young women was how important the relationship, with the GISDA staff was to them. Many of these teenage women had been brought up in chaotic homes or had been kicked out of their home. Having one person to rely on was a vital help to their overall well-being.

The circumstances these young women found themselves in often had a devastating effect on their confidence, self-worth and self-esteem. GISDA staff would build up young peoples’ confidence and encourage them to do something seemingly small, such as leaving the accommodation with their baby and go to a local café.

The support and community created for these young Mums will have a lasting impact on their lives. Because their accommodation crisis was just what we see, GISDA understood that getting housed was actually the beginning, rather than the end of the journey. Once GISDA had taken ‘homelessness’ out of the picture for these young people, there was space for them to think about who they really are as an individual, and how they wanted to shape their future.

I remember talking to one young mother about her plans to become a photographer. By supporting this young woman with her immediate housing crisis, and then working with her to build confidence and skills, GISDA enabled this young woman to imagine a future without trauma and insecurity. And that, in some ways, was a greater gift than accommodation. In my notes from my meeting with her, the first thing I wrote at the top of the page was ‘homeless Mum’ and the last thing I wrote a few pages later was ‘Photographer’.

The difference between those few pages was the tenderness and care we all take for granted from loved ones, but for some people it’s a rare beast. And it made me think how lucky we all are for the people who work at charities like GISDA.

I've done a number of projects that have been research-led and I've learned it's always important to go there without a fixed idea of what story you want to tell, you have to just go into it, trusting that someone or something will spark an idea. So I had no idea what I wanted to write about when I started meeting young Mums through GISDA, but I just asked as many questions as I could, to try and understand what life was like for these young people.

After a few days, I started to gather some ideas that were recurring, ideas about how marginalised and isolated these young women felt by society, and how these feelings made the simplest things difficult, such as going to cafes and ordering food. Being a teenage Mum brings about all kinds of prejudice and it struck me how lonely these young people were, at a time in their lives when they should be surrounded by friends.

I knew I didn't want to write a script that was restricted by naturalism - I feel just because some people's lives are played out in the margins, it doesn't make them any less colourful. I was spending a lot of time in North Wales, on research days and I was walking through Caernarfon, when I saw a young Mum sat on a bench and I just thought how she needed someone to talk to, and maybe that should be someone extraordinary, or something extraordinary and then for some reason, I couldn't help but think of a polar bear companion. I mean who wouldn't want a polar bear companion? And once I had that image I was able to write the story I wanted to write.

Rhodri Talfan Davies, Director BBC Cymru Wales said: “This emotional, yet brilliantly simple short film packs a powerful punch. Another strong creative collaboration from BBC Children in Need, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Writersroom Wales, it’s an insight into the day-to-day experiences of those living in difficult circumstances and the film is a tribute to all involved.”

Rare Beasts - Shining a Light on Young Parents - Read more on the Children in Need website

Find out more about BBC Writersroom's work with Children in Need

I knew BBC Wales were looking for short form pieces to be broadcast as part of the Children in Need Big Welsh Show. Because I'm a composer, I immediately thought how a four-minute film would be the perfect vehicle for a song. This felt fitting, because one of the girls I met at Roots absolutely loved watching a sequence of EastEnders musical montages – broadcast annually as part of Children in Need – on YouTube. Wouldn't it be great to pay homage to her love of music? But then, as I tried to think of the story I wanted to tell, I immediately began to struggle. How could I possibly do justice to their experiences in short form? Would essentialising their stories into a one three-minute piece do a huge disservice to what I had heard there? I felt a weight of responsibility, because although Kinship care is becoming increasingly common in the UK, little is known about it to the wider public. Many of the carers and young people I spoke to felt that they are often misunderstood and misrepresented. As one said to me: we've all got reputations...

But whilst talking my anxieties through with Helen Perry at the BBC Writersroom, I recounted the story a young girl had told me. We'll call her Ella. She'd once hidden underneath a table when a community officer had turned up at the centre, because the last time she'd seen a policeman up close like that, he'd taken her mam away from her. Gradually, however, this community officer regained her trust through weekly visits and leading a variety of workshops. He now plays a significant role in her life and she thinks of him completely differently. It seems 'reputations' works both ways. Isn't that your story? Helen asked. As is often the case, it's those simple stories that stay with us, which have the potential to illuminate something far greater.

I wrote the lyrics first. Many are verbatim. It's mostly Ella's story but also combined with other things I'd heard whilst at the centre. Because I was telling their stories, I wanted to create lyrics from their words. It was absolutely crucial to me that the song represented them authentically. Having done several drafts to make sure the storytelling was clear, I shared the lyrics with the young people at Roots. Anything that didn't ring true, I wanted them to let me know. Perhaps, the most rewarding part of the process was when I was told that on hearing the piece, Ella had grinned from ear to ear. We had their blessing.

