Applications for the 2022 BBC Studios Writers Academy will be opening on Friday 11th March. The aim of the Academy is to give writers the screenwriting tools and creative confidence to kickstart their TV careers and create stunning series of their own.
The 2022 course will introduce some exciting changes.
In previous years, the Writers’ Academy focused on learning to write for the BBC’s flagship Continuing Drama series (CDS) including EastEnders, Casualty, River City and Doctors. However, from 2022, the updated course will add in 6 months developing an original series with the BBC Studios ScriptWorks team.
Read more about the 2022 Writers’ Academy
As submissions for the 2022 course open this week, we caught up with two members of the 2021 course to hear about their experiences.
Charlotte Cromie
What were you doing before the Writers' Academy?
I joined the Academy straight after I graduated from a BA in English Literature and an MA in Text and Performance. I’d written for stage and audio but was new to screenwriting.
Talk us through the application process.
The process began with me thinking I’d never get in, but I’d give it my best shot.
The script I applied with was a stage play – four characters, one room – and I suspected that, for television, I should have submitted a massive saga full of explosions and assassination plots. But I hoped my script showed I could write vibrant characters, jokes, snappy dialogue, and that I understood twists and structure.
The Academy team kept applicants informed at every stage, so I knew when I reached the top 25% of scripts, the longlist, then the shortlist, before getting through to the workshops.
My workshop lasted several hours over Zoom – ten applicants, with John Yorke leading writing exercises. We were then given another exercise to complete that evening. It’s important not to panic, to trust yourself, and give every activity a good try.
Interview stage was next. First, I needed to send in a pitch for an original series. I based mine on a play I’d written that I’d always dreamed of seeing on television. In my 45-minute Zoom interview, I was asked about my pitch, which TV shows and writers I liked, and why I wanted to write for television. I was so nervous, the interview felt like a disaster. Thankfully, the writing carries the most weight.
What were the highlights of the classroom phase?
Being in Television Centre, immersed every day in what I love, was pretty surreal! I was glad we watched so many extracts from film and TV to illustrate concepts like subtextual dialogue or five-act structure, since the information came thick and fast. It was a bit like an epic training sequence in a sports film, but with writing exercises instead of push-ups. You can feel your creative brain being pushed to its limits and getting stronger every day. It’s a burn, but it’s a good burn!
How did you improve as a writer overall? What did you learn?
Before the Academy, I had zero experience in writing for television. I knew nothing about series loglines, treatments, bibles, pitches, the TV industry, or how to talk to production companies. You become a different person on this course!
It’s also amazing to see what you can do when you’re only given a few hours to produce something, or asked to do rewrite after rewrite, or thrown straight into your first industry meeting. I surprised myself over and over again.
What was the most challenging part of the lecture phase?
I won’t pretend the work isn’t hard – one deadline almost reduced me to tears!
Imposter syndrome was also a factor, since I was the youngest in our group, without an agent or any industry experience. I was suddenly meeting incredible guest speakers like Russell T Davies and Jed Mercurio, telling me that I could work in this industry. I thought, eventually, someone must realise I was three dogs in a trench coat and throw me out. I just kept reminding myself John Yorke thought I deserved to be there.
What would you say to writers who are wondering if they should apply?
I honestly thought I had no chance, but I did. You have to be committed, adaptable, willing to work hard, and love writing to your core. If that’s you, go for it!
Mahad Ali
What were you doing before the Academy?
Prior to applying for the BBC Writers Studio Academy, my background in writing had been predominantly in theatre working on commissions with the likes of Theatre503 and Tamasha. These organisations gave me a real platform to hone my voice and confidence, so when the Academy came along, it felt like an opportune moment to take the plunge.
Talk us through an average week in the Academy classroom?
Each week at the Academy would be different, but on Mondays & Tuesdays, we would usually have lectures given by John Yorke or a rep from a BBC Studios department. We would take deep dives into the art of storytelling, structure, character, dialogue, etc. Analysing and learning from classic films (dust off your VHS tapes), whilst also being given exercises like devising characters, ideas and five act structure outlines for shows/films.
Wednesdays would be the days where we would retreat home and be set a written task with a tight deadline, usually for the Friday or the beginning of the following week. This could be anything from writing a shadow script to developing an outline for an idea. These homework tasks showed me the realities of working to industry deadlines, ridding me of the coffee shop, window gazing and writer procrastination!
Thursdays were some of the most memorable days on the programme where we got to converse with guest lecturers, writers, directors & show runners who had a wealth of knowledge to pass on. This included anecdotes from Jimmy McGovern on how he created iconic scenes of British TV drama, to how Jed Mercurio built the suspense and mystery that kept us all hooked to Line of Duty.
Fridays we’d have one-to-one tutorials with John, where we would go through the piece of work we had submitted that week, usually a script; getting in-depth script analysis and feedback on our work. These were the dreaded notes all writers get, which we love to argue back against but deep down know helps propel our work forward.
I’d love to say Saturdays were for brunch and that I was having a lazy Sunday lie-in, however life was about juggling work, family, and friends. Usually I would be working on the notes from the day before and changing a script, whilst spending the evening convincing my family to watch a film on Netflix where I’d pause the TV, marking out the mid and crisis points of the movie!
The Academy has provided me with a group of seven other supportive and talented writers, who give me a push when necessary- and just listen when I need to bend their ear about a problem I may be having! The tools I’ve picked up along the way from John mean that I’ve got a roadmap to figure a way out of any scene or beat I am struggling with.
Do apply, as you’ll be pushed and you will learn so much about yourself and this thing called screenwriting!
Find out more about opportunities for new and emerging writers run by BBC Studios ScriptWorks and browse writing opportunities across the industry
