BBC FILM

Both lonely for different reasons, ALI (Adeel Akhtar) and AVA (Claire Rushbrook) meet through their shared affection for SOFIA (6), the child of ALI’s Slovakian tenants, whom AVA teaches. ALI finds comfort in AVA’s warmth and kindness and AVA finds ALI’s complexity and humour irresistible. Over a lunar month, sparks fly and a deep connection begins to grow. However, the legacy of AVA’s past relationship and ALI’s emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage begins to overshadow their newfound passion.

Written and directed by BAFTA-nominated Clio Barnard (The Selfish Giant), ALI & AVA premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight and received multiple British Independent Film Award (BIFA) and BAFTA nominations, going on to win two BIFA’s including Best Actor for Adeel Akhtar.

ALI & AVA - Full details on the BBC Film website

ALI & AVA - Watch on BBC iPlayer

ALI & AVA - Read the script

Written and directed by Frank Berry (Michael Inside), AISHA charts the experiences of a young Nigerian woman as she seeks international protection in Ireland. Caught in limbo for years in Ireland's immigration system, Aisha Osagie (Letitia Wright) develops a friendship with former prisoner Conor Healy (Josh O'Connor) who she meets at one of the accommodation centres. Aisha and Conor's growing friendship soon looks to be short lived as Aisha's future in Ireland comes under threat.

AISHA - Full details on the BBC Film website

AISHA - Read the script 

BENEDICTION explores the turbulent life of first world war poet Siegfried Sassoon, through the eyes of the revered writer-director Terence Davies (Distant Voices, Still Lives). Sassoon was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government’s continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front, and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London’s literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life’s journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion. His story is one of a troubled man in a fractured world searching for peace and self-acceptance, something which speaks as meaningfully to the modern world as it did then. Starring Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi and Geraldine James, BENEDICTION was the late Terence Davies’ final film.

BENEDICTION - Full details on the BBC Film website

BENEDICTION - Read the script

Written and directed by Georgia Oakley, BLUE JEAN is set in England, 1988, when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government are about to pass a law stigmatising gays and lesbians, forcing JEAN (Rosy McEwen), a PE teacher, to live a double life. . But when a new student arrives and threatens to expose her, Jean is pushed to extreme lengths to keep her job and her integrity.
Following its World premiere and People’s Choice Award at the Venice Film Festival 2022, BLUE JEAN was BAFTA and BIFA-nominated, receiving four BIFAs including Best Screenplay for Georgia Oakley.

BLUE JEAN - Full details on the BBC Film website

BLUE JEAN - Read the script

Created, written, directed and narrated by award winning UK music artist Andrew Onwubolu, aka Rapman, BLUE STORY follows best friends TIMMY (Stephen Odubola) and MARCO (Micheal Ward) who go to the same high school in Peckham but live in neighbouring London boroughs. When Marco’s beaten up by one of Timmy’s primary school friends the two boys wind up on rival sides of a never-ending cycle of postcode gang war in which there are no winners, only victims.

BLUE STORY - Full details on the BBC Film website

BLUE STORY - Watch on BBC iPlayer

BLUE STORY - Read the script

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd’s (Mamma Mia!, The Iron Lady) from a screenplay co-written by lead actor Claire Dunne and Malcolm Campbell, HERSELF follows SANDRA (Dunne), a young Mum struggling to provide her two young daughters with a warm, safe, happy home to grow up in. Beneath the surface, Sandra has a steely determination to change their lives for the better and when it becomes clear that the local council won’t provide that home, she decides to build it herself from scratch.

With very little income to speak of and no savings, Sandra must use all her ingenuity to make her ambitious dream a reality. At the same time, she must escape the grip of her possessive ex-husband and keep him away from her and her girls. The lionhearted Sandra draws together a community of friends to support her and lend a helping hand and it is the kindness and generosity of these people and the love of her young daughters that help rebuild her own strength and sense of self.

HERSELF - Full details on the BBC Film website

HERSELF - Read the script

The debut feature from writer-director Claire Oakley, MAKE UP follows RUTH (Molly Windsor) as she travels to a seaside holiday park to stay with her boyfriend TOM (Joseph Quinn) during off-season. Settling into her new environment she makes a new friend in the form of make-up enthusiast JADE (Stefanie Martini) but after finding evidence her beau might be cheating on her, RUTH’s desire to uncover the truth turns into an obsession and she begins to realise she might be looking for something else entirely.

MAKE UP - Full details on the BBC Film website

MAKE UP - Read the script

Directed by Raine Allen-Miller from a screenplay by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia, RYE LANE follows YAS (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson), two twenty-somethings, both reeling from bad break-ups, who connect over the course of an eventful day in South London - helping each other deal with their nightmare exes, and potentially restoring their faith in romance.
Released in March 2023, RYE LANE recently received 16 BIFA nominations and won two awards - Best Breakthrough Performance (Vivian Oparah) and Best Original Music (Kwes).

RYE LANE - Full details on the BBC Film website

RYE LANE - Read the script

Written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano) and based on the novel by Thomas Savage, THE POWER OF THE DOG stars Benedict Cumberbatch as charismatic rancher Phil Burbank who inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother George (Jesse Plemons) brings home new wife Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

Following its World Premiere at the 2021 Venice Film Festival where Jane Campion took the Best Director award, THE POWER OF THE DOG went on to receive multiple awards including the 2022 BAFTA for Best Film and the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Director.

THE POWER OF THE DOG - Full details on the BBC Film website

THE POWER OF THE DOG - Read the script

BBC TV DRAMA

Family drama with a boy with autism at its heart.

THE A WORD - Watch on BBC iPlayer

THE A WORD - Read the scripts

Death in Devon. DI Humphrey Goodman relocates from tropical Saint Marie to sleepy Shipton Abbott, cracking cases and hoping for happily ever after with fiancée Martha.

BEYOND PARADISE - Watch on BBC iPlayer

BEYOND PARADISE - Read the scripts

For three police recruits in Belfast, the pressure is immense. Facing criminal gangs and divided communities, they don't know who to trust. The odds are, they won't all make it.

BLUE LIGHTS - Watch on BBC iPlayer

BLUE LIGHTS - Read the scripts

Sibling rivalry never sounded so epic. Candice Carty-Williams's electrifying drama of family and fame, with an original soundtrack from the biggest names in black British music.

CHAMPION - Watch on BBC iPlayer

CHAMPION - Read the scripts

Live the lie to find the truth. Outsider Becky obsesses over influencer Chloe – until tragedy pulls her in deeper than she ever dreamed possible. Thriller starring Erin Doherty.

CHLOE - Watch on BBC iPlayer

CHLOE - Read the scripts

One call can change everything. In the emergency control room, Gabe deals with life and death. One day, the life on the line is his own. Gripping thriller with a stellar cast.

THE CONTROL ROOM - Read the scripts

America, 1890 - two strangers are drawn together in a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. An epic tale of love, revenge and power starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.

THE ENGLISH - Watch on BBC iPlayer

THE ENGLISH - Read the script for episode 1

The contemporary thriller returns for its third and final outing. Brothers Jake and Max find themselves back in Scotland where the welcome isn't as warm as they'd hoped for.

GUILT - Watch on BBC iPlayer

GUILT - Read the complete scripts

Everyone’s a murderer, you just need a good reason and a bad day. From death row to a quaint English village, Steven Moffat's devilish drama with David Tennant and Stanley Tucci.

INSIDE MAN - Read the scripts

The friendship that defines your life - and will push your loyalty to the limits. Life-affirming drama with a killer 80s soundtrack, starring Martin Compston and Tony Curran.

MAYFLIES - Watch on BBC iPlayer

MAYFLIES - Read the scripts

It's normal to hate the people you love. A makeshift family bound by defiance, chaos, poverty and pain. A wild, swaggering tale of love and friendship, starring Daisy May Cooper.

RAIN DOGS - Watch on BBC iPlayer

RAIN DOGS - Read the scripts

There's no rule book for marriage, as two newlyweds navigate their way through love and independence. An uplifting story of life with Down’s syndrome from the makers of The A Word.

RALPH & KATIE - Watch on BBC iPlayer

RALPH & KATIE - Read the scripts

An inspirational teacher is courted by a student, triggering a complex criminal case. A sinister real-life story starring Timothy Spall and Anne Reid.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT - Watch on BBC iPlayer

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT - Read the scripts

Sex, secrets and suspicion - the true story of a duchess publicly shamed in a high society divorce that gripped the nation. Starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany.

A VERY BRITISH SCANDAL - Watch on BBC iPlayer

A VERY BRITISH SCANDAL - Read the scripts

Riots, scandals, fractured families and familiar faces - Waterloo Road is back with a new term and a whole new attitude. Who said education was easy?

