Firstly you may have noticed that we have a new name and a new look! From this week we’ll be known as BBC Writers, losing the ‘Room’ suffix after 23 years of loyal service. Our rebranding is part of a bigger refresh across the whole of the BBC which began back in October 2021 with core services including News, Sport and iPlayer. This is now being rolled out across the organisation. We saw this as an opportunity to revisit our name, which has tended to cause some confusion in recent years, as the US writers’ room system has become more familiar in this country. (There had also been an intractable problem relating to an apostrophe, but it’s better not to dwell on that … )

Regardless of what we are called, our core purpose - to find, develop and champion the best scriptwriting talent from across the UK and Republic of Ireland - remains the same.

With that in mind, a reminder that our next Open Call script submission window is open from next week (Tuesday 7th November) until noon on Tuesday 5th December. This is our main annual opportunity, open to all writers aged 18 or over and based in the UK or Republic of Ireland. Full details are here. The outcome for writers who are successful in the Open Call is the possibility of a place in one of two of our development groups, Voices which includes around 70 writers each year, is run from our six hubs across the UK, and lasts for six months or Scripted which lasts for 12 months and includes the creation of a new ‘spec’ script with the support of a professional Script Editor.

If you’re looking for advice for your Open Call submission, then watch our webinar from earlier this week ‘Get the Inside Scoop’.

Even if you don’t gain a place in one of our groups this time (and most of the writers in the groups have entered our Open Call several times before they gain a place) you still get on our radar, which can include invitations to events or opportunities. The most recent of these, ‘In Conversation with Jesse Armstrong’ took place last Friday in the Radio Theatre in BBC Broadcasting House in London. Jesse is the brilliant co-creator (with Sam Bain) of shows including Peep Show and Fresh Meat and creator of the BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe winning Succession. The attendees included members of our groups and writers who reached the full-read stage of our last Open Call. They were enthralled as Jesse shared pearls of wisdom in response to questions posed by script-guru John Yorke and members of the audience. We also took the opportunity to interview Jesse for our website, so keep an eye out for that, coming soon.

Finally some news relating to our regionally-specific work.

Last week saw the release of the sixth series of The Break – our returning strand of dramatic monologues by writers who are new to broadcast. Watch all four episodes on BBC iPlayer. For this series all the writers are from the West Midlands region and include writers who took part in our Coventry development group as part of Coventry City of Culture back in 2021. Hear from them about the experience of writing their episodes on our blog.

In the meantime, keep watching great new drama from the BBC, including the second series of Time, which began last Sunday on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer. You can read and watch interviews with writers Jimmy McGovern and Helen Black (who gained her first scriptwriting break through one of our opportunities) over on our blog.

We’re looking forward to reading your work and will be back with our next update around Christmas.

The Executive Producers for BBC Writersroom are Simon Nelson and Usman Mullan. The Executive Producers for BBC Studios are Mike Hobson and Nichol Hoye.

Simon Nelson, Development Executive at the Writersroom, shared his thoughts on Series 6 of The Break:

"We’re delighted to release our latest series of The Break representing some amazing writing talent from the West Midlands. Having set up a Voices group in Coventry and holding several workshops in the wider West Midlands, we invited local writers to pitch a short film idea for this series. In partnership with our colleagues in BBC Studios – and across several very intensive filming days – we created these films which we hope reflect the voice and spirit of the area."

Watch Series 6 of The Break on BBC iPlayer

Please enjoy watching their dramas and find out more about their experiences below.

BTEC Britney by Tal Davies

"This is my first commission, and I absolutely underestimated how eye-opening it would be. It’s easy to get stuck in your own little bubble when it’s just your written project, but seeing it come to life on screen was invaluable.

The process becomes so collaborative from the moment your script goes into development – the episode is no longer just your baby, and the piece will evolve in ways you didn’t expect, but will be so much richer for it! I also learned a great deal from a practical standpoint when I attended the shoot. There were times in my script where I thought I was keeping it simple, such as the Balti house scenes, but I quickly discovered that the inclusion of food and several small stage directions make it much more complicated to film from a continuity perspective! These are factors that I wouldn’t have even thought of, had I not seen first-hand how much work goes into every small detail when filming.

This whole experience has had a really positive influence on my writing, and I’ve gained so much more awareness and fresh perspective to bring to future projects thanks to this opportunity."

Cricket Test by Omar Khan

"I’d watched The Break since season 1 and knew it was an incredible opportunity for new writers to have their worked screened on BBC Three. I pitched the idea of “The Cricket Test” which was inspired by the racism case going on at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

I was amazed to have been selected as I knew it was highly competitive. The drafting process was quick and all happened within a month. I was grateful to Simon Nelson for the time taken to get my script right and then a few weeks later we were filming in Birmingham. I was invited to the shoot and thrilled to see my work come to life – my original character and my original story.

I’m delighted to know that I have a BBC Three credit and a solid example of my work to show the industry. Schemes like this are so worthwhile as they give you real world experience of being able to take the project from idea to a finished episode all within a few months. I have learned massively from this process and would advise any other writers to apply when the next opportunity comes."

Loved by Laura Maloney

"The predominant challenge of writing a short monologue is condensing the drama without losing any dramatic tension or heart.

I started writing LOVED after seeing the competition posted on BBC Writersroom and thankfully, Cassie came quite easily. She poured out into a very (too) long, fifteen page monologue. As a middle class, state educated British woman, I wanted Cassie’s vulnerability and femaleness to reflect the conflicts that I and many friends have experienced. Cassie’s under pressure; a victim of societal expectations. The initial pitch was overloaded with themes and contemporary issues, but I hadn’t yet managed to communicate the story I wanted to tell. However, I understand the producers, Usman Mullan and Simon Nelson, read the monologue, and found Cassie’s voice intriguing.

With the help of a workshop led by Usman and a few 1-2-1 sessions with Simon, I honed the pitch, focussing on Cassie’s singular conflict – why do I really want a baby? For the first draft this made the writing a lot simpler, and the Cassie that we see on screen is very much a stripped-down version of my initial idea. She’s better for it. Cassie feels very personal to me so, as with all script work, getting from script to screen is a process of letting go, but I know she’s in safe hands."

Wolverine Woman by Katie Arnstein

"I was over the moon to learn I'd been chosen to write for BBC Three's The Break earlier this year. What followed, of course, moments after celebrating, was the crushing realisation that I would have to write something for BBC Three's The Break.

The piece I ended up writing, Wolverine Woman, is the first thing that I have written for television and so the pressure was on. Here is what I learnt from this incredible process which I am incredibly grateful for.

1. If you keep coming back to an idea, it is probably the one you want to explore, so trust in it.
   
   
2. Try to solve all of the potential problems in your piece at the pitch stage of writing. If you, like me, would rather put off difficult things until later, you're giving yourself less time to find a suitable solution and probably be stressed.
   
