Our year-long writer development opportunity New Voices drew to a close last week. New Voices was a partnership between BBC Writersroom and BBC Childrens to continue to widen the demographic of the writers working in the Children’s TV scripted sector.
We asked two of the writers, Mina Barber and Jeffrey Aidoo, to sum up the experience and what it has meant for them.
Mina Barber took part in the New Voices Scripted Development Mentorships. This year-long scheme offered six writers bespoke access and insight into the wide range of productions across BBC Childrens, from pre-school original series and adaptations, to long-running well loved CBBC returning series, comedies and teen mystery dramas. The writers have had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the full scripting process, from pitching early ideas, to development, to story conference, to then seeing how a script changes from first draft to transmission. All of the writers have had the opportunity to meet with commissioners, heads of production and the executive producers of all of the BBC Children’s In-House series. Each writer has also worked closely on a one to one basis with a producer/mentor from the team who has helped to guide them in developing their original ideas for BBC Children’s.
Mina:
"I was so surprised to be accepted onto the BBC New Voices Scheme. I didn’t believe I would even make it to the interview stage because the piece that I submitted for the scheme was a dark piece clearly geared towards adults, I was worried that the team would run a mile, I wouldn’t blame them. To be honest I wasn’t even sure that I could write for children but as the year went on, I was able to attend paid story conferences for different shows in different age groups, pitch ideas and work on an original idea with the support of mentors from the Scripted Drama Development team at BBC Children’s.
What I realised is that writing for children wasn’t as different as I thought and that at the end of the day story is story, and the construction and work around story was exactly the same. For me this scheme really differs from others firstly because of the level of support that you get from the CBBC team (they’re lovely!) and secondly because of the real-life opportunities that have been offered. I’m currently writing for my first TV show The Beaker Girls which includes the icon, Tracy Beaker, and it feels like such a milestone and I’m thankful for the springboard the scheme has given me. I would definitely recommend children’s television as a great place to start for new writers."
Jeffrey:
"I applied to the New Voices scheme with the hope of two objectives. A greater insight when it comes to children's television and the delicious honey to every writer bee…. Credits!
I was mentored by two amazing BBC development execs, which in itself is such a rare opportunity. Being able to pick up the phone, or jump on a zoom to have a chat was invaluable. I learnt so much about the TV development process. My mentors helped me to understand everything that goes into taking an idea, and turning it into a TV show.
I was given the opportunity to take part in a number of writers rooms and story conferences such as CBBCs Lagging and The Dumping Ground. Being part of writers' rooms, collaborating with other writers, and listening to different showrunners’ visions, really does help to build your writing muscles. I was lucky enough to have small round table (via zoom) sessions with a number of executives and creators, from great shows like Get Even and Princess Mirror-Belle.
The scheme wasn’t just about learning, it was also about giving new writers the opportunity to build their credits, and put all of their learning into practice. I attended a three day writers' room, then was given the opportunity to write two episodes of a fantastic new show called Phoenix Rise.
Having access to my mentors, I was able to regularly pitch ideas for new original TV shows. This led to one of my ideas being optioned. So I’m currently in development with the BBC which has always been one of my all time goals as a writer.
At the end of the scheme, all the writers were invited to a finale event in Manchester. We had all been keeping in contact via zoom and messaging, but being able to meet in person was great. During the finale event, we got the chance to talk to more BBC execs and commissioners who shared their vision and plans for the future.
New Voices is a real game changer, other industry schemes really do need to sit up and take notice. I don’t know many writing schemes where you are able to walk away with a wealth of industry knowledge (and contacts), several TV credits and a development deal.
It was a true, once in a lifetime experience, and a must apply for all up and coming writers in the future."
Find out more about the Childrens New Voices scheme
Jeffrey Aidoo blogs about how he got to write topical comedy
Mina Barber was part of our Drama Room development group in 2020/21, find out more
(BBC Writersroom note: We are hoping to be able to run the New Voices scheme again in the future. The best way to get on our radar for this and other development schemes is to enter our Open Call and other opportunities, which are always listed on our website Opportunities page.)