WATERLOO ROAD - Watch on BBC iPlayer

WATERLOO ROAD - Read the scripts

Life is full of surprises. A gruesome shock for a wealthy family, and a young detective with horrors of his own. It's a deliciously bloody, twisting race against time.

WOLF - Watch on BBC iPlayer

WOLF - Read the scripts

This is Going to Hurt

Painfully funny, heartbreakingly honest – welcome to the weird world of an NHS labour ward. Ben Whishaw stars in Adam Kay's raw, ridiculous rollercoaster diary of a doctor’s life.

Based on Adam Kay's book and set in London during 2006, This is Going to Hurt was critically acclaimed and a hit with audiences, particularly for the central performances by Ben Whishaw and Ambika Mod. The drama was recently named as number 10 in the Guardian's list of the 50 Best TV Shows of 2022.

This is Going to Hurt - Read the scripts

Watch This is Going to Hurt on BBC iPlayer

The Responder

Under pressure, fraying at the edges. In relentless night-time Liverpool, copper Chris is paired with a rookie. Will they save or destroy each other? Starring Martin Freeman.

Written by former Merseyside Police Officer Tony Schumacher (a previous member of BBC Writersroom's Northern Voices), The Responder hit our screens back in January. It went on to be named Best Drama 2022 at the Edinburgh TV Festival and came in at number 5 in the Guardian's run-down of the best TV shows of 2022.

The Responder - Read the Scripts

Watch The Responder on BBC iPlayer

Life and Death in the Warehouse

The story of trainee warehouse manager Megan, who, desperate to keep her new job, bullies her pregnant friend Alys, to get her pick rate up, putting Alys and her baby at risk.

Following previous BBC Three factual dramas like Murdered by my Boyfriend and Murdered by my Father, Life and Death in the Warehouse examined the experience of the invisible army of warehouse 'pickers', every second of whose working lives is timed and monitored in order to enable today's obsessive online shopping habits. Written by Helen Black (a winner of our Kudos North Writers' Award) and inspired by real-world accounts of working conditions it has gone on to be nominated as Best Single Drama in the Broadcast Awards 2023.

Life and Death in the Warehouse - Read the Script

Watch Life and Death in the Warehouse on BBC iPlayer

Crossfire

A holiday turns from heaven to hell with a gunshot - and the consequences will linger long after the final bullets are fired. Nail-biting thriller starring Keeley Hawes.

Thriller Crossfire hit BBC One screens in September. Written by Louise Doughty it was her first original series for television following successful adaptations of her novels, including Apple Tree Yard.

Read the scripts for Crossfire

Watch Crossfire on BBC iPlayer

Doctor Who

Following the conclusion of the thirteenth series of the revived era of Doctor Who (which began in 2005), three 2022 special episodes were broadcast, bringing to a close both Jodie Whittaker's incarnation as the thirteenth Doctor and Chris Chibnall's as the Doctor Who showrunner.

Chris Chibnall wrote all three episodes with co-writer Ella Road for Legend of the Sea Devils.

Read the scripts for Eve of the Daleks, Legend of the Sea Devils and The Power of the Doctor

Watch Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer

Red Rose

School is about to finish for the last time. For many teenagers, this signals the beginning of the next stage of their lives. For a group of working-class friends in Bolton, there is no next stage. The summer stretches out in front of them with an infinite sense of possibilities, but when one of the gang downloads the mysterious Red Rose app, plans change. What starts innocently as a game of admiration rapidly descends into something much darker.

Written by Bolton-born brothers the Clarkson twins Red Rose launched on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in August.

Read the scripts for Red Rose

Watch Red Rose on BBC iPlayer

Conversations with Friends

Prepare to get intimate. Two students and a married couple enter a tangled web of friendship, infidelity and lies. 

Following the huge success of the previous adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People the same team adapted her debut 2017 novel Conversations with Friends for BBC Three, launching in May. Writers include Alice Birch, Mark O'Halloran, Meadhbh McHugh and Susan Soon He Stanton.

Read the scripts for the first 3 episodes of Conversations with Friends

Watch Conversations with Friends on BBC iPlayer

Wreck

Welcome aboard the ship of nightmares. Searching for answers about his missing sister, Jamie joins the crew on a mysterious cruise liner. Conspiracy, comedy and a slice of slasher.

Created and written by Ryan J. Brown a second series of Wreck is now in development for the BBC.

Read the script for episode 1 of Wreck

Watch Wreck on BBC iPlayer

More recent additions to the script library

Other recent additions to the Script Library include:

Sherlock - Read all 4 Series of Mark Gatiss' and Steven Moffat's modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes.

Dracula - Transylvania, 1897: terror awaits. The blood-drinking count has set his sights and teeth on London. A spine-tingling reimagining of the classic, from the creators of Sherlock.

Luther - Read all five series of Neil Cross' critically acclaimed detective series, Luther.

Latest Opportunities

Keep up to date with writing opportunities from BBC Writersroom, across the BBC and the wider industry on our Opportunities page.

Coming up in the New Year is the Comedy Collective Bursary from BBC Comedy Commissioning (open from 9th - 30th January), the Writers' Access Group from BBC Writersroom (open from 24th January to 18th April) and the Hot House from Climate Spring, BBC Writersroom and BFI Network (open from 10th - 31st January).

If you're thinking of entering the Comedy Collective Bursary then brush up your knowledge of great Comedy scriptwriting with the TV Comedy section of our Script library including Alma's Not Normal, Back to Life, Detectorists, In My Skin, Inside no. 9, Motherland, People Just Do Nothing, Rev, Two Doors Down and many more.

The recent special feature-length episode of Casualty, that aired on August 14, marked both the show’s 35th anniversary and the beginning of the 36th Series.

And what an incredible 35 years it has been! Thrilling, thought-provoking and often heart-breaking, the show has gained a reputation for its combination of powerful, intimate, emotional storytelling; alongside huge stunts and one-take specials, which has gained us multiple award nominations and wins and critical acclaim.

First broadcast on BBC One on 6th September 1986, Casualty has gone on to become the world’s longest running medical drama. Moving from our original Bristol base to our current home at Cardiff’s Roath Lock studios in 2011, the show goes from strength to strength.

To mark the 35 years, we’ve mined our archive to bring you our choice of Ten Memorable Episodes; ranging from Series 4 back in 1989 up to the BAFTA winning first episode of the last series, broadcast on 2nd January 2021, which focussed on the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic on the staff and patients of the Holby-set hospital. Also included in the ten episodes is the unforgettable and controversial finale to Series 7, which saw a riot reduce the hospital to a smouldering ruin and the opening episode of Series 18 (previously voted the ‘Best Ever’ for our 25th anniversary) as a double train crash causes devastation.

The BBC Writersroom have made the scripts for these ten episodes available in their online script library and have also asked all the writers involved to introduce their own episode.

Please let us know if you agree with our choice and share your own memorable episodes in the comments below.

Series 4, Episode 11 (Episode 51) ‘Banking for Beginners’ written by Bryan Elsley (original broadcast 24/11/89)

Alex is left with lots to think about when she is offered a new job in banking, but can she leave the hospital? Meanwhile Jimmy annoyed that nobody considers his opinions and tells Alex that he is considering a career in nursing.

I think Banking For Beginners was my first script for Casualty. I can confidently say that I had no earthly idea how to go about writing it. There was no Writersroom to upskill you in those days. Luckily for me, my script editors were Sally Haynes and Jane Tranter; to this day the best script people I ever worked with. I went on to write for I think 3 or 4 further series of Casualty. I’d love to say it got easier, but it never did. I always struggled with it, but now and then I got it right. Casualty is one of the most demanding technical writing gigs you can be on. But the rewards were massive, I believe my last ever episode got 18 million viewers. Not bad. Everybody on Casualty was absolutely lovely, even when Jane Tranter was on my Ansaphone saying “Pick up Bryan, we know you’re there!”, when my script was 5 days late. I used to put the script on the train at Oxenholme in the Lake District to send it to London, Red Star. That’s how you delivered before the internet. Things have changed a bit.

Congratulations to everyone at Casualty. I was and am extremely proud to have participated in some way. It showed me how to become a professional screenwriter.

Bryan Elsley

Read and Download Series 4, Episode 11 ‘Banking for Beginners’ here

Series 7, Episode 24 (Episode 104) ‘Boiling Point’ written by Peter Bowker (original broadcast 27/2/93)

It's Rob's last day and he has a surprise patient. It looks like the end of the road for Holby City Hospital when a riot ends up in casualty.