   
3. If you've got five minutes to tell a story, try and use every second of those five minutes to tell it.
   
   
4. Make the script as clear as possible in terms of your vision for it and then trust that the director (in my case the superb Clare Anyiam-Osigwe) and their team will realise it.

I feel like Wolverine Woman is everything I want to say in five minutes and I have learnt so much from this process."

Find out more about The Break and watch the films from Series 6 now on BBC iPlayer

Catch up on all previous episodes of The Break on BBC iPlayer

For this sixth series, all the writers are from the West Midlands region. The five successful writers are: Sâmir Bhamra, Katie Arnstein, Laura Maloney, Tal Davies and Omar Khan. The two directors are Tenisha White and Clare Anyiam-Osigwe. Amongst the writers selected this year, following an open call out on the BBC Writersroom website, are three who were part of BBC Writersroom’s Coventry Voices development group, an initiative which ran as part of Coventry City of Culture in 2021 to develop their writing skills and secure opportunities across the BBC’s scripted output.

The series will be produced for BBC Three by BBC Studios Continuing Drama Productions. The Executive Producers for BBC Writersroom are Simon Nelson and Usman Mullan. The Executive Producers for BBC Studios are Mike Hobson and Nichol Hoye.

Jess Loveland, Head of BBC Writersroom says: “We’re delighted that production of series six of our micro short series, The Break, has taken place in Birmingham this month. It has been a privilege to work with these incredible new storytellers from the West Midlands and bring their stories to the screen. Our production partner, BBC Studios, has designed an innovative production model for the shorts that sees crew members stepping up roles on set. The shorts will therefore provide meaningful career development opportunities for both above and below the line talent. We can’t wait to share these dynamic and original short films with BBC Three and BBC iPlayer audiences later in the year.”

Mike Hobson, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Continuing Drama Productions says: “It has been a great pleasure working with the BBC Writersroom once again. Nurturing new talent is what we do best in Birmingham and we have been thrilled to work with two, exciting, new local directors who have stamped their mark on these brilliant, creative scripts. I am incredibly proud of the production teams who have worked tirelessly to bring these scripts to life and am looking forward to audiences immersing themselves in these diverse and thought-provoking stories.“

About the writers and their films:

Sâmir Bhamra

Make U Amazing

A late night no-strings hook up blooms into rich romance for a trans-identifying bridal Make-Up Artist. But when she is arrested, she is forced to confront her experiences to discover what makes her amazing. 

Sâmir says "I love to look into our history and behaviours to find and tell tomorrow’s stories today. At the heart of it, I am interested in how relationships make up and break up. The BBC Writersroom process has pushed me to think in a different voice (from my past works) to suit a BBC Three audience. In the process, Make U Amazing became a personal challenge to address intimate observations and unspoken truths so that all communities can have a more authentic tomorrow.”

Sâmir Bhamra is a Kenyan born, Midlands based writer, director, costume designer and producer of Indian and Pakistani heritage. He is the artistic director of the theatre production company Phizzical and the creative director of the UK Asian Film Festival.   

Bhamra developed his skills whilst balancing caring responsibilities for ten years through training courses from Sundance Institute, the National Theatre, London Film Academy, Stage Directors UK Opera course and BBC Writersroom. He is influenced by stories and art forms from Indian cinema, classical literature and unspoken truths discovered and co-created with our community.  

His theatre credits include the musicals Bombay Superstar, Stardust, Bring on the Bollywood and Precious Bazaar. He is the director of the award-winning short musical film Mad About the Boy and the producer of the upcoming digital series Seaview made during the pandemic as part of Coventry UK City of Culture.

Katie Arnstein

Wolverine Woman

Bec is a young woman travelling home alone. Or is she?...

Katie says: “I have written Wolverine Woman because I am scared, angry and exhausted in equal measure. The Femicide Census has revealed that “One woman in the UK is killed every three days by a man”. According to BBC News the Met said, “a total of 1,633 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence involving 1,071 officers and other staff were being reviewed from the last 10 years”. Wolverine Woman has been written in response to these statistics by one of many women who just want to get home safely.”

Katie is a multi-award-winning writer and performer originally from the West Midlands. Her theatre work includes the storytelling trilogy It’s a Girl! which consists of three plays Bicycles and Fish, Sexy Lamp and Sticky Door, all of which have toured the UK.  

In 2022, Katie was made an Associate Artist at the Pleasance. Her work has won Show of the Week at VAULT Festival twice, Pick of Pleasance at VAULT Festival, an Offie Commendation, was one of 8 pieces shortlisted for the 2020 Popcorn Award, the 2021 Evening Standard’s Future of Theatre Award and has been included in The Guardian’s Top 15 Edinburgh Shows Now Touring. 

Her most recent show, The Long Run, has received critical acclaim and an OFFIE Award nomination for Best Performance Piece.

Laura Maloney

Loved

Cassie has never known what it feels like to be unconditionally loved and she thinks having a baby will fix that – but does her boyfriend, Faz, think the same?

Laura says: “I was inspired to write Loved by my experience of growing up in a provincial city, where family planning can start young, and history repeats itself generation after generation. Cassie’s desire to have a baby is complex and driven by a deep need to feel needed. I wanted to explore the moment a vulnerable young woman makes that life changing decision.”

Laura trained as an actress at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, before completing an MA in Writing for Script and Screen at Falmouth University. Laura’s first stage play, a verbatim piece about homelessness, was produced for Brighton Fringe and then adapted for radio. Last year, Laura completed the BBC shadow scheme to write for ongoing drama Doctors. Laura’s first episode was broadcast earlier this year. Laura also works collaboratively with her writing partner, Jasmine Jagger, on adaptations for TV and film, including a serialised adaptation of The Mill on the Floss for TV, and a modernised adaptation of The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen for film. With her other stage work, Laura has been shortlisted for The Royal Court writers groups and The Old Vic professional development course. 

Tal Davies

BTEC Britney

Sophie is home from Uni and is absolutely fine, honest. Well, she was until things began to spiral in a very triggering local Balti house, anyway.

Tal says: “Although my piece deals with themes of grief, strained relationships and mental health, I wanted there to be moments of comedy too. A lot of people, myself included, use gallows humour to get through the difficult times, and the feelings of loss that come with bereavement are never straightforward; I wanted the full, complicated spectrum of emotions that come with grief to be present in this short. I also wanted to challenge the cliché that your uni days are always the best time of your life, and if they aren't then there's something wrong with you. Freshers week isn't always the overwhelmingly fun experience it's made out to be, and it's ok if you feel this way!”

Tal Davies is an emerging writer and stand-up comedian based in Birmingham. Her first script, Waffnacky, was longlisted for the BBC Writersroom Comedy Script Room in 2020, and she was also selected for the BBC Coventry Voices development programme the following year. As a comedian she's performed at festivals and comedy clubs across the UK, was crowned Best Breakthrough Act at the Midlands Comedy Awards, named One To Watch by Funny Women, and reached the semi-finals of British Comedian of the Year. 

