The BBC College of Comedy is to run a sitcom writing competition with a multi-cultural theme, and will also be working with CBeebies In-house Production on a writing workshop before the end of the year.
Called All Mixed-Up, the competition is looking for proposals which reflect diverse Britain. Writers who can demonstrate some professional achievement are being asked to submit the first ten pages of a script to the college, with a limit of six characters and three settings.
Full details of how to enter are set out in the terms and conditions
The best six scripts will be workshopped in preparation for a showcase with a professional cast at the Soho Theatre on 4 December, where a celebrity panel will choose the best two for further development by BBC Comedy. Both scripts will be optioned, with the winner's option worth £1000, and the runner-up £500.
The competition is being run in association with Triforce Promotions, which promotes talent across a multi-cultural network of people in the media industries.
The aim is to encourage work by fresh voices, and to provide promising writers with an opportunity to develop their professional skills.
Writers of the next best six scripts will be invited to attend workshops on 4 December, and to join the showcase audience.
I hope that the competition will attract entries from writers who may feel their lives are not currently reflected in television comedy, and will introduce us to funny and fresh new voices.
The college is also planning with CBeebies a four-day workshop to explore the creation of a new comedy for viewers aged from four to six. Invited writers will be given an insight into the CBeebies audience, hear case studies on hit shows for the channel including Gigglebiz and Grandpa in My Pocket, and work together to develop ideas for a live action programme.
The workshop will be held in Newcastle in November.
Watching CBeebies is always a pleasure, I think. They have some excellent shows, and I'm very excited to be exploring whether the college can add to them.