My first episode of Casualty and the first ever thing I had on telly went out in November 1992. Under the brilliant guidance of Sally Haynes and Laura Mackie, I was then commissioned to write three further scripts, the final one of which was to be the season finale for the new extended run of 24 episodes. The area I lived in in Leeds had suffered a crime wave driven by mainly bored adolescents and after they broke in and stole my new telly while I was in the house, I wanted to write about the feelings of violence and desire for vigilante justice that their actions aroused in me - a liberal teacher who had only stopped running down the road after them when I realised I was wearing slippers . . . This became a story of how revenge just escalates violence and in my story this culminated in the burning down of the hospital. I think Pete Salt had spoken about increasing threats of violence in A & E so that fed in to the idea. But most of all, I wanted to write about what happens when people stop communicating. There are parts of the script I now cringe at - I think some of the dialogue is on the nail and I think I would like to contextualise the perpetrators a bit more. But I am on the whole proud of this. There was such a fuss in the papers that my Dad rang me after three days - this was a man who normally only used the phone after a football match or on Christmas Day, “They’re not going to sack you, are they? Only I saw that Yentob feller on Right To Reply and he didn’t seem to be sticking up for you."

Peter Bowker

Read and Download Series 7, Episode 24 ‘Boiling Point’ here

Series 15, Episode 36 (Episode 320) ‘Breaking the Spell, Part Two’ written by Katharine Way (original broadcast 28/4/01)

Concluding the two-part story. Holly regains consciousness, only to find she's been kidnapped by Tom, and seizes a dangerous opportunity to escape. Patrick makes a grave error once he realises she's missing, and blames rival suitor Ed, while Colette pulls out all the stops to salvage her relationship with daughter Natalie.

Writing the final episode of any Casualty Series is a real thrill. Characters get killed off and/or written out. In this case, Holly's crazed anaesthetist stalker, Tom, made an unexpected (and, for some, lethal) reappearance. I had a blast writing this episode. The characters did not have quite such fun inhabiting it. But hey...that's drama.

Katharine Way

Please Read and Download Series 15, Episode 36 ‘Breaking the Spell, Part Two’ here

Series 18, Episode 1 (Episode 401) ‘End of the Line, Part One’ written by Ann Marie di Mambro (original broadcast 13/9/03)

First in a two-part story which sees emergency staff members involved in a devastating train crash. Still full of excitement following their recent engagement, Fin and Comfort escape from a compromising situation in a toilet cubicle during the derailment to find a train full of panicking commuters. Meanwhile, a passenger struggles to keep calm as the full horror of her predicament becomes clear.

Writing for Casualty and being lead writer on it are highlights of my writing career, as I've always loved that show. The End of The Line was the first time I got to write the opening episode of a series,  which is very exciting as the production team really do push the boat out. When I delivered the first draft, Mal Young who was then head of drama series, decided it should be a two-parter and not a single episode. It meant a major re-write but he was right as the train crash was so ambitious and the stories it generated so impactful that it needed to breathe over two episodes. I've always loved writing for Comfort, the paramedic, who features in one of the stories. It was the producer, Steve Lightfoot's idea to see the actual crash from inside the toilet on the train where Comfort is having a sexually charged moment with her new fiancé. I am proud to have been part of the team that brought that episode to the screen.

Ann Marie Di Mambro

Read & Download Series 18, Episode 1  ‘End of the Line, Part One’ here

Series 20, Episode 44 (Episode 538) ‘Perfect Day’ written by Gaby Chiappe (original broadcast 29/7/06)

Nathan goes on the warpath after his needle-stick injury. Maggie's Hep B clinic is abused. Kelsey takes bets on Greg's sexuality. An innocent prankster becomes trapped in the boot of a stolen car.

The year I spent on Casualty was the most stable period I’d had as a writer to that time. Working to deadline is always stressful, but I remember that year as being restful - time to think and time to breathe. I loved the collaboration with the medical advisors - particularly Simon Odum and Dr Phil, fifteen years on I still remember certain conversations I had with them. Re-reading this script now I can tell was enjoying myself.

Gaby Chiappe

Read & Download Series 20, Episode 44  ‘Perfect Day’ here

Series 26, Episode 8 (Episode 789) ‘Charlie’s Angels’ written by David Bowker (original broadcast 8/10/11)

Scarlett doubts her nursing abilities, and her resolve is tested during her shift. When faced with a stab victim, does she have what it takes to save their life?

If not for the loyalty of my executive producer Johnathan Young, and my brilliant script editor, Ailsa Macaulay, this Casualty episode might never have been made. Back in 2011, a couple of our BBC colleagues were of the opinion that angels had no place in a medical drama. But the angels were only ever a device to reel viewers in - the story was really about grief and how human beings need to mourn in order to heal. And although it’s lovely that the episode is still remembered, to me, the most memorable thing about Charlie’s Angels was not the writing, but Derek Thompson’s marvellous performance as Charlie.

David Bowker

Read & Download Series 26, Episode 8 'Charlie's Angels' here

Series 31, Episode 1 (Episode 1005/06) ‘Too Old for this Shift’ written by Matthew Barry and Andy Bayliss (original broadcast 27/8/16)

Feature-length episode. As Charlie celebrates his 30th anniversary, the department is thrown into chaos, and the team face their biggest challenge yet.

What an honour and a privilege to be trusted to write such an iconic moment in this great show's history. And more importantly, what an amazing team of people who turned some words on a page into something so visually spectacular. That will always be the overriding memory for me - how everyone on set and behind the scenes, put every last ounce into making it what it was. No greater satisfaction than that. Never been so proud to be part of such a thing.

Andy Bayliss & Matthew Barry

Read & Download Series 31, Episode 1 ‘Too Old for this Shift’ here

Series 31, Episode 38 (Episode 1043) ‘Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep’ written by Dana Fainaru (original broadcast 17/6/17)

Ethan looks for answers about Cal's last moments as he plans his last goodbye.

Casualty is a show very dear to my heart. Throughout the years it's retained something pure, immediate, heartfelt - both in terms of storytelling and team of people to work with. I distinctly remember this episode because there was no story for Ethan on the table apart from a funeral. Both myself and the story editor, Roxanne, couldn't stand the thought of such a brilliant character (and actor) having to mope for an entire episode. Recently before that, we had a story conference and this amazing young woman came to talk to us about HIV in young people, I remember it touched us all so much and I was like - bagsy that story!

It really chimed so much with Ethan's own predicament so it was one of these times where things just really fell into place naturally. When I was watching this episode back one thing really shone through - just how much the cast love each other. There was so much warmth in it I'd love to take the credit for that and say it's the writing - but really, it's just the alchemy of the show and the entire bunch of people who make it.

Dana Fainaru

Read & Download Series 31, Episode 38 'Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep' here

Series 34, Episode 36 (Episode 1175) Jade Meets her Birth Mother’ written by Charlie Swinbourne and Sophie Woolley (original broadcast 11/7/20)

Jade meets her birth mother and finally uncovers the truth behind her past, whilst Charlie is reminded of Duffy when treating a man who has recently received a heart transplant.

I’d never had the chance to write for Casualty or collaborate with Charlie Swinbourne before, so I was delighted when Loretta Preece invited me to co-write on this.

It was thrilling to see the end result – beautiful acting, John Maiden’s direction and BBC Research and Development’s innovative audio recording and design.

Sophie Woolley

This episode of Casualty stands as a marker for where the TV industry should be heading.

It is a story about a deaf nurse, which was not only written by two deaf writers, but directed by a deaf director and starring two brilliant deaf actors. I’m very proud to be one of those writers.

It all happened because the team on the show, Loretta Preece in particular, believed in us and gave us the opportunity to tell our story from an authentically deaf perspective.

Jade’s story is about how deafness has impacted on three generations of a family, and how those generations see deafness differently. It’s about a deaf nurse and how her day is different to that of those around her. It’s also a story with heartbreaking moments, and funny moments too.

We can only thank the team, and everyone involved for giving us the opportunity, as well as the BBC Writersroom for setting up the Writers Access Group, that Sophie and I were part of. I hope that people who read the script enjoy it and use it as fuel for telling their own stories in the future.

Charlie Swinbourne

Read & Download Series 34, Episode 36 "Jade Meets her Birth Mother" here

Read more about Charlie & Sophie’s experience writing this episode

Series 35, Episode 1 (Episode 1182/3) Covid Special written by Kevin Rundle (original broadcast 2/1/21)

Connie struggles to protect her team when the coronavirus pandemic hits Holby ED, Will becomes disillusioned with his work and Fenisha rushes to keep her baby safe.