But when I went to compose the piece, something didn't feel right. Initially, it was all sung, but the music felt too saccharine, it distracted from the lyrics and put a glossy 'sheen' on the narrative. It was then Helen and I came up with the idea that perhaps the piece should be mostly spoken-word; and perhaps only those things that were hard for Ella to say should be sung. I was a little out of my comfort zone here, but the marriage between spoken-word, song and short-form also felt closer to the tastes of the young people I'd met there. So I gave it a go...

The final result is Reputations (watch above), realised by a fantastic creative team, especially young actress Tia-Zakura Camilleri. This film reflects only a small part of the stories I heard at Roots, but my time there has had an enormous impact on me, and the stories I want to tell. As a writer, it's easy to get stuck up your own backside. It's so important to resist getting trapped in a creative mirror, which narrowly reflects your own field of lived-experience. To have direct access to the generosity and openness of everyone at Roots, therefore, was a real privilege. The people I met there, the relationships I forged there and the connections I made are now part of my lived-experience. I think they've transformed me as a writer. I'm also hoping that this short-film might inspire incredible young people, like those at Roots, to tell those important stories themselves.

Search #CareDay19 on social media for more information

Find out more about BBC Children in Need

Find out more about BBC Radio Drama Wales and Daf James' powerful journey through grief 'My Mother Taught Me How to Sing' 

Luckily for us the Head of BBC Wales could see what we were trying to do, and gave us the thumbs up to begin. So at the end of August we invited representatives from 14 different BBC Children In Need funded projects from all over Wales to meet with 5 brilliant Welsh writers (from our 17/18 Welsh Voices group). We had an intense ‘speed dating’ style day in which writers rotated around the room, spending a concentrated ten minutes or so with each project. We even dinged a big bell to make them move. What we were looking for were perfect matches – writers that felt a connection to a project, and project leaders who felt an affiliation with a writer. Once we’d made our pairings our plan was to immerse each writer with their chosen project for a 5 day intense research placement. The writers would be able to fully engage in the work of the project – meet the young people there, the staff and to observe, shadow, interview and get stuck in to their placements. All with a view to creating scripted drama ideas that could then be pitched at BBC Wales commissioners for TV, Online, radio and of course the BBC Children in Need Appeal show. Our intention was to tell those unheard stories safely and in inventive ways through fiction.

Some of the writers went to more than one project. Some of the writers became completely engrossed with their placements. One of the writers told me they’d never found writing a pitch so easy because the world, characters, stories and themes were now so clear to them thanks to the in depth research. And you might think, given the nature of the difficult issues that were being encountered; deprivation, neglect, abuse, the ideas that were pitched back to us would have been po-faced and bleak. They weren’t. I’ve never read so many ideas that all featured the phrase ‘drama-dy.’ What was clear was the experience had been eye opening for the writers in many ways, but predominantly because they busted our own media-reinforced stereotypes. During a visit to one of the charities I heard one project leader say ‘we’re not victims, we’re warriors.’ That phrase stays with me.

The initiative had a number of goals to aim at. Those big drama ideas are now in the laps of the various commissioners to mull over, develop and hopefully one day soon they’ll be on your screens and / or playing through your headphones. But there was also a more immediate goal - The BBC Children in Need Appeal show, for which Daf James’ short-form idea Reputations was instantly commissioned. Reputations is a piece inspired by one of Daf’s placements, with the Roots Foundation in Swansea. Roots is a centre which supports looked after children at risk of exploitation, helping reduce their risk-taking behaviour and raise both their confidence and skillset. Reputations is a piece that’s a dramatised amalgamation of many stories and people Daf encountered there. And Daf’s written it, beautifully, as spoken word poetry and song. The logic behind this form is that the character Ella (performed by an incredible Tia Camilleri) sings about the elements of her life she finds difficult to say. The whole piece deals directly with prejudice and stereotyping. Daf wrote it and composed the music. His talent is beyond compare. And we filmed in one day, edited it the next and it went out on Sunday night as part of the BBC Wales appeal show.

My hope is people will watch it. Feel. Pause. Think. Feel and rethink. That’s what it’s done for me.

And of course there’s a longer goal for this project. If even one of the young people that spent time with our writers now feels inspired to pick up a pen, and starts to create their own work. Well that would be the best result of all. There are so many stories and lives out there that remain hidden. If initiatives like this bring them to light then we’re doing something right.

BBC Children in Need - visit the website

Find out more about Daf James's Radio Drama 'My Mother Taught Me How To Sing'