It’s fair to say the last 18 months have been a difficult time, for obvious reasons. When the TV industry was having to deal with a great deal of uncertainty from March 2020 (with productions being ground to a halt, and everyone having to navigate the new world of Zoom - damn you mic button!), at the BBC Writersroom our priority was very much continuing to support and develop writers and finding ways to offer them tangible opportunities (for example our InterConnected opportunity, which saw nearly 7000 entries).
But how else were we going to achieve this during a pandemic? By running one of our biggest and most successful diversity drives with BBC Children’s of course!
BBC Children’s & BBC Writersroom have had a valuable and fruitful relationship over the past years. One of our joint ambitions has been to widen the demographic of the writers working in the Children’s TV scripted sector. We have had success in this ambition through initiatives such as The Dumping Ground Shadow Scheme; however we knew there was still work to do. We wanted to further expand the pool of writing talent whilst cementing current diverse talent into the children’s universe, by creating a fertile and sustainable route.
Having previously worked with BBC Children’s Productions I knew that their creative and collaborative spirit paired with their genuine passion for developing new writers, would make our ambitions achievable - and if anyone could make it happen during a pandemic, it was them! So we approached BBC Children’s with our proposal and with the support of Helen Bullough (Head of Children’s Productions) at the helm, and Sophy Jacobs (Head of Business), BBC Children’s put their money where their mouth is and agreed to fund our ambitious programme. ScreenSkills also came on board and helped with additional funding of opportunities.
Next was the vital task of getting In-House productions and Indie Productions on board, to offer valuable insight, meaningful placements and pitching opportunities within CBBC and CBeebies. Although we were in national lockdown it was very much business as usual – in fact, Children’s content had never been more important - shows still needed to be developed, scripts still needed writing, and Animation production hadn’t really been affected at all by these new ways of working.
With the support and enthusiasm from BBC Children’s In-House and Indie teams, nine individual opportunities were offered up, from invitations to writers’ rooms to Animation placements, development mentorships to podcast commissions. There was a real range of opportunities in place, and everything was set to kick-off an exciting programme – which we named New Voices!
New Voices was designed to be an immersive development programme, a partnership between BBC Writersroom and BBC Children’s In-House Productions and Indie Productions that gave writers from underrepresented groups the training and tools to kick-start a long-term writing career within the Children’s sector. Writers were given unparalleled opportunities and access to CBBC and CBeebies shows through the New Voices programme, which welcomed applicants from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic backgrounds, writers with a disability and those who identified as being from a lower socio-economic background. Writers were approached who had previously been part of our Development Programmes such as Drama Room and Voices, as well as writers we knew had a genuine interest in Children’s. Over two hundred writers were invited to apply.
We launched New Voices in November 2020 with a two-day virtual festival, where around one hundred writers heard from industry experts on topics such as the development process and how to approach writing on existing shows, alongside practical craft sessions on writing comedy, animation and more.
Following the virtual festival, the writers were invited to apply for a number of meaningful placements, mentorships and pitching opportunities on much-loved CBBC and CBeebies shows including JoJo and Gran Gran, as well as new content such as Tales from Malory Towers, a new drama podcast produced by King Bert for BBC Sounds.
Thirty-seven script commissions have so far been achieved by New Voices writers as a result of the programme, with many more currently being considered.
Here’s the full list of the opportunities and commissions achieved through New Voices so far. We have also asked some of the writers to tell us a bit more about their experience on the scheme, and what it has meant for them:
- JoJo and Gran Gran Series 2: Ten writers were selected to attend a bespoke story conference for Series 2 of the much loved CBeebies series, JoJo & Gran Gran, where they met the creative team behind the show and spent time developing ideas to pitch for potential script commissions. A total of eleven scripts were commissioned for series 2 of JoJo & Gran Gran – thirty percent of the available commissions went to writers that came through New Voices. Five writers, Gemma Bedeau, Angela Clarke, Mariama Ives-Moiba, Athena Kugblenu and Kate Hinksman have been commissioned to write episodes and further episode commissions are being considered.
“The New Voices workshops completely demystified writing for children, everyone who spoke about working at BBC Children’s was not only engaged, encouraging but genuinely loves their job - their enthusiasm is contagious. I ended the workshop absolutely certain that I would love working on a Children’s show. When I saw an opportunity to apply to attend a JoJo & Gran Gran story day (my favourite CBeebies show) with nine other amazing writers, and then submit pitches for two episodes I jumped at the chance. One of the pitches I submitted became my first TV commission. The JoJo and Gran Gran team supported me through the development of the pitch into a script I’m really proud of, which led to me being invited to their writers’ room for the second season and a second commission. I know why everyone in Children’s loves their job, writing for children is amazing.” Gemma Bedeau
- Tales from Malory Towers podcast: Ten writers were selected and commissioned to write an episode for Tales From Malory Towers, the new ten part drama podcast for BBC Sounds.
“It has been such a joy to be part of the New Voices scheme. I’ve learned so much, and met so many great contacts. I hadn’t considered writing for Children’s before, but I love it! It’s really taken my work to the next level, and I’m truly chuffed to end up writing both a Malory Towers Podcast Episode for BBC Sounds, and an episode of JoJo & Gran Gran.” Angela Clarke
- ‘My DG’ Interactive Commission: Paris Ventour was commissioned to write on series 9a and 9b of The Dumping Ground’s Interactive series, My DG.