Omar Khan

Cricket Test

Is Zayn a traitor, playing for the England cricket team, when he has supported India all his life?

Omar says: “I’ve always been interested in why so many British Asians will support the India and Pakistan cricket teams over England. Inspired by the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, this piece sets out to investigate why that might be.” 

Omar has written for TV, theatre, short films and radio. His short film The Plunge was longlisted for a BAFTA after screening at over 60 international film festivals. He has written for the CBBC shows, Princess Mirror-Belle, The Dumping Ground and Biff and Chip, as well as a podcast for Malory Towers. 

About the directors

Tenisha White

Tenisha White is an award-winning actor, producer and director from Birmingham with over eight years of working in film and creative industries. Currently a BAFTA Crew member, Tenisha has produced and worked on a variety of high end, commercial and independent projects including cinematically released films and BBC narrative content. 

Through the launch of her own production company, Neash Films, Tenisha has written, produced and starred in a number of productions, showcasing her first love of acting in roles ranging from comedy to hard hitting drama.  All of Tenisha’s main work has gone on to festival recognition, BBC screenings, and international audiences. 

Clare Anyiam-Osigwe

Clare is an award-winning film director and screenwriter based in the Midlands who has directed Hollyoaks in Summer ’22. She recently shadowed at EastEnders for multi-cam experience. Clare is the lead script juror and co-chair of the BAFTA, BIFA, AMAA accredited British Urban Film Festival (BUFF). Her directorial debut film No Shade secured an international theatrical release.

When Fiona Campbell (Controller of BBC Three) said she wanted the next series of The Break to be from disabled talent we were delighted. We told our Writers’ Access Group (BBC Writersroom's development group for writers with disabilities), and called out to agents and leading disability Arts organisations. We asked for ideas for short films that might fit the brief.

The writers who sent the best ideas were invited to attend a one day workshop based around The Break in particular, and short-form storytelling in general.

We then developed some ideas further, working with the production company (BBC Studios) who were going to make the five films. In the end, we all jointly settled on the five stories that went on to form Series 5 of The Break.

Three of the final five writers are from our first Writers' Access Group, and the writers of the other two were invited to join our current group, as were some of the others who got quite far through the process.

BBC Studios went on to interview disabled directors, and started the casting process for disabled performers.

Filming was held up due to Covid, and when we did eventually film in November we took stringent precautions. We could not risk any infections on the shoot, and managed to achieve that goal.

Socially distanced post-production was successfully achieved, with editors working remotely and sending though files for us to view. Some films went through various versions as we worked to tell the story in the clearest and most effective way. The final steps were in a post-production facility in Soho, with much hand sanitiser and mask-wearing, and limiting the number of people in each room at a time.

Everyone involved worked tirelessly on these films. and we all love the results – I hope viewers enjoy them too!

Today is Anne Edyvean’s last day as Head of BBC Writersroom after six years. We’d like to thank her for her unstinting work supporting new writing and writers at the BBC from across the whole of the UK and wish her all the best for her future endeavours.

Watch Series 5 of The Break now on BBC iPlayer

For the first time all 25 episodes of The Break are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer

Find out more about the writers of The Break series 5

BBC Writersroom and BBC Studios Drama Production have announced the five writers who have penned the fifth series of The Break. The bold, short form drama series, now in its fifth year, is a collaboration between BBC Writersroom, BBC Three and BBC Studios and aims to showcase the best original, contemporary stories that reflect modern life in the UK. The short films that make up the series will be available to watch on BBC Three.

The five successful writers are: William Barrington, Angela Clarke, Annalisa Dinnella, Rob Kinsman and Lettie Precious. Each of the writers have disabilities and their experiences are reflected in the stories in all their diversity and humour. Amongst the writers selected this year are three who attended the Writers Access Group, an initiative founded in 2018 that offers talented writers with disabilities the chance to develop their writing skills and secure opportunities across the BBC’s scripted output. 

The series will be produced for BBC Three by BBC Studios Drama Production. The Executive Producer for BBC Writersroom is Anne Edyvean and for BBC Three is Ayela Butt. The Executive Producers for BBC Studios are Caroline Levy and Esther Springer.

Anne Edyvean, Head of Writersroom said:
“The aim of The Break is to offer writers from under-represented groups a chance to tell an original, surprising and contemporary story for a young audience. And I am absolutely delighted that our fifth series of The Break is written by five talented writers whose scripts are engaging, funny, sad and full of story and heart. Three of the writers have come from our Writers’ Access Group for writers with disabilities, while two have been offered places on our next Writers Access Group.”

Esther Springer, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Drama Production said:
“I’m proud to be working with these talented storytellers. It’s a privilege to be given this opportunity to experience their worlds which are funny, touching and uniquely relevant. I hope this is the first of many opportunities to work with this group of writers and to tell their stories from their point of view”.

About the Writers and their Films: 

William Barrington - Losing It

A university student with Cerebral Palsy has always looked down on people who sleep around, but only because he hasn’t had the chance. His first one-night stand makes him question his views. 

London based William graduated from the University of Winchester in 2018 where he made a number of local award winning short films, and in 2019 he received a masters from Royal Holloway, University of London in Screenwriting. 

William says: “Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, I often let others speak for me simply because it was easier. However, as I became increasingly interested in making films, I found it was a great way to express my point of view and a BA in Film Production and MA in screenwriting really helped me improve my writing ability. Although I have written several short films, I am thrilled that the BBC have given me a chance to share my work with a larger audience. And, now that I’ve found my voice, I plan to never shut up - so long as actors are willing to perform it of course.”

Angela Clarke - WEED

WEED is about 16-year-old tearaway Liam, who is on the run from ‘the Feds’. Back on the London block he grew up on, Liam is determined to finish his own personal mission.

Angela Clarke is bestselling author of the Social Media Murders (HarperCollins), including Follow Me, Watch Me and Trust Me, and critically acclaimed On My Life (Hachette). Follow Me was named Amazon’s Rising Star Debut of the Month, long listed for the CWA’s Dagger in the Library, and short listed for the Good Reader Page Turner Award. Angela has appeared on CBS Reality’s Written In Blood, has written and performed on stage for BBC Edinburgh Festival (BBC iPlayer), and has hosted BBC 3 Counties Radio show Tales From Your Life. A sufferer of EDS III, Angela is passionate about bringing marginalised voices into creative industries. She is a RSA Fellow.

Annalisa Dinnella - Rude

Would you rather be seen as rude or disabled? That’s the dilemma faced by 18-year-old May as she tries and fails to make her first Fresher’s Week friend.

Annalisa enjoyed a varied career in TV documentary-making before focussing on writing. She has written two afternoon plays for Radio 4 and her first play The Man Who Fell to Earth was nominated for an Imison Award in 2016. Last year, she wrote and presented a show on Radio 4 called Annalisa is Awkward. She is currently working on BBC One Drama Doctors, as well as developing a television drama series and a thriller. Annalisa has 5% vision.