From the very first conversations, this felt like it was going to be a special episode to be a part of - the ambition was to convey what the first period of lockdown was like for NHS staff in an emergency department. The storyline I was given was exceptional, the sort of outline that gives you tingles... And the first research discussion with the medic, who had lived through pretty much every event that was eventually portrayed on screen, was eye-opening and awe-inspiring. The challenge for me was; don't muck this up!

Thanks to the support of a very gifted script editor, the guidance of the entire production team, headed up by Mat McHale and Loretta Preece, a phenomenal director in Steve Hughes and a cracking cast who were all on fire... we seemed to do an alright job. When the episode was shot, it felt a bit like a retrospective on the pandemic, it was late August, early September 2020 and things were returning to normal... it eventually transmitted a few days before the third, and longest period of lockdown. We had no idea things would continue to be so tough for the incredible staff of the NHS.

Kevin Rundle

Read & Download Series 35, Episode 1 "Covid Special" here

Watch Casualty’s 35th Anniversary Episode on BBC iPlayer

Read more Casualty scripts here

Find more blog posts about writing Continuing Drama here

Us

Three weeks, six countries - one divorce? Sometimes you need to spend time together to see why you're falling apart.

Adapted by David Nicholls from his own hit novel, Us was broadcast on BBC One beginning on 20th September (and was a bittersweet reminder of the great cities of Europe, during a year when travel was so restricted by Covid). Us is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

• Us - read the scripts by David Nicholls
• David Nicholls introduces Us on our blog
• Listen to David Nicholls on our Ask the Write Questions podcast where all the questions come from the audience

The Salisbury Poisonings

In March 2018 Salisbury became the site of an unprecedented national emergency. This three-part dramatisation focuses on the extraordinary heroism shown by the local community. The Salisbury Poisonings was broadcast on BBC One over three consecutive nights from 14-16 June 2020 and is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

• The Salisbury Poisonings - read the scripts by Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn
• Find out more about how we made The Salisbury Poisonings in a blog post by writers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn

Noughts and Crosses

In a dystopian London, Sephy and Callum fall in love despite the odds. Can they breach the divide between the black elite and white underclass?

Based on Malorie Blackman's novels Noughts and Crosses was broadcast on BBC One beginning on 5th March 2020.

• Noughts and Crosses - read the scripts by Lydia Adetunji, Nathaniel Price and Rachel De-Lahay.

The Nest

A couple find out how far they are willing to go to have a baby. Emotional thriller about love, trust and the true cost of buying whatever you want. The Nest is set in Scotland and stars Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle. It was broadcast on BBC One from 22nd March 2020.

• The Nest - read the scripts by Nicole Taylor

Roadkill

An embattled Tory politician tries to leave his past behind. Political thriller by David Hare. Roadkill was broadcast on BBC One beginning on 18th October 2020 and is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

• Roadkill - read the script for Episode 3 by David Hare

Industry

Prove your worth. Five graduates want a job at a top investment bank - but the boundaries between colleague, lover and enemy blur. A stylish take on a world you think you know. Industry was broadcast on BBC Two beginning on 10th November 2020 and from 9th November on HBO. Industry is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer and has been renewed for a second series. 

• Industry - read the script for Episode 4 by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay

Our Girl

Drama following the extraordinary adventures of female medics in the British Army. New in our script library are the scripts for the final series, series 4 of Our Girl which was broadcast on BBC One beginning on 24th March 2020. You can watch the complete Our Girl on BBC iPlayer.

• Our Girl - read the scripts - Our Girl was created by Tony Grounds
• Our Girl - An interview with the show's creator, Tony Grounds - on the BBC Writersroom blog

Silent Witness

Forensic pathologists face personal and professional challenges in a moody, tense thriller that moves from the crime scene to the lab. Silent Witness returned for its 23rd series beginning on 7th January 2020. New in our Script Library are four scripts from Series 21 and 23 by Timothy Prager, alongside a selection of scripts from previous series. Production of Series 24 is underway. You can watch nearly all the previous series now on BBC iPlayer.

• Silent Witness - read a selection of scripts by various writers

Casualty

Continuing drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department.

New in the selection of Casualty scripts available in our Script Library is the Rose d'Or nominated episode by Charlie Swinbourne and Sophie Woolley, who were part of our Writers' Access Group. The episode was broadcast on 11th July 2020 and is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

• Casualty - read a selection of scripts by various writers
• Writing Jade's Story - Charlies Swinbourne and Sophie Woolley on the BBC Writersroom blog

Doctor Who

An extraterrestrial Time Lord explores the universe through time and space righting wrongs.

Available in our Script Library are the complete scripts from the latest series, Series 12 of the Doctor Who 'Revived Era', which was broadcast on BBC One from 1st January 2020, as well as a selection of scripts from other series. These include at least one example from Doctors 9 to 13 and classic episodes including 'Blink', written by Steven Moffat and the first draft of Series 10, Episode 1 with its original title.

You can watch the complete Doctor Who since its revival in 2005 on BBC iPlayer.

• Doctor Who - read a selection of scripts and read and watch interviews with Doctor Who writers

My Left Nut

Teenager Mick discovers a swelling on his testicle and tries to ignore it. After all, there’s an upside to rumours about the bulge in your trousers going around school.

My Left Nut was released on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on 1st March 2020 and is still available to watch. My Left Nut won Best Drama at The 2020 Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards and was nominated for Best Drama at The 2020 Broadcast Digital Awards.

• My Left Nut - read the scripts by Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
• Find out more in an interview with the writers who were part of our Belfast Voices writer development group

In My Skin

The coming of age story of 16 year old Bethan as she deals with the comical but painfully real anxieties and insecurities of teenage life.

Following the success of its pilot episode, which was released on BBC Three in October 2018, In My Skin went on to a full series of five episodes which were released on BBC Three on 29th March 2020. You can watch the whole series on BBC iPlayer.

• In My Skin - read the scripts by Kayleigh Llewellyn

Death in Paradise

Read a selection of scripts from Death in Paradise from Series 1 through to Series 9 (broadcast from 9th January 2020), new in the script library in 2020. You can watch the complete Death in Paradise on BBC iPlayer. Death in Paradise returns for its 10th series from 7th January 2021.

• Death in Paradise - read a selection of scripts by various writers

Read over 700 other scripts from TV and Radio Drama and Comedy in our script library

Have you been inspired by reading these scripts? BBC Writersroom's annual script submission window (Script Room) is open now until 5pm on Wednesday 6th January. 

Find out full details

Notes from friends

When starting out, asking friends to read your work is the most accessible way of getting thoughts on your script. This can get you used to the idea of other people looking at your writing, which is an essential psychological hurdle to get over. However, hopefully your friends are nice people who are fond of you and want to encourage you. (If not, maybe get some better friends?) This can mean their responses may be limited to, “I liked it!” The fact is that most people are not used to reading scripts - they undoubtedly watch TV, films and theatre, but that is a very different experience, so their thoughts may be an emotional rather than analytical response.

You can guide friends to give you more useful criticism by asking questions about areas which are causing you doubt: Was the story clear enough? What did you make of that scene? It is also possible to take a seemingly innocuous comment, such as “I really liked that character”, and then apply your own analysis - does that mean that character deserves a more pivotal role? Or do you need to do more work on the other characters to bring them up to the same level? Over time you can train friends to be more critical, but obviously that requires willingness on their part. It’s certainly wise not to exploit anyone’s kindness by incessantly bombarding them with your latest piece and having the dreaded elephant of “Have you read my script yet?” constantly trumpeting in the room.

Kindred Spirits

Consider finding other writers to read your work, as they will have artistic leanings and are more used to looking at scripts. Such people may be found in local writer’s groups or through online resources such as Twitter, or maybe you could locate someone right here in the BBC Writersroom comment section! I see you all down there - get chatting! One important thing to remember though is that if you are seeking criticism you should be prepared to receive it and endeavour not to take any negative points personally. This is not only for the sake of your relationships, but also because when working in the industry you have to maintain professionalism and cannot afford to be offended or upset when critiqued. On the flip side of this, if you do get praise and encouragement, that’s great and you should definitely use it as motivation, but don’t rely on it to the extent that you think, “My friend liked it, so everyone else should too.”

If you end up reviewing other people’s scripts, think of the type of notes you would appreciate receiving, not cruel or condescending, but not vague or pandering either. Remember you are offering perspective and possibilities. Always avoid telling people directly what they should write or even rewriting it yourself, and resist receiving that kind of feedback, as you should always want to maintain authorship unless you’re co-writing. Essentially notes from friends and peers are the first step on the journey of a script. They allow you to believe in its potential and do preliminary improvements, but with the aim of getting professional feedback, which we’ll move on to now.

