Douglas Henshall to judge The Frank Deasy Award
Acclaimed Scottish actor Douglas Henshall will join the judging panel on this year’s Frank Deasy Award 2012-13, an initiative to develop television writing talent in Scotland in conjunction with BBC Scotland, BBC Writersroom and Creative Scotland.
Published: 18 December 2012
Writers are so crucial to drama – without them people like me are out of work – so to be involved in this award is an honour. After all, writers are the past, present and future for drama.”
Henshall, who will star in BBC Scotland’s new two-part crime drama Shetland later this year, will be joined on the judging panel by Edinburgh playwright and director Zinnie Harris alongside Christopher Aird, Head of Drama, BBC Scotland; Kate Rowland, BBC Creative Director, New Writing; and Laura Mackenzie Stuart, Portfolio Manager, Creative Scotland.
Designed to inspire, develop and celebrate writing talent in Scotland, the Frank Deasy Award was named in honour of the Emmy-award winning writer whose credits include Prime Suspect – The Final Act, Looking After Jo-Jo, Real Men and The Passion. Deasy died in 2009.
Douglas Henshall (Shetland, The Secret of Crickley Hall, The Kidnap Diaries) says: “Writers are so crucial to drama – without them people like me are out of work – so to be involved in this award is an honour. After all, writers are the past, present and future for drama.”
The Frank Deasy Award 2012-13 is open to Scottish writers or writers living in Scotland who have at least one professional commission or engagement in TV, theatre, radio or film. Would-be screenwriters are invited to submit an original script for either TV, theatre, radio or film; an outline for an original TV drama series of no more than two pages; and a brief biography of work to-date. Dates of submission are from 30 November 2012 – 22 February 2013 with winners expected to be announced in April 2013.
Up to two award winners will be offered the position of Writer in Residence at BBC Scotland for a period of six months with a remit to develop original ideas for BBC One. The aim will be to have one of their drama pieces commissioned as a script on the BBC Scotland Drama development slate.
Christopher Aird, Head of Drama, BBC Scotland, says: “Frank Deasy was renowned for his intelligent, authentic scripts. This award is an exciting opportunity for writers to follow in his footsteps and create emotive original TV drama. We want to encourage Scottish writers who feel passionate about the stories they want to tell and who have something to offer audiences across the length and breadth of the UK.”
BBC Writersroom champions new writing talent in film, television, radio, and theatre. Recent successes include Welsh writer Debbie’s Moon CBBC hit series Wolfblood and, currently in production, new BBC Three drama In The Flesh by Dominic Mitchell. They run schemes targeting talent from a range of sources and work in partnerships with theatres, writers' organisations, screen agencies, and the wider cultural industries. BBC Writersroom helps new writers develop their craft through professional training, the website and in open sessions around the country with the UK's best writing talent - bbc.co.uk/writersroom
This year’s Frank Deasy Award was officially launch at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre on Thursday 29 November.
For further information: usman.mullan@bbc.co.uk, phone: 07713 315 409