Rob Kinsman - BFF

BFF, is about a teenage girl who has become distant from her friends following a car accident that had left her as a wheelchair user, and has developed an attachment with an ‘augmented reality’ pet monster on her phone. Turnip is a flatulent goblin but he’s also Katie Cartwright’s only friend. She’s in trouble.

Rob is based in East Anglia and studied the Creative Writing MA at UEA. He’s an established writer on Doctors with over 60 credits on the show including the hour-long 2000th special episode. Other credits include Father Brown (including the episode The Man in the Shadows which won the RTS Midlands awards in 2015), Shakespeare and Hathaway, Malory Towers and Holby City.

In 2011 Rob was paralysed from the chest down by a rare illness and became a wheelchair user. In his spare time he volunteers with the spinal-cord-injury charity Back Up, teaching wheelchair skills to people with recent injuries.

Lettie Precious - Tone Deaf

Young, clumsy, sweet, and queer, Toni wants to ask the girl of her dreams to end of year 11 prom and will stop at nothing to win her affections. Only question is, can she do it without killing her?

Lettie is a poet, playwright and author from Sheffield and now based in London. They won the Royal Court and Kudos Fellowship in 2019. Their short play The Grey Area was presented as part of Queer Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre in 2019 and their first full length play, This Is Us, is currently in development with theatre company Graeae. Their previous work has been showcased at Soho Theatre, Oval Playhouse, The Arcola and Theatre Royal Stratford East.

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries from both its own productions and programmes and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programmes made by the business are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, including factual, drama, entertainment and comedy. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including six production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes around 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector. Created in April 2018 by the merger of two existing commercial subsidiaries, BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, the company has revenue of around £1.4bn. In the year to March 2019, it returned £243m to the BBC Group, complementing the BBC’s licence fee and enhancing programmes for UK audiences.

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These five contemporary films about life in Northern Ireland gave our brilliant and dedicated emerging writers (Jan Carson, Karis Halsall, Louise Nesbitt, Seamus Collins and Emily DeDakis) the chance to tell stories and tackle vital real life issues affecting young people here and beyond.

Developing these heartfelt, universal tales that could only come from here was a treat, and helping our writers to paint their picture of a contemporary and relevant Northern Ireland was a welcome and refreshing change. We are among the best storytellers in the world and we have more than one story to tell, hopefully these ambitious, arresting and unique pieces can break through and show that to as wide an audience as possible.

Thanks so much for the writers and their dedication and invention, to BBC Studios and Artis Pictures for putting so much into making them, to NI Screen for their constant support and to BBC3 and Drama Commissioning for the opportunity.

Keith Martin – Producer, BBC Writersroom/ Executive Producer, The BREAK

This year's projects shone out with their empowering and unexpected points of view on provocative or sensitive subjects. As a modern showcase for Northern Irish talent and fresh Northern Irish stories, these films introduce audiences to unforgettable characters and contemporary stories, with universal themes. We strove hard to subvert and inspire and dare to dare. All the teams rose to the many challenges of making such ambitious stories on a low budget and the economies and focus to tell what was most vital in just six minutes. We all learned a huge amount along the way, on screen and off. The result we hope will be wonderfully unexpected to audiences, films that are revelatory in content and character. We congratulate all the teams for all their hard work and talents, which we had the privilege to support.

Kate Croft - Executive Producer, Artis Pictures

Karis Halsall - Writer: Clean 

The subject matter in CLEAN is currently a very divisive topic in Northern Ireland. It’s also something I have direct personal experience of, so working on it brought both private and public challenges. That said, my first take away from this would be - write the thing that scares you. It can be incredibly cathartic and rewarding.

Right from the offset I knew I didn’t want another maudlin, stereotypical depiction of a ‘victim'. It was really important therefore that I showcased my central character Kerry’s humour, despite what’s happened to her. Being a ‘victim’ doesn’t define her. Her character does. Kerry to me personifies the whip-smart wit, warm nature, wicked humour and resilience that define the people of Northern Ireland.

Coming from a theatre background, writing a five minute piece for TV was a steep learning curve. Thanks to Keith and my brilliant script editor Hamish, I quickly learnt that less is definitely more. TV holds your audience in a confined, intimate, close up space. You don’t need to use lyrical writing that’ll impact people sat at the back of the Gods.  It was a hard lesson in brevity!

The team at BBC Writersroom were so incredibly supportive throughout. I always felt safe, heard and championed, which was vital when making work about something so personal.  They were always fighting for me and my story and I am so proud of what we created together. So often in the media, survivors are presented as nameless victims. It’s easy to dismiss a nameless victim and I’ve been surprised by the flippancy with how people have spoken about the issue. I hope in some small way, Kerry might make people re-evaluate their behaviour.

Watch CLEAN on BBC iPlayer

Louise Nesbitt - Writer: Hot Mess

HOT MESS is a comedy about dating while mentally ill. After reading that about how almost half of all young people in NI have experienced mental health issues it felt important to tell a story that wasn’t about being cured but about finding joy in living. I wanted to show a character with mental illness who was funny and likeable and loved, the antithesis of what we normally see on screen.

For me the script development was the most important part of the process. Finding out how much better the development can make a script has changed the way I write. I’ve found that now I’m considering so many more factors from the very first draft and asking myself essential questions about every aspect of a script. Overall it’s made my writing much more robust and reasoned allowing me to assess what’s really important about a story.

From being on set surrounded by people with copies of the script that I had written to seeing my work on screen, the scale of it was completely surreal.

I am so grateful for the support of the BBC Writersroom in trusting me to say something that I felt was necessary while also letting me really go all in with my Legally Blonde jokes.

Watch HOT MESS on BBC iPlayer

Emily DeDakis - Writer: Last Night in Belfast

You rarely think about how it began once you’ve seen how it ends.

This tiny love story set in my neighbourhood, North Belfast, started as pure homesickness for 24-hour diners in Washington, D.C. Then realising that the only all-night places in Belfast are staffed by one person behind bullet-proof glass. The oddity of someone else shopping for you in the middle of the night. Questions about desire — wanting what’s on the other side of the window. What happens when you have no control over whether you go or stay? Early in the drafts, I described it to one of the producers as ‘a cross between St Elmo’s Fire and a deportation letter my friend got from the Home Office’. Unrequited love can be for a place too.

This is my first go at TV, and I learned tonnes. I had amazing support from Hamish, Keith & Anna at BBC Writersroom and PJ, Kate & Steven the producers, not to mention the folks at the all-night petrol station next to my flat. Storytelling in this new-to-me way meant switching out all of my usual writing muscles (I’m mostly a prose person). Pitches and treatments became beat sheets and eventually scripts. Multiple drafts of all of the above. So many iterations of even something so small. Part of what I now love about writing TV are the many versions of this that exist for me as the writer: I remember the rejected titles, the things that were of course impossible to pull off in the shoot (songs, police vans, dogs, a sweeping shot of the Crumlin Road courthouse as Vivi sprints by), and what was added with Aidan’s and the whole creative team’s minds in the mix: the vintage sneakers, the headphones, the graffiti, and new emotional depth. I can enjoy how Vivi’s written lines lived and changed shape in Ana’s amazing voice. (It was her first time working in English. Total hero.) What I first imagined as kinda silly and cinematic became more polished, sweeter and darker — and yet also exactly what it started as, a tiny love story set in my adopted neighbourhood.