Rejection Notes

The harsh reality is that a lot of responses new writers will receive are rejections. BBC Writersroom recently published a blog post about dealing with rejection, which you can peruse and be amused by here. Sending your scripts to competitions or open submissions, many examples of which you can find in our Opportunities section, are great avenues for new writers, but highly competitive. Quite often a rejection will be a generic message, or no notification at all. This can be very disheartening, but it is a matter of dusting yourself off and trying again. 

If you progress to the later stages of a competition you can potentially receive a rejection with notes. These tend to come in the form of what we’ll call a Sh*t Sandwich. This means a positive introduction, a lot of criticism about the areas which aren’t entirely working, and then a bit of encouragement to say “Keep going though!” at the end. These kind of notes can be tricky to take at first because it can be tempting to focus purely on the negativity and feel you’re not good enough. But use any disappointment as fuel to fire your efforts to improve your work. And remember that the mere fact that you are getting those notes demonstrates that the reader has seen potential in you and they think you can learn and develop by focussing on particular areas that you can strengthen. 

In this situation, look for these specifics and then consider how you can work on them. If it is something technical like structure or clarity, these can be learned through training courses, lectures, books or blogs, or many useful features on the BBC Writersroom website. If it is something more artistic, such as voice or originality, these are things you need to develop personally. Explore ways of giving your characters more defined identities, or create concepts which are more unique or perhaps personal to you. Hopefully these kinds of notes should also push you to think of your script in a more holistic way, such as your overall intention and how you expressed it. Bear in mind that even if you end up a finalist or winner you would still receive these kind of critical notes. You can also obtain notes by using a script consultant, but these are generally paid services, and it is a matter of deciding whether they would be suitable for you or not. 

Hey Mr/Ms Producer!

Outside the world of competitions, it is possible to make contact with a producer and persuade them to read your script, a tricky but not impossible undertaking, which relies more on making a personal connection through networking. However, this will also often result in a rejection and does not guarantee significant feedback. Producer notes can be quite vague and not particularly constructive, such as, “It wasn’t for me.” This can be frustrating because it doesn’t give you anything tangible to work on and improve. It can be tempting to try to push for more detail, but be very cautious about this. It really depends upon the relationship you have with the producer, and the fact is that often if they wanted to give you more specific notes, they would have done so already.

Sometimes you may simply be told that something very similar to your idea is already in development, in which case it’s a matter of moving on to another concept, while recognising that you still have a sample of your writing in your pocket. Most of the time it’s best to thank them for reading the script and then asking if it’s okay to send them future examples of your work, thus maintaining a positive relationship.

It’s important to note with these kind of rejections that, unless the reader specifically asked for it, you should not send them a rewrite of the rejected script. Instead take the pointers they have given you and apply them to the next thing you write. That doesn’t mean that you can’t take this free advice, rework the script and then send it somewhere else. Doing a rewrite may seem like hard work, but it can be good practice, and eventually if you have a script which is being developed you may get to a point where you are receiving notes for multiple rewrites. Speaking of which...

Development Notes

So if you find yourself with a producer who is asking you to rewrite a script, you may believe that you’ve finally made it and all you really need to worry about is what you'll wear to the Baftas. But this is not only where the hard work begins, it’s also a test to see how you respond to notes and what a working relationship with you would be like.

It may seem like an obvious point, but don’t be overly argumentative or belligerent. Our scripts are our precious babies, and at times it can be too tempting to protect them from any perceived attacks, like a mother bear savagely mauling a hiker who inadvertently got too near to her cubs. If you say no and disagree with every suggestion a producer makes, it not only suggests that you would be really difficult to work with, you’re actively devaluing the other person’s opinions. It is best practice to be open to suggestions, to think them over and respond with possible solutions rather than road blocks.

If something isn’t clear you can ask for clarification, if you need more time to consider it you can respond by saying you’ll take a look at it. Of course if you powerfully believe that a suggested change would fundamentally damage the script then you have the right to argue your case. As with many things in life it is about how you express yourself. If you come across as aggressive, while you may think it seems strong, it could be that the producer sees you as uncooperative or even arrogant.

At the same time don’t try so hard to be agreeable that you’re giving the thumbs up to notes you don’t understand or have no intention of implementing. Otherwise when you submit the next draft and you’ve apparently ignored points that you’d agreed to it will give the impression that you don’t really listen. It can be helpful when sending follow up drafts to summarise what you have done to address the notes you received, as well as acknowledging any that you didn’t follow and why.

Cutting and Editing

One area that writers can be particularly defensive over is the idea of cutting material. Early drafts are often longer than necessary and so it is important to cut them down for time and to ensure there’s a good pace to the story. You may well feel that everything that is in your script is there for a reason, the primary one being that you like it. But if a scene, character or plot strand doesn’t serve a clear purpose you do need to either strengthen its reason for being there or be prepared to remove it. The idea of ‘killing your darlings’ is well established, and it’s important to remember that, since you really liked that element which you created you are able to create other elements that you will like just as much. Also there is always the potential to recycle what you have removed for a more suitable purpose, even in a different script. And if you don’t make the cuts at the script stage they could potentially be removed in the edit, where you have less creative control.

A similar note that may be tricky to adopt is the idea of moving around scenes and altering the time line. This can be intimidating if you feel you have a clear structure in your mind, but it can be as simple as cutting and pasting scenes into a different order. It’s a matter of looking at your script not as a sacred tome which can’t be adjusted, but something flexible and organic which can go through many iterations. You can even try alternative drafts to see which feels the best.

Thinking Practically

Be aware that there’s a high chance that praise will diminish even more at this more practical stage of development because people are essentially getting on with it rather than pandering to your ego. They will potentially only focus on critiquing what isn’t working rather than complimenting what is. A wise producer once told me, “If we don’t mention something that’s because it’s good. We’re only giving you notes on the parts which need to be as good as the rest.” With this in mind, don’t be tempted to rampantly rewrite an entire script because of a couple of criticisms. You could inadvertently throw out good material in your fervour. It’s about remembering that no one is trying to demean or belittle you, they are trying to help you improve and strengthen your work.

Every once in a while it is possible that you may get notes that you simply do not agree with. Obviously this can be difficult, particularly if you feel this is a rare opportunity for you to progress, and it requires personal strength and resolve to see if you can find a way to work through it. But sometimes it may be necessary to recognise you and your producer have completely contrasting opinions, and doing what they ask would result in writing something you don’t want to. But hopefully if someone likes your work in the first place they would never be offering destructive notes!

Seeing the Trees in the Woods

It’s important to remember that whenever you get a note there is always something there to be considered. The reader may not express it properly, or they could offer a solution that you don’t care for. But the point is that they responded in a way where they felt something wasn’t quite right and it is your task to figure out appropriate ways to fix it. Sometimes they can be small and simple. If you are told that a character isn’t likeable, that doesn’t mean you need to get rid of them or drastically alter them. Rather look for moments where they can show their humanity and behave empathetically, so the audience can better understand them. Other times they may be a bigger undertaking. If the conclusion of the story is seen as unfulfilling you may have to go back to the very beginning and rework every step of the plot, or even replace it with a whole new idea.

At times you may get a note where you think the reader has simply missed important information, and maybe they have, but remember that you know this story inside out. It is possible that while you know what is happening you may not have made it entirely clear, and maybe you need to add in little moments to increase clarity. While your brain is full of backstory and character details, if it isn’t apparent on the page then it isn’t evident to the reader, and an audience would share this confusion. This is the benefit of notes, as they offer an outside perspective which can express what someone coming to your work with no prior knowledge would experience.

So, what have we learned?

In summary, the key factors to remember are openness, compromise and a balanced attitude. Creating a script may feel like a solitary activity when you’re writing away on your own, but to produce something from that script is a highly collaborative process. In a production there will be all sorts of people and departments with concerns and requirements. It is therefore advantageous to know how to cooperate with others and respond effectively to notes as early as possible. With that in mind, hopefully you'll be inspired to get a kind soul to give you some notes, or offer some thoughts to a fellow BBC Writersroom user, and continue to develop your writing!

Check out Robin's blog post on Studio Sitcom

Coping with Rejection - some advice on the unavoidable

Networking, Agents, Treatments, Top Tips - read a series of blog posts for us from script guru Philip Shelley

A lot has changed since I last wrote a blog post for Writersroom almost two years ago. I’m a little older, a little tougher (physically, not mentally - I had a spurt) and I now collect receipts like some kind of anorak who can’t afford a Panini sticker album.

Ah, the life of the freelance writer. In May last year I finished my bursary at Radio Comedy and passed the baton on to the next pair of joke monkeys. I learned a lot at the BBC. But, honestly, in the end I outgrew them and had to move on to bigger and better things. Arguably, many people wouldn’t consider writing from home whilst looking after a dying cat ‘bigger’ or ‘better’, but to those people I say “I haven’t got time to argue, I need to give Rollo his antibiotics”.