“Being part of the New Voices scheme has opened so many doors into Children's TV that I never would have otherwise received. I've been able to network and attend story conferences for both In-House and Independent shows in development. Many CBBC shows have additional off-shoots like podcasts or online vlogs for fans to interact with and the New Voices scheme has provided me with the opportunity to pitch for those writing assignments. I was fortunate enough to get a commission from the CBBC Digital team to write the latest series of My DG from this scheme.” Paris Ventour,
Other New Voices opportunities
- Animation Writer-In-Residence placements: Three writers, Mariama Ives-Moiba, Jasmine Richards and Ravi Chand, were offered a three month Animation Development Traineeship where they worked with the Children’s In-house and Indie animation teams. The traineeships provide an insight into both the development and production of new animation shows, from developing treatments to script editing.
“The BBC New Voices Programme has been an incredible and career changing experience. After being chosen for a three month placement in animation, I am now writing on three CBBC shows. I started this programme with no TV commissions, and now I am on my fifth. It definitely got my foot through the door.”Mariama Ives-Moiba
“They say the best way to learn a language is through immersion and I think the same is true for learning the language of animation. I feel incredibly lucky that I've had the opportunity to look behind the wizard's curtain and see how acquisition decisions are made but also the incredible care and attention that goes into choosing and creating the content that goes up on CBBC and CBeebies. The hands-on experience I've given will most certainly help me in my concept development and scriptwriting. I've discovered some great shows to watch with my young family along the way so it's felt like winning on all fronts.” Jasmine Richards
“The New Voices experience has been an incredible journey for me: from having the opportunity to pitch my animated series idea and receive constructive feedback, to gaining experience in a writers’ room and sparking ideas with other creatives to develop a pilot script. Following this, I landed a three-month animation traineeship, learning about development. So, after six weeks, what have I learned? An understanding of the economics (yup), how the industry works (yup), but, most importantly, I learned about how all the people at the BBC are passionate about shaping children’s stories with hope, positivity, education and imagination – just like a previous generation had done for me. I’m only at the halfway mark, but if it’s anything like the first six weeks, then I’m in for another incredible ride.”Ravi Chand
- Scripted Development Mentorships:ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen industries, funded eight opportunities for New Voices writers. Opportunities included bespoke mentorships within the In-House Scripted Development team. The year-long mentorship scheme has offered six writers bespoke access and insight into our wide range of productions, 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.
Success stories so far:
- Jeffrey Aidoo joined a writers conference for an exciting new school drama Phoenix Park this November and has now been commissioned to write an episode. Jeffrey also has an original new series idea in paid development with the BBC Children’s Scripted Development team.
- Mina Barber has been invited to the writer’s story conference for The Beaker Girls and will be writing a storyline for the show.
- Julie Tsang attended the Molly and Mack Story Conference in September and subsequently submitted storylines for the new series. She is currently being considered for an episode of the show.
- Angela Clarke was commissioned as series consultant for an adaptation project currently in development, and worked with the team to create a series bible for the show.
- Omar Khan attended the Biff and Chip series 2 story conference earlier this month. He is now being considered for an episode of the show. He has also been invited to submit storylines for the new series of the Julia Donaldson adaptation Princess Mirror-Belle which are currently being considered.
- CBBC Animation Workshop: Ten writers attended a bespoke story conference for a brand new CBBC animated series. The show is in early stages of development with the BBC Children’s Independents & Acquisitions team, and the writers spent time developing ideas for the pilot episode.
- CBeebies Animation Workshop: Ten writers were invited to attend a story conference for a brand new pre-school animated series to be announced. The writers had the chance to meet the creative team behind the show and spent time developing ideas to pitch for potential script commissions for the new series. The writers have submitted episode pitches which are currently being considered for commission.
- CBeebies Presents Workshop: Ten new writers joined a writer’s workshop where they had the opportunity to work through ideas for the narrative, character and structure for CBeebies Presents 2022. All the writers who attended will be credited for their input.
New Voices was part of the BBC’s investment in the progression of diverse talent, both on and off-air, as outlined in the BBC’s Creative Diversity Plan and supported by the Creative Diversity Unit, led by June Sarpong, the BBC’s Director of Creative Diversity.
As Helen Bullough, Head of BBC Children’s Productions says “This latest collaboration between BBC Children's commissioning and production teams and BBC Writersroom has been such an important and inspiring project for everyone involved, helping us all to ensure that the next generation of exciting and talented writers with whom we work continues to reflect the rich diversity of the UK”.
It’s been heartening to see just how much the writers have got out of the New Voices programme and we are thrilled to be helping to shape this new generation of brilliant writing talent for BBC Children’s. Although the world was starting to feel small during 2020/21, the world and scope of Children’s was bigger than ever.
Notes on ScreenSkills:
ScreenSkills funded eight opportunities as part of the New Voices programmes. ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the screen industries - film, television (including children's, unscripted and high-end), VFX, animation and games. ScreenSkills support continued growth and future innovation across the whole of the UK by investing in the skilled and inclusive workforce who are critical to the global success of the screen sector. ScreenSkills is supported by industry contributions to its Skills Funds as well as the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds as part of its Future Film Skills strategy, and Arts Council England to help people get into the industry and progress within it.