I’m really fortunate to be part of the BBC Writersroom development group in NI, Belfast Voices, which is where I heard about this opportunity. There are so many deserving voices here; please listen to these here in The Break series, and seek out more. If you’re a NI writer, start something, get it out there and stick with it. Through all the many drafts.

Watch LAST NIGHT IN BELFAST on BBC iPlayer

Jan Carson - Writer: Wings

The Break was my first experience of writing for television. I’ve written a number of pieces for BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3 and love radio so much I’d never really considered screen writing as an option.

I’ve always heard that writing for television is incredibly competitive and difficult to break into and so I’m incredibly grateful to the team behind The Break for giving me a really fantastic -and I think- authentic experience of what it’s like to work with producers, directors, actors and all the various creatives who worked together to bring my script to life.

The Break was my first experience of writing for television. I’ve written a number of pieces for BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3 and love radio so much I’d never really considered screen writing as an option.

I’ve always heard that writing for television is incredibly competitive and difficult to break into and so I’m incredibly grateful to the team behind The Break for giving me a really fantastic -and I think- authentic experience of what it’s like to work with producers, directors, actors and all the various creatives who worked together to bring my script to life.

I gained an incredible amount of insight into the world of screen writing through The Break. It was practical and hands on and there was always a team of more-experienced writers on hand to support me throughout the process. I learnt how to write more concisely, how to bring immediacy into my writing, how to take critique and direction, and above all, how to create within a team. I’m primarily a novelist and normally work by myself or with a single editor.

The opportunity to work alongside a large production team was a really invaluable creative experience for me and definitely something which I’d like to repeat in the future.

Watch WINGS on BBC iPlayer

Seamus Collins - Writer: Bin Bagged

I have always said* that my three favourite types of people are underdogs (like Frodo Baggins), people who aren’t afraid to stand up to authority (like Muhammad Ali) and people who swear a lot (like Gordon Ramsey.) Therefore, it’s unsurprising that my first idea for The Break series 4 was about a tiny, hairy-footed boxer/political activist who travelled around Middle Earth improving restaurants (while swearing a lot.)

Thankfully, my next idea was better. Chloe – a young girl in foster care who makes a huge mistake at school and desperately tries to get away with it (while swearing a lot.)

I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with and learn from the many wonderful script editors, producers and directors involved in this project. They all gave me such great advice and help (while swearing a lot.) As Chloe became more and more developed, I realised that I have a fourth favourite kind of person – people who are lost and in need of help.

This is what I wanted to capture with Bin Bagged. I hope I have done that (while swearing a lot.)

*I have literally never said this.

Watch BIN BAGGED on BBC iPlayer

WATCH ALL 5 EPISODES ON BBC IPLAYER

Find out more about Series 1, Series 2 & Series 3 of The Break

Writer, Colin McLaren –Weekend Survivalist

Cast – Moray Hunter

Brian lives for the weekend when he podcasts from the back of beyond as Frontier Wolf Survivalist – a wannabe Bear Gryll’s. Can he survive the weekend without his home comforts?

Writer, Maryam Hamidi – Drivetime

Cast – Nalini Chetty, Ashley Smith, Robert Jack, Mandy Bhari and Gavin Mitchell

Drivetime follows hot shot lawyer Shazia Baeg on her daily commute to work as she navigates a shambolic M8, family life, smug colleagues and her own unapologetic apoplexy.

Writer, Keiron Nicholson – Reply to All

Cast – Barbara Rafferty, Jordan Young, Sally Reid and Gavin Mitchell

Testy siblings try to arrange their dad’s surprise 60th party without giving the game away or killing each other. Then mum gets involved.

NICOLE TAYLOR EVENT 

What a great evening we had with Scottish Writer Nicole Taylor when she joined us in Glasgow for a In conversation Event followed by Networking Drinks on Wednesday 28th March. 

Nicole spoke about writing her award winning BBC drama Three Girls which looked at the Rochdale grooming scandal and the multi-BAFTA nominated single drama The C Word amongst other titles including her upcoming feature film Country Music which is currently in post production.

The Q&A was followed by Networking drinks with our writers in attendance and Scottish based Indies.

We will post an interview with Nicole on our website soon.

The latest series of The Break is now available to watch on BBC Three iPlayer  

We launched The Break III as an open opportunity last March, 2017 and after many months in development, production and post production, the five films are now finished and available to view on BBC Three iPlayer and BBC YouTube. All of the films were shot in Scotland, written by Scottish/Scottish based writers, Directed by new, up and coming Scottish Directors and featuring amazing onscreen Scottish talent.

Writer, Anita Vettesse - You Really Got Me

Martin is a twenty something guy who is in the business of loneliness. In fact, he makes money by being with women.

Writer, Grace Knight - Gloss      

Gemma’s a dedicated teacher whose life begins to unravel when one of her pupils goes missing.

Writer, Omar Raza - Soul Journey

Kammy is facing a decision. He loves his father but is struggling to live up to his expectations. Can he have it all?

Writer, Sophie Wu - Franny Wong         

Socially-inept Franny has love in her sights, a bottle of sherry in her bag and a masterplan in progress. Can she score at the 'best party ever'?

Writer, Stewart Thomson - A Vocal Minority

Your dad brings you up a loyal Rangers fan, but love opens up new possibilities. It’s just before kick-off.  Can Dad embrace Billy’s new life? 

Other News

River City 

* Shadow Writers Scheme 2017 is underway and the writers are on their 3rd draft and working closely with their mentors.

* Shadow Directors Scheme 2018 - this is now open for submissions, closing date is Monday, 9th April 2018

Scottish Writers' Festival

We will run the Writers Festivals on a bi annual basis to allow us to focus on a range of smaller events with guest speakers across the year so that more people can attend.

Networking Events

We will run networking events throughout the year for different genres around Scotland. 

Best wishes

BBC Writersroom Scotland

Developing and Producing the latest series of The Break in Scotland gave us the perfect opportunity to tell contemporary stories not only set here but about life here. All five of our selected writers (Anita Vettesse, Stewart Thomson, Omar Raza, Grace Knight and Sophie Wu) have worked tirelessly to create their own unique, thought provoking and compelling monologue that looks at love in all its various shapes and forms. I have to give special thanks to The Comedy Unit and the entire cast and crew who were brilliant throughout the process and were instrumental in bringing these fantastic monologues to life. We hope you enjoy them.