But it wasn’t always this way. I didn’t always command the authority and respect usually reserved for Premier League footballers or Victoria’s Secret angels, as is the case for all main writers on The News Quiz.

… No. As I write this blog, I realise the most important thing on my journey to becoming the third best writer in the world (after Ben Elton and Katie Price) was… Erm… I don’t know.

That may be a disappointing thing to read in a blog about ‘succeeding’ as a freelance writer. I understand we’re all looking for some guaranteed success. A ‘magic formula’. But they don’t exist really. Look at your junk mail folder - we all know the miracle formulas on offer there won’t really make you a great lover or super-hairy. Or a super-hairy lover. So why wouldn’t you be skeptical if someone told you they could guarantee you success at something as difficult and as abstract as comedy writing?

Maybe I’m a cynic, hardened by life and feline mortality. But I think there’s truth behind this. Too often in life we look to take the shortcut. But in writing you really can’t. There is nothing I or anyone could write here which will guarantee you your own sitcom by the time you’ve scrolled to the bottom (but how good would that be? Read that blog instead.). The best thing you can do – especially when starting off – is take every opportunity you possibly can to learn, because you never know what one seemingly minor thing could lead to.

Some days you’re not so busy. Some days you’re not even funny (for instance, I really wish I wrote this blog yesterday because I was killing it). But it’s important to motivate yourself to use your time constructively. It’s easy to say you’re a writer and then put everything off until ‘tomorrow’ without putting pen to paper. Fortunately, the bursary gave me the opportunity to write sketches and gags all day every day. I’ve never worked for British Gas, but I’m assuming a job there would be different. Still, wherever you work, you would expect to learn the basics of your craft. So use your time to do that, and keep polishing these skills. Read some story-writing books, write some gags. Practice your pipette handling on a British shorthair. You never know when that will come in handy on The Now Show.

I occasionally speak at BBC events and conferences designed to help out budding writers. Mainly this is so I can sniff out any potential early and put them off before they take my money. But it’s also so I can steal good ideas. Still, if it’s early days in your writing career, going along to one of these could kickstart your own run of opportunities. I was recently on a New Comedy Awards comedy writing workshop panel in Hackney alongside Radio 4 Producers. Here, not only do those in attendance get to listen to whatever nonsense I have to say, you also get to put a face to a producer whose work you admire, and can find out directly what they’re looking for. This saves so much time and guesswork. You’ll probably be Richard Curtis by half four.

So do that. Then send some sketches to Newsjack. Or The Show What You Wrote. You could even submit your comedy scripts to Writersroom, because nothing helps as much as feedback (unless it’s bad feedback right? In which case blah blah blah (note: this is the wrong attitude)). From here, opportunities collide to create yet further opportunity. This is what I did and now look at me! Other shows you can’t blindly submit to have begun to trust and employ me. I eat twice a week at Zizzi’s. And before long you too could have the kind of exciting lifestyle where you’re able to write a sketch for Dead Ringers in the morning and then bury a cat in the afternoon (RIP :( ).

Because comedy seems to reward perseverance. And in no way do I feel I’m beyond the hard work – quite the opposite – but I at least now see how important taking each step was to make my ‘career’ even remotely credible, even if I didn’t realise these were important steps at the time. I can now think ‘where next?’ as opposed to ‘where do I start?’ And by the time I write my next blog, I want to be the most successful man in the world. Or at least bigger than Prince. So dream big, and don’t pass up any opportunity whilst getting there. There’s loads of jokes to write along the way.

And if that fails, you do what everyone else does. Grow your hair long and practice forging a well-known tennis player’s signature. You think cat medicine grows on trees?

For Rollo – my fluffy leg-buffer as I sat writing jokes.

Send your script into Script Room 9 - Comedy by Thursday 2nd April at MIDDAY

Find out more about opportunities to write for Newsjack and watch the video guide to getting involved with the show.

Read our tips on Writing Radio Comedy and explore opportunities for comedy writer on our Opportunities page.

Steve Pemberton, writer and actor for shows such as A League of Gentlemen, Psychoville and Benidorm, talks to BBC Writersroom about his upcoming 2nd series of Inside No. 9. A dark comedy anthology which he co-writes/co-stars in with Reece Shearsmith.

You caused a lot of discussion and acclaim for your silent episode ‘A Quiet Night In’ last series; do you have any similar convention breaking episodes in this upcoming series?

Well we decided early on not to try another silent episode, in spite of countless people asking us if we were going to. We felt that "A Quiet Night In" worked well on its own terms and that it would be foolish to do an inferior version of it. We have done an episode in the new series which is set in a volunteer call centre, the Comfort Support Line. The idea was that we'd film one telephone booth on a static CCTV camera and then watch someone taking the calls. In a way it's the polar opposite of "A Quiet Night In" because it is so static and all about listening, but we stuck with the conceit and I think it really paid off. It's an experimental format, but that's what an anthology series allows you to do.

Did you write these characters with particular actors in mind including yourself? And are there any parts where you cast someone else but wish you could have played?

We never write with particular actors in mind, although people will often pop into our heads once we've started. In the case of La Couchette we wrote a funny character called Hugo who is a posh backpacker, but it wasn't until halfway through that Jack Whitehall popped into our heads. It did help that he was a huge fan and had expressed an interest in working with us. As we were writing it felt like I would have played Maxwell and Reece would have played Les. Then Reece said he wanted to play Maxwell and I considered being Les before finally plumping for Jorg. We will usually make sure there are at least two characters that we could play, but we won't decide which way round we'll play them until we have all 6 scripts written. There has to be a balance, so we'll do a bit of role-trading at the end, and it's often surprising to us how it ends up. But I was always keen that the show didn't turn into a "look at my wig this week!" vanity project where Reece and I always play the two central roles and no-one else gets a look in. That would become predictable. We wanted the writing and ideas to dictate our roles, not vice-versa. My favourite episode in the new series is "The 12 Days of Christine", and Reece and I have very small roles in that one - make of that what you will!

With your distinctive dark comedy forming the backdrop to a number of your shows - could you ever see a cross-over of Inside No. 9 and The League of Gentlemen/Psychoville? Could Papa Lazarou or Mr Jelly ever turn up? Or are they different worlds in your mind?

We did have a discussion about using David and Maureen in Inside No. 9. We were struggling with "The Understudy" script in the first series, and couldn't decide whether to write it with professional actors or amateurs. We worried that it might be a bit in-jokey using professional actors as the characters, but in the end we felt like it was a world we knew well and I'm really pleased we kept it that way. But when we were discussing making it an amateur group we thought it might be fun to use Maureen as the Lady Macbeth character, egging her son David on to commit more "bad murders" and work himself up the cast list. Ultimately though it didn't feel right to mix up the worlds like that, and Inside No. 9 had to earn its own place in the comedy universe without leaning on our past work. Having said that, some cryptic references are nice: "Psychoville" was how The League of Gentlemen was referred to when it was screened in Japan or South Korea, and in the "Tom & Gerri" episode of Inside No. 9, Gemma Arterton's character was working for a theatre director called Ollie, who we imagined was Ollie Plimsoles from Legz Akimbo, so we'll sometimes put in the odd reference like that for fans.

How do you and Reece develop your ideas for the series? Does it start with the room setting?

Sometimes the setting is the starting point, "La Couchette" was a case in point as I'd just done an overnight journey on holiday in France. "Cold Comfort", the call-centre one, began with the location and we allowed the story to grow from that situation. Other times we'll just think of a trigger to start writing - Reece suggested a seance or a witch-trial - and then we'll see if we can tell that story without moving from the confines of a single location. As a writing exercise it's really useful to put these limitations in place, I think it makes you sharper and more creative and economical.

You and Reece make your Directing debuts in this series. Has Directing changed the way you write? Similarly does being a performer influence your writing?

Certainly being a performer helps the writing. You're aware that you're going to end up playing one of these characters so they'd better all be good! As an actor reading a script you just want to get a very clear idea of what the role is that you're playing, or hoping to play, and if you don't get that then you lose interest. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of who's who if all the characters sound the same, so we hopefully know how to present the characters on the page to entice the actors to the roles, that's how we manage to get such good casts I think. It's certainly not for the money! We didn't know which episodes we would be directing as we wrote the scripts so I don't think that influenced us, but I think if we did it again I'd want to direct something without being onscreen quite so much, it's just very hard to do justice to both jobs at the same time. But the main advantage of acting in and/or directing your own scripts is that the central vision is more likely to remain intact, especially if you have a good relationship with your producers and collaborators as we have.

