BBC announce new comedy writer picks
The BBC have announced their selections for Comedy Room 2015.
The program will see 15 up-and-coming writers receive six months of development and training from the BBC, including workshops, masterclasses and networking events.
The writers, selected from BBC Writersroom open talent searches, were hand-picked by the BBC alongside input from BBC Comedy producers from both TV and radio.
The aim of the scheme is to encourage and develop the best in new comedy writing and to help these writers to build strong connections within BBC Comedy.
The selected writers are: Christine Robertson, Paul Parncutt, Laurence Tratalos, Tez Ilyas, Ryan Grant, Sally Stott, Lolly Adefope, Samuel de Ceccatty and Stuart Benson, Mat Rees and Joanne Lau, Michael Beck, Lee Coan, Shai Hussain, Shazad Mohammed, Patrick Coyle, and Tracy Brabin.
Anne Edyvean, Head of the BBC Writersroom, says: “The creation of Comedy Room is a way of answering the question, ‘How do we best support emerging writing talent in Comedy?’ We decided on regular, structured teaching; introductions to key people in BBC Comedy; workshops; and script support for a hand-picked group of writers, over a limited time-period, in conjunction with BBC Radio and TV Comedy.”
BBC Writersroom alumni include Elliott Kerrigan, whose sitcom Boy Meets Girl came from a targeted Trans Comedy talent search, In The Flesh’s Dominic Mitchell, selected through Writersroom Northern Voices Scheme, and Debbie Moon, whose supernatural drama Wolfblood won an open CBBC competition for original new drama.