Angela Galvin, BBC Writersroom, Scotland

There's nothing more exciting than working with passionate new writers who have such original voices. Huge thanks to the three very talented directors (Stuart Elliott, David Hayman Jr, Raisah Ahmed) across the shorts who have done a superb job of realising the vision of the writers from page to screen. I am so proud to have been involved with such talented individuals and I’m sure their innovative story telling will be a hit with audiences.

Gavin Smith, Producer

Meet the 5 writers and watch their episodes

You Really Got Me Going started after reading an article about male loneliness in Britain. I’d always thought of loneliness as a disease that happens later in life, not to 20-year olds. The more I began to research it, the more I realised this wasn’t just afflicting Britain, this is a worldwide epidemic.

From day one of creating The Break it’s been the most brilliant, rewarding experience. The support from BBC Writersroom Scotland, especially the note sessions, pushed the project to a new and very exciting place that I don’t think I would’ve got to otherwise.

The day of filming itself was quite surreal. Nothing prepares you from being cooped up in a room with your laptop to be being out in the fresh air with lots of people bringing the story to life. It’s a lovely feeling!

Anita Vettesse

I'm interested in baddies. So the idea I originally pitched to The Break was just that: an exploration of a completely amoral character. A few drafts later and something happened to me that had never happened before: I got the same set of notes twice. So I chucked out my whole story. I kept the character and put her in a situation where the stakes couldn't be higher. I got through.

The entire team were gloriously, fanatically perfectionists. The Costume Designer Carole Fraser plucked the perfect costume from a vague note saying the character is 'neatly dressed' and director Raisah Ahmed saw right to the heart of the character and turned her into something real. I spent the day on set in astonishment as the character I made up stood there in the flesh. 

Grace Knight

I thought I stood no chance when applying for ‘The Break’. In fact, when I was selected, I cried and then I cried a bit more through sheer happiness.

Throughout the entire development process BBC Writersroom Scotland and The Comedy Unit have continued to nurture my idea, support me in its development and help me to break down barriers. Specific barriers that I had been struggling to break down on my own for years as a writer.

My idea focuses on the complexity of cultural, religious and sexual identity blending together. I wanted to showcase a character that deals with making a respectable, responsible and independent choice about their identity without self-destructing. Rather than it being a problem, my story was seen as ambitious and became a real labor of love for everyone working on it. 

Omar Raza

I’ve been a Rangers fan my whole life. My father is a Rangers fan as his father was before him. The passion for Rangers and Celtic is unrivalled, the baggage of hatred fuelled by religious division is as problematic as it’s ever been. Most fans are tired of the curious banners and unsavoury songs, an ever present background noise with little relevance to the modern football fan. Having recently moved to Swansea (a one team city) Glasgow’s ‘vocal minority’ has never felt louder. I was drawn to the imagined quandary that only in Glasgow would a young man be more concerned about telling his father what team his boyfriend supported than the fact that he was gay in the first place.

Seeing the script take shape and being present for the shoot itself was a fantastic experience. Through the development process it became obvious that as well as dealing with the negative side of The Old Firm, it was important to shine a light on the positive too. Glasgow has its problems with football, but with the most passionate fans in the world, most of whom are ready to leave the past where it belongs, hopefully one day that problematic monitory can be silenced.

Stewart Thomson

This is a story about a half-Chinese social outcast doing anything she can to pick some scraps from the feasting table that is the school social scene. It is a story about the comedy of desperation, loneliness and the impossibility of acceptance. Being half Chinese myself the viewer may lazily assume that this is in some way autobiographical, and make the knee-jerk, uninformed assumption that these are the sorts of sorry events by which my own school life was marred. They’d be absolutely right, of course. For that reason I have loved transforming these horrendous anecdotes into something enjoyable and of course therapeutic, in a way.

In this monologue we see Franny Wong trying desperately to get into a party, to which she has brought a bottle of (my favourite) dry sherry, in order to snare the man of her dreams, Ferdinand Trotter. (Disclaimer: All names and likenesses to real individuals are purely coincidental.) I am of course extremely grateful to the BBC Writersroom for giving me the platform to vent my excruciating teenage angst and of course to give me as a new writer confidence, help and a writing credit!

Sophie Wu

You can also watch all 5 episodes of The Break plus Series 2 on BBC iPlayer

Find out more about Series 1 & Series 2 of The Break

BBC Writersroom Scotland has selected five new writers whose compelling stories will feature in the third series of The Break on BBC Three.

The new writers from across Scotland, who were chosen after a talent search was launched earlier this year, will work with BBC Writersroom Scotland and independent production company, The Comedy Unit, to bring their stories to the screen.

The five minute monologues that reflect the diversity of life in contemporary Scotland will go into production shortly and will be available on BBC Three next year.

Anne Edyvean, Head of BBC Writersroom, said: ‘We’re excited to be working with this group of up-and-coming writers. The competition for the commissions has been extremely strong as the quality of the scripts was so high .‘The brief was for funny, emotional or thought-provoking stories that reflect the diversity of contemporary Scotland. These monologues fit the bill perfectly, vividly telling the stories of a range of characters and we’re sure they’ll resonate with our audiences.’

Here’s the line-up of the writers and a teaser of each of their stories:

Anita Vettesse - Martin is a young twenty something guy who is in the business of loneliness. In fact, he makes his money by being with women.
Grace Knight - Gemma is a dedicated teacher whose life unravels when questions start being asked. Is she hiding something?
Stewart Thomson - Billy is on his way to an Old Firm match to meet his football obsessed and Rangers supporting Dad. Billy loves football but today he wants to talk about more than just the score.
Omar Raza – Kammy’s a Scottish-Muslim man who loves his father…just as much as he loves Girls Aloud. All he wants is to live up to his father’s expectations but can't he just be himself?
Sophie Wu - Franny is a seriously, socially inept teenage girl on a quest for love at the party of the year. Trouble is,she’s not invited… 

Gavin Smith from The Comedy Unit, based in Glasgow, will produce the five monologues and Angela Galvin, from BBC Writersroom Scotland, will executive produce.

Gavin added: ‘We're delighted to be producing series 3 of The Break. There's nothing more exciting than working with passionate new writers and their scripts are all fresh, distinct, powerful and surprising in their content.  It's a privilege to work with BBC Writersroom and together transfer these talented individuals’ voices to the screen.’

Keep an eye out for The Break Series 3 on BBC Three.

Find out more about The Break and watch Series 1 and Series 2

Cast announced as production begins on The Break II - five new original short film monologues for BBC Three.

An exciting array of young and upcoming stars have been cast for The Break II - a collaboration between BBC Writersroom and BBC Drama Production of five original short monologues for BBC Three, written by up-and-coming BAME writing talent from across the UK.

Filming is currently taking place in Birmingham and the five distinctive short films will cover everything from a young man fretting about the imminent arrival of his first child to a young woman’s foolhardy mistake putting everything on track in her life, at risk.

The stellar line-up includes:

Charlotte Beaumont (Broadchurch, Waterloo Road, Balcony) who will star in ‘Etching’, written by Emteaz Hussian.