Is it easier to write self-contained episodes and not worry about serial story arcs?

I've found the writing of Inside No. 9 to be quite liberating, starting with a blank sheet every week. In a way it's daunting because you have to carve out a new setting, storyline and characters each time, but you only have to hold them in your head for 30 pages without thinking "oh it'll be great if his secret comes out in ep5" or "that's a series 2 idea". You just dive straight in with the knowledge that you have to reach a conclusion within the same half-hour, and that's refreshing. Hopefully there's no padding, and let's face it we've all seen episodes of shows, even if we love them, which have felt repetitive or inert.

You send the audience all over the place with Inside No. 9, similar to the way that Jack Whitehall was flung around in the filming of the first episode of the series ‘La Couchette’, which caused him to be sick! Would you say having numerous twists is a conscious characteristic of the show?

We like to keep the audience guessing and constantly surprise them, but we found that the word "twist" soon becomes reductive. It seemed like people would judge the episodes on the so-called twist, and if there wasn't one, then the episode "wasn't as good". Our aim to is to write things which you have to lean into, you have to watch actively, and if you do that your attention will be repaid. We've always enjoyed that style of writing though, it's there in The League of Gentlemen and in Psychoville.

How has the Comedy landscape changed for writers during your career?

I remember that doing sketches in Edinburgh in 1996 felt quite outre, the comedy scene was more stand-up dominated. Then sketch shows gained momentum with the likes of The Fast Show and Armstrong and Miller, up to The League of Gentlemen and Little Britain, and the stand-ups couldn't get a look in. Now it feels like panel shows have helped bring things back round and the sketch show seems out of favour again. Which is a huge shame because so many writers get their breaks writing these short-form pieces and it's a great way to learn what works and what your voice is. However I'm getting the feeling that there are lots of great sketch acts out there waiting to make a mark - we watched Gein's Family Gift Shop in Edinburgh and I was really keen to get them involved in the new series - and the likes of Max and Ivan, Toby and WitTank all seem to be making their mark.

What advice would you give to someone starting out as a Comedy writer now?

I guess work hard and keep writing. It's more frustrating for the struggling actor because you can't act in isolation, you need a project, someone needs to choose you to do something. A writer can always write! My main advice, which I need to heed myself every day, is that the first draft doesn't need to be perfect, you can learn what the first scene needs to be by the time you've written the last scene. I'm guilty of opening up the laptop and always fiddling with the first 5 pages instead of ploughing on to the end.

Are you currently working on anything else? Including any potential future episode thoughts for Inside No. 9?

Well Reece and I have another commission for a one-off project at the BBC, and we'd also like to do another series of Inside No. 9, so we'll have to see how series 2 goes down. If we get a third series I'd love to do an online spin-off, a "No. 9A" perhaps, and work with new and emerging comedy writers. The format has so many opportunities and can incorporate so many styles, as long as you stick to the small cast, single location constraint. I think it's really important to bring through fresh voices

Inside No. 9 returns on BBC Two on Thursday 26 March 2015 at 10pm

Find out more about Inside No. 9 and watch on BBC iPlayer

Read and download Inside no. 9 scripts including 'The 12 Days of Christine'

Watch last series' Interactive online episode 'The Inventors'

To discover more about last year's online episode 'The Inventors' and how it was made see the BBC TV Blog

Some ideas begin with a character, some with a story, or a theme. Early Warning began with a photograph; a black and white image of a concrete dish, a massive monolith, like a giant satellite dish, stood isolated on a shingle beach.  It looked like some strange brutalist piece of architecture.  It was only later, talking to a friend who lived on the coast, I discovered it was, in fact, an ‘acoustic mirror’ – built before the First World War as part of an early warning system to detect incoming enemy aircraft.   A hundred years ago there was a whole chain of these extraordinary structures dotted along the coastline, each manned by an operator who’d sit in a bunker at the foot of the dish listening over headphones to a microphone positioned in the centre of the mirror, scanning the horizon for alien sounds.  They were known locally as ‘Listening Ears’.

I’ve always been interested in sound.  After leaving film school I worked for a time as a dubbing editor on television documentaries.  My job was to create the finished soundtrack by gathering together background ‘atmos’ tracks from sound libraries, as well as recording ‘spot fx’ in studio, before laying them down in layers, sometimes up to a dozen at a time.  So when I was asked to put forward an idea for The Wire, I jumped at the opportunity to write a play that really experimented with the medium.  And I realize now just how important that training as editor has been to my writing; not only in terms of understanding structure and the way scenes are cut together, but also in inspiring my interest in audio drama. 

Even though I was convinced that these bizarre ‘sound sculptures’ offered tremendous potential for a radio play, it took me a while to work out exactly how to incorporate them into some kind of narrative.  I needed a way in - a human story.  Just as I imagined the operators sat in their bunkers, listening for hours on end, trying to discern the distant hum of an engine from all the other sounds of the landscape, so I tried to establish what was important.  What was this play really about? 

As tends to happen, if you think long and hard enough, characters begin to emerge.  Gradually they become clearer, until they take on a life of their own.   So by the time I started to write the script I found that I had my protagonist; a profoundly deaf fourteen-year-old girl, called Ella – an outsider, recently moved to the coast - someone for whom the ‘Listening Ear’ plays a crucial role.  But whilst this was a start, it wasn’t enough.  Unlike film, where a writer has the luxury of creating scenes that are purely visual, in radio the story needs to be told, either through some form of narration, or by having characters divulge information through dialogue.  As I wanted Ella to be a loner, unhappy both at school and at home, I knew that if I wasn’t careful I could simply end up writing a monologue, as she expressed her thoughts through voice-over.  I therefore needed to create other characters for Ella to interact with and so came up with Leanne, a school friend, and an old man whom Ella meets out on The Marsh; both of whose stories needed to tie in with the main narrative.  (Although, at this point, I was still unsure exactly what that narrative was.  All I knew was that Ella would hear something in the dish – something disturbing and that because she was deaf no one would believe her.)  It was only when I began to experiment with the individual layers that the bigger picture started to appear – a process not unlike creating a sound track. 

In the original treatment I’d imagined events of the past echoing those of the present and so now needed to decide whether to dramatise those events (cutting between the two time frames) or simply set the entire play in the present and have the characters reveal their own stories.  I decided on the latter.  It seemed simpler and given the other elements that I was considering introducing, potentially less confusing. 

So I had my basic framework – a structure – what was lacking was detail.  If I was to write convincingly about a deaf girl I needed to know what it was like to inhabit her world.  I often find it more helpful to research an idea once I’ve worked out the basic plot, even if this then changes as a result of subsequent investigation.  After being put in touch with an audiologist I arranged to meet a group of deaf teenagers who gave me an invaluable insight into their lives; the day-to-day difficulties of being at school, making friends, the practicalities of wearing a hearing aid – the pressures and advantages of not being able to hear.  From the hours spent talking to them, certain themes began to emerge - isolation – frustration – alienation – themes which sparked new thoughts – new layers of narrative.   Inspired by our meeting at the clinic I also decided that Ella should undergo a hearing test over the course of the play which triggers memories from the past.

It’s rare when writing a play that I ever envisage the whole piece from start to finish – usually it grows in complexity as characters become more rounded and storylines become interwoven.  This was certainly the case with Early Warning; in fact the script changed continually, right up to the point of recording and beyond.  One of the luxuries of writing for radio is that the writer is involved in the whole process, from casting through to the final edit.  Sitting in the edit suite listening to the extraordinary soundscape created by sound designer, Steve Brooke, I felt very privileged.  A writer can only imagine so much; the script is just a starting point, a baton to be passed on in a relay.  Fortunately, in this case, it ended up in the safe hands of a brilliant director, Nadia Molinari, who gathered around her an amazing cast.

Listen to Early Warning this Saturday 23rd February at 21:00 on BBC Radio 3 as part of The Wire series. Richard Monks' thriller is about a deaf girl who believes that she has heard a murder – her fight to be heard forces her to take action, putting her own life in danger. 

The Early Warning script is available to download from our script library. 

 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographic Division.

As part of the Centennial studioSTRIKE in partnership with Directors from the Young Vic’s Genesis Directors Programme there will be staged public performances, readings and recordings of the scripts.

The Bread and Roses strikes were momentarily lost to history, and yet it is hard to overemphasise their significance. They tackled misrepresentations surrounding women, immigrants and unskilled workers by proving that they were fully able to organize and mobilize themselves into the labour movement.

Image courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographic Division. 
 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographic Division. 

I’ll leave the last word to those that stood up for the textile workers:

“We, the 20,000 textile workers of Lawrence, are out on strike for the right to live free from slavery and starvation; free from overwork and underpay; free from a state of affairs that had become so unbearable and beyond our control, that we were compelled to march out of the slave pens of Lawrence in united resistance against the wrongs and injustice of years and years of wage slavery.” Proclamation of the strikers.