Leonie Elliott (Danny and the Human Zoo, Black Mirror) star of ‘Scotch Bonnett by Chino Odimba.

James Floyd (My Brother the Devil, The Infidel, Tormented) star of ‘The Package’ by Maya Sondhi.

Adelle Leonce (Ordinary Lies, Shameless, Vera) star of ‘Tits’ by Berri George

Joivan Wade (Doctor Who, EastEnders, Mandem on the Wall) star of ‘Special Delivery’ by Nathaniel Price.

Further cast includes Leah Hackett (Doctors, Hollyoaks, 4 O’clock Club) who will star alongside Jovian Wade in ‘Special Delivery’ and Emer Kenny (EastEnders, Pram Face, Eric & Ernie) who will be alongside Adelle Leonce in ‘Tits’.

The short-filmed monologues will be on BBC Three around February 2017.

Find out more about The Break II 

Watch The Break I on BBC Three

The Break returns to BBC Three with five new original short film monologues by up-and-coming writers.

Filming kicks off in November for The Break II – an exciting collaboration between BBC Writersroom and BBC Drama Production to make five original short monologues for BBC Three, written by up-and-coming BAME writing talent from across the UK.

Following on from the success of the first series, these shorts will showcase writers with a strong, unique voice who have yet to write for the screen. The selected writers were discovered through BBC Writersroom talent searches, development schemes and theatre partnerships.

The commissioned writers are: Berri George, Emteaz Hussain, Chino Odimba, Nathaniel Price and Maya Sondhi.

Screen International 2016 Star of Tomorrow, Toby Fell-Holden (Balcony, Little Shadow) and Award-winning filmmaker, Nour Wazzi (Habibti, Shackled) will be directing the new series of The Break.

Find out who's in the cast

Rachelle Constant, Producer, says: “I’m thrilled to be producing another series of The Break. We are really excited by the stories and potential of the writers this year and have two fantastic filmmakers, Toby Fell-Holden and Nour Wazzi to help bring these short stories to life.”

Anne Edyvean, Head of BBC Writersroom, says: “Writersroom is delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the work of such talented writers and directors. These shorts have drama, tension, laughs and surprises! We hope the audience enjoy this series as much as they did the last.”

About the Writers:

Berri George 

Berri is a writer and a performer. A graduate of both the Belgrade Theatre’s Critical Mass and the Royal Court Theatre’s local playwriting schemes and 2014 alumna for the Orange Tree Theatre’s invitation writers group. Her work has been staged by the Royal Exchange, Octagon Theatre, Theatre503, High Tide, The Space, Old Red Lion, and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Her theatre company, Barefaced, has received rave reviews in the past for their female-led, pop-up genre, devised work. She recently wrote and performed her first one-woman show, LARP which received five star reviews. Her other full length play SOMEONE WITH A NATURALLY CHEERY DISPOSITION SOUGHT was longlisted for the 2015 Bruntwood Prize and MINDLESS MEDITATIONS was longlisted for the 2013 Verity Bargate Award.

Emteaz Hussain

Emteaz’s acclaimed first play, SWEET CIDER, was produced by Tamasha Theatre Company at the Arcola Theatre in 2008 and was published in 2013 in the anthology ‘Plays for Today by Women’ by Aurora Metro Books. BLOOD, her second full length play for Tamasha, toured nationally in March and April 2015. In 2015, she wrote OUTSIDERS for Pilot Theatre as part of an EC Culture project called Boomerang; the production went on national tour. In their 4 star review, LondonTheatre 1 said, “This is a beautiful and very welcome hour of theatre.” Also, she was selected to take part in the IWrite feature film scheme run by Creative England. As a performance poet she has performed nationally and internationally and has toured with Transglobal Underground and the Benjamin Zephaniah band. Emteaz works extensively as a workshop practitioner in both statutory and community settings, specialising in pupil referral units. She is currently under commission to the Royal Court Theatre.

Chino Odimba

Chino Odimba was born in Nigeria, and raised in London. Past work includes, WOMEN EMBRACE TWO (Bristol Old Vic), AN ODE TO ADAM (The Ustinov Theatre), RAINY SEASON (Bristol Old Vic’s ‘Ferment’), RAAR BIRDS (Ugly Sister Productions), THE BIRD WOMAN OF LEWISHAM (Arcola Theatre). An attachment at Bristol Old Vic in 2014 led to a rehearsed reading of a new play HIS NAME IS ISHMAEL in 2014. More recent writing credits include a short monologue as part of ‘Joanne’ (Clean Break Theatre) which was performed at Soho Theatre in 2015 and the RSC in 2016. After a two year attachment with Clean Break Theatre, her play AMONGST THE REEDS has just finished a run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2016) and The Yard Theatre. Chino was a finalist for the Alfred Fagon Award (2014), and shortlisted to final ten of the Bruntwood Playwriting Award (2015) for her play WILD IS DE WIND. Currently under commission for Eclipse Theatre’s Revolution Mix project (Bristol Old Vic), and as the Channel 4 Playwright (formerly Pearson Playwrights' Scheme) at Talawa Theatre, she is also working on a community play for Tricycle Theatre's 'Mapping Brent' project due to be produced in spring 2017.

Nathaniel Price

Born and raised in Brixton, Nathaniel’s desire to create stories was sparked by the eclectic cultural mix of bedtime tales his mother would read him. But, for a long time his path seemed to lead towards becoming a professional footballer – that is, until a career-ending injury devastated his dreams. Nathaniel found happiness again through his writing, which ultimately led to his selection for the MA Screenwriting Course at the National Film & Television School where, for the duration of the two year’s he was a David Lean Scholar. Along with his monologue SPECIAL DELIVERY for the BBC’s The Break II, Nathaniel has recently completed an Afternoon Play for BBC Radio 4, and a short script FIVE BY FIVE, for BBC Studios/Green Door. He also has a number of original dramas in early development including MAN MARKED (Kindle Entertainment), FOOTBALL TRAFFICKERS (Hillbilly Television), COMPANION (BBC Studios) and RETURN LEG (Merman). Short play, THE JOB has been optioned to Cove Pictures for adaptation into a short film, and a feature Nathaniel has co-written with Martti Helde, SCANDINAVIAN SILENCE, is due to shoot later this year in Estonia . As well as writing for the screen, Nathaniel loves playwriting and is a part of the Talawa Theatre Company’s writers’ network.

Maya Sondhi

Maya is an actress best known for playing PC Maneet Bindra in BBC drama ‘Line of Duty’ and Shazia in series 1-3 of BBC 1 sitcom CITIZEN KHAN. Maya was also part of the writing team for the latest series of THE KUMARS produced by Hat Trick for Sky 1. Her debut play SKET premiered at the Park Theatre in April 2016.

"Through BBC Writersroom, I have taken part in various workshops including the Comedy Studio Residential and the Continuing Drama Workshop, amongst others. The Writersroom has been an invaluable part of getting my writing career started, providing constant support and guidance, and I am thrilled to be working on this project with them."

About the Directors:

Toby Fell-Holden

Toby is a British writer-director based between New York and London. He graduated from Columbia’s Film MFA in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. He is a Screen International 2016 Star of Tomorrow. His short BALCONY won a Crystal Bear at the 66th Berlinale, and Best International Short at Flickerfest, along with a nomination for Best British Short at the BIFAs. LITTLE SHADOW, his thesis film, was long-listed for a BAFTA and nominated by the Casting Society of America (CSA) for an Artios. He is a 2016 recipient of a John Brabourne Award and has been awarded fellowships from the Moving Picture Institute and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He recently wrote a feature script with director Ramin Bahrani. Toby is currently working on his first feature with Western Edge Pictures.

Nour Wazzi

Award-winning filmmaker Nour Wazzi has worked in the industry for over 10 years collaborating on, and developing features and short films. She has amassed awards on a number of short films - winning Best Foreign Short in Mexico, Best Film at Naoussa and Jury Special mention at Magma for Film London’s UP ON THE ROOF. The film which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, has been selected, in over 30 festivals worldwide and has recently been sold for international TV broadcast, and is available at the BFI national archive. In 2010, Nour produced and directed the Film London award-winning short HABIBTI - based on a story by OSCAR nominee Ari Folman (Waltz With Bashir). It received its broadcast premiere on the BBC in 2012 and has found airline, VOD and international television distribution. In 2012, Nour produced and directed the award-winning psychological thriller SHACKLED, starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), which sold internationally for VOD and TV distribution. Nour has recently completed her BFI short thriller BABY MINE. She is currently co-writing the feature version of BABY MINE and developing a number of genre projects.

Find out more about the The Break Series 1

Watch the short films from the first series on BBC Three here:

Breaking the Code

Swipe Slow

The Match Girl

Tying the Knot

System/Cycle

Filming started this week on The Break - an exciting venture between BBC Taster, BBC Writersroom and BBC Drama Production to produce five original short monologues for online, written by up-and-coming BAME writing talent from across the UK. Each short consists of a standalone, contemporary individual monologue.

The selected writers were discovered through our talent searches, development schemes and theatre partnerships. Twelve writers were invited to a one day workshop, after which they pitched ideas. Five were chosen for production.

With a spotlight on diversity, and the 18-30 audience, these shorts will showcase writers with a strong, unique voice who have yet to write for the screen. BBC Taster will act as a platform for their creative work to be seen and shared. BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Zam Salim is directing the shorts.

Meet the five selected writers:

"Firstly I suppose I should say that I never thought I would be a writer. I wanted to work in either politics or fashion (not as different as you might think). Whilst pursuing both these options I began writing and performing poems and then theatre shows and now, my BBC Taster Drama Short for online.

The most motivating reasons I have to get me through the (often scary, always difficult) process of actually finishing a piece of writing is that I want there to be as many interesting, major female characters as male and a huge range of culturally and ethnically diverse characters that is representative of the UK in all theatre, TV and film productions. There is something immeasurably important at being able to see multiple representations of someone you can identify with so that you don’t come to think of yourself as only occupying ‘one story’ and therefore narrowing your sense of who you are and perhaps, your possibilities.

In my writing, I also like to explore the various places I’ve worked, questioning what on earth was going on there, what’s going on anywhere, what are we actually even doing? I’ll never find the answer, but I love finding stories that seem to take us closer to it."

"I started this journey when I went to Drama school for 3 years to train to be an actress. I discovered quite a bit there – tap dancing wasn’t my forte, I felt uncomfortable pretending to be an embryo and if I wrote a monologue under a pseudonym, and said it was from a new writer, I wouldn’t have to trawl through audition books to find a new one to perform every week. I enjoyed doing that, so I wrote a play, sent it to the Royal Court and got on the Young Writers Programme. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to have built relationships with theatres and get paid to write for them. Next year, 'Cuttin’ It', a play I wrote focusing on FGM, will premiere at the Young Vic Theatre, which I’m really excited about.

Having my roots deeply set in theatre, it’s a whole new experience approaching other mediums. It’s been scary and challenging writing for online drama, TV and film. But mostly, it’s extremely exciting creating characters that are presented in different ways, and it’s great that I can proudly put my name to this monologue."

"I’m a Nigerian born, poet, playwright and performer, a graphic artist and designer. I’m also a Complete Works poet alumni, a playwright-in-resident at Soho Theatre, resident at the Southbank Centre’s Poetry Library, and graphic designer at White Space Creative Agency. I facilitate workshops in creative writing where I can explore reoccurring themes in my work - Identity, Displacement and Destiny - in accessible, enjoyable ways for participants of all ages and backgrounds.

Recently, I was awarded; The Live Canon International Poetry Prize, an Arts Council of England Award, a Wellcome Trust Award. I have also been shortlisted for the Brunel Prize for African Poetry, longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award, and a 2009 Edinburgh Fringe First.

I have commissions for, the Tate Modern, Louis Vuitton, Chris Ofili, National Theatre, BBC Taster Online Drama Shorts, Battersea Arts Centre and Soho Theatre. My first two published books of poetry are; ‘Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales’ and ‘Candy Coated Unicorn and Converse’. I have also published several plays including ‘lack T-shirt Collection’ and ‘Knight Watch’.

In 2005, I also founded the Midnight Run, a cross art form nocturnal urban movement to reconnect inner city lives with inner city spaces."

"I’m a Chinese-born, UK-based writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. I have written for and with the Royal Court Theatre, Orange Tree Theatre, Islington Youth Theatre, and National Theatre Studios.

In 2014, I was a recipient of a Film London London Calling Award to write and direct my first short film, 'Next Time'. I’m also a graduate of the Royal Court’s Studio Group and Unheard Voices Programme, and was a member of the BBC Writersroom London Voices Group. From this, I went on to be selected for the online BBC Taster Drama Shorts.

As a regular fixture on the small-press scene, I self-publish comics, zines, and artist books. I’m also the founder and creator of Tiny Pencil, an independent anthology artzine and press. I also write poetry and spontaneous verse through the One Pound Poem project.

I once also worked in a morgue."

"When I was a child I would pick up my notepad and start a new novel every week. But “Be an Accountant!” were the words that resonated around my (and countless Indian friends) ears. So I put down my notepad.

After graduating from Aston Business School I realised I sucked at accounting so started working in broadcasting and am now an Assistant Producer in radio.

During the interim, I trained in Indian Classical and Contemporary Dance and founded Caste Away Arts Theatre Company with a friend. We wrote, produced and directed plays which focused on breaking social taboos. Since then I started up a theatre group specifically for women in Tower Hamlets where I live. In the last three years I have written, produced and directed several community theatre productions.

I have also been a regular columnist for an online magazine and have my own blog. A couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to write for TV. I'm passionate about good drama and comedy and hope that my online BBC Taster Drama Short will be a great place to start."

Find out more about BBC Taster and try, rate and share new ideas