Blog by Afshin Dehkordi, Co-founder studioSTRIKE  

Bread & Roses Centennial Rapid Response is a partnership between BBC writersroom & studioSTRIKE.  You can find out more details of how to enter on our opportunities page.

To find out more about the key characters on both sides, the murder trial, the displacement of the children across the country see Studio Strike website

For more information on what judge, Paul Laverty, looks for in a story read his recent interview on IdeasTap

Our crack team of comedy-readers have been getting their teeth into your scripts all week and we’re slowly but surely accumulating a pile of YES scripts, an even bigger pile of MAYBE scripts – and an even bigger pile of NO scripts. There have been all manner of ideas and worlds, from heaven to the gates of hell, from a youth hostel to public toilets, from mind-altered mice to a cheese-making messiah.

There have been a lot of common recurrences, and in truth commonly made mistakes. One thing the readers have noticed is the tendency towards what we call ‘sitcom-land’ scripts - where the world/characters could only really exist in a sitcom and don’t quite have that whiff of authenticity they need to ring true. Lots of flatshares, lots of made redundant/can’t get a job situations, lots of actors/comedians/writers trying to make it as actors/comedians/writers, lots of pubs and cafes, a fair few 30-40-something women looking for love.

They’ve also noticed a lot of exposition, setting-up and introducing of characters/world – and not enough episode story (take a look back at episode one of sitcoms you know and love – how did they start?)

And although we’ve had lots of audience/studio shows as stipulated, there’s been a sizeable amount with numerous locations and numerous exterior sequences that aren’t primarily filmable in front of a live studio audience – and we’ve even had a fair few that are absolutely, definitely single-camera rather studio shows. Of course, if we think they’re really funny, then we’ll still want to keep an eye on those writers – but it means the scripts will struggle to progress to the shortlist because the judges are expecting to see studio sitcoms.

There’s been lots of debate and discussion across the table about what constitutes a great studio show. And the most important thing – there are scripts in there that the readers think are really good, really funny, with real potential. Fingers crossed, by Tuesday 10 April we’ll have a better idea which scripts will have earned the writers an invite to the workshop/masterclass day. Watch this space …

Last year I pitched the idea to a director I’ve worked with a lot (in radio and more recently, in TV) Pauline Harris. She liked some of the ideas and characters. After a discussion with Kate Rowland, Pauline and I discussed aspects of the play that would be suitable for BBC Radio 3's The Wire slot. We wanted to take an honest look at what it’s like living on the streets today. So the Wet House went. On her way to work one morning Pauline stopped to chat to a woman begging. This woman agreed to talk to us. A number of interviews took place, each one more illuminating than the last. ‘Roz’ (as she became in the play) was a long term drug addict. Some of her stories were astonishing and inspiring. And like lots of people who live on the margins she had great insights about life. We met her daughters too. We were struck by the love and acceptance between them. They had an extraordinary relationship and yet the usual mother/daughter tensions were there too. There was so much material it was difficult deciding what to focus on. But we had some existing characters and ideas so we found a story that would accommodate them all.

It was a difficult process for me. As any writer knows once you are drawn to a story you have to trust and believe in it totally in order to do your best. I really struggled with getting rid of the Wet House...which was the dramatic heart of the stage play...it had been the thing that had hooked me in the first place. And it felt like I was throwing the baby out with the bath water. (I’ll be scratching that itch later in the year in a site specific theatre piece at St. Luke’s, the ‘bombed out Church’ in Liverpool).

Foolishly I imagined it would be easier having an existing play as inspiration rather than starting from scratch, but it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I found it difficult to let go of original ideas and dramatic devices but we all wanted to make the best work we could and like any collaborative process there had to be compromises. Pauline and I had to create new scenarios and story lines for the radio drama.

There were lots of creative arguments, tears and sabre rattling but I had to find a way to believe that what I was doing was right and true for me. I didn’t want any of the scenes to sound like they were expositional interviews....I pride myself on my characters sounding like real people saying things that real people say but we weren’t making a verbatim drama so getting that balance between interviews and imagined dialogue was really difficult. With great direction and a brilliant cast I think, mostly, we achieved it. It’s a piece of work we are immensely proud of.

Download the script for Tony Teardrop from the BBC writersroom Script Library.

Watch an interview we did with Esther Wilson below:

 

Welcome to our brand spanking new website. And welcome to the Script Room. We’ve been saying for a while that a new improved system is on the way, and here it is: the Script Room.

First things first – what WON’T change about how you can submit scripts outside of one-off talent searches?

• Script Room will still accept full scripts for TV, film, radio and theatre
• Script Room will still be open to any writer in the UK and Eire
• Script Room will still assess all scripts by sifting the first ten pages in the first instance
• A limited proportion of scripts will still receive script reports/feedback from the Script Room
• We will still look for the same strengths we ever have – anauthentic writer'svoice, powerful ideas, vivid worlds, well-told stories, engaging characters, memorable scripts- and talent and potential in the writer
• Specific one-off talent searches and competitions will still run alongside the Script Room

So far, so good. What, then, has been IMPROVED about what we do?

• Script Room won’t be open year-round in a rolling system; we will instead make three calls for scripts each year - in the Spring, Autumn and New Year - and each call will have a window for submissions and a deadline. The first window will open in the last week of March 2012 and the deadline will close on May 21st 2012. Watch the Send a Script and Opportunities pages, and this Blog and Twitter, for more information when the door opens.
• Script Room will log all submissions together and assess all scripts together intensively. A proportion of writers who progress well and show promise but do not reach the final selection will be offered feedback on their script. And most importantly, a group of writers who do progress right the way through the system will form the Script Room Selection - where they will have access to masterclasses/workshops, and direct contact with the writersroom team.
• Writers will need to complete a Cover Sheet with their script - and will need to make sure their script meets the guidelines. If you don't complete one, and if we can't easily contact you to get one for the deadline, then your script will not be accepted. The Cover Sheet will be available to download when the window opens later in March
• Writers will not be able to resubmit any script which has previously been considered - whether that’s in the old unsolicited system, any previous talent search or competition, or any previous call from the Script Room
• In line with BBC Environment Policy, we will wherever possible recycle all scripts received as a matter of usual practice, and contact writers via email. If you want your script returned or do not have regular access to email/internet, then you mustenclose an SAE

So a lot has stayed the same regarding what you can send - but how we receive, process and follow-through will, we think, be much improved. It will be a leaner, more efficient system to run - and we reckon writers will get a response/decision on their submission quicker than they do now.

The main reason for doing this is to focus as much as we can on the small proportion of writers we are excited about- along the lines of the talent searches we already run. Writersroom, like every other part of the BBC, has been looking at how to make what we do more efficient and cost-effective, and we think the Script Room will do just that - while continuing to offer the same open door to writers.

Please look at the relevant sections, and the website as a whole, before asking questions that already have answers provided elsewhere . You have some time before the first window opens – and plenty of time before the first deadline looms.

Look forward to seeing your work in the Script Room!

Writersroom will soon be launching a fantastic new, improved, more efficient, more effective script system. Full details will be announced when our website is relaunched in early March 2012.

So all writers who are planning to send a script, please do this one thing for us: HOLD ON TO YOUR SCRIPT and WAIT until all the details are announced in March. If your script is eligible to send in now, then it will still be eligible to send in then. Please don't rush your script in before 1 March - if you do then it will simply go into the current system. But it would be better off in the new system.

We want to reassure all of you that the new system will continue to accept TV, radio, film and theatre scripts from writers in the UK, whether or not you not have experience, agents or contacts - just as it does now.

So:

- Please don't ask us for further details - everything will be published early March.

- Please don't send us a script for the new system until full details go live in March.

- We will continue to process scripts currently in the system - if you wish to hold yours over for the new system, please email your request ASAP stating your script reference, name and script title with the subject header 'RESERVE MY SCRIPT' to: writersroom@bbc.co.uk. (Please note we can only do this if your script has not already been looked at by a reader.)

- Eligible scripts received as of 1 March will automatically be considered for the new system only.

 

Prisoners' Wives is a mainstream show, popular telly, aiming to get a mass audience. To that end, I was asked to create strong characters who undergo big transformative journeys, but it was the moments of truth and authenticity that these women generously shared with us that I hope will connect most with our audience.

Download the script for episode one of Prisoners' Wives, written by Julie Gearey from our online script library.

Watch a clip from the episode below.

 

Prisoners' Wives is on BBC One tonight at 9pm.  Find out more about the characters in the series on the programme page.