The Dumping Ground Shadow Scheme

Occasionally, BBC Writers is able to offer a Shadow Script Scheme to run alongside BBC shows.  These can vary, but they aim to give selected writers the experience of writing on a TV show without the responsibility of an episode that will be broadcast, such as our Virdee Shadow Script Scheme.

BBC Writers in collaboration with BBC Studios Kids & Family and BBC Children’s Commissioning, launched The Dumping Ground Shadow Scheme in May 2024.  This was the fifth time we have run this opportunity which was made possible with funding from the BBC Children’s & Education Diversity Fund.

Six writers were invited to attend a two-day workshop where they met the team, took part in a set tour and spent time brainstorming ideas and developing story outlines. From this group, Eva Edo (Scripted 23/24) and Tom Smith were selected to take part in the opportunity. Tom details his experience below.

Most writers, including me, hate networking. But it was networking that brought me to the attention of the good folks at The Dumping Ground. This then led to an unexpected email which invited me to apply for the Shadow Scheme. If successful, I would be paid a fee to write a trial script for long running CBBC show, The Dumping Ground.

The invitation alone felt like a win, so I was stunned when my application (an original episode pitch and sample scenes) was shortlisted. The next step was attending a two-day story conference with the other shortlisted writers, where we would pitch ideas for the show.

I was super nervous when I arrived for the story conference at The Dumping Ground HQ in Hexham. As a working-class Northern writer, I often suffer from imposter syndrome when entering these sorts of spaces, but when I met the other five shortlisted writers those feelings disappeared.

Script Editor, Jordan Barrett led the two days. We talked through every character, pitching our ideas as we went, had a set tour, watched a new episode, and even pitched our full episodes to the Executive Producer, Gert Thomas (the big boss!)

Not long after the conference, shortlisted writers had a one to one with The Dumping Ground development team to discuss our episode pitch as the final step before the two writers were chosen.

Then came the dreaded wait for the outcome, where writer’s houses are cleaned within an inch of their lives and our poor dogs are taken on extra walks to calm our nerves (sorry Jake).

Although I was happy with my performance and application, I knew that any of the shortlisted writers would be worthy winners. Luckily, as you may have guessed from the fact I’m writing this blog post, I was one of the writers chosen.

I was paired with the amazing Jordan and we set to work to develop my original pitch into a finished script. I did two drafts of my treatment, two drafts of a scene by scene and three drafts of the script before handing in my final draft.

I had an extremely positive experience, and I was privileged to spend so much time enveloping myself in The Dumping Ground world. I learnt so much, from working to real world deadlines (as if we were preparing to shoot the episode), to the challenges of having a story of resistance (a character wanting to avoid something), to a hundred other things I’ll take forward in my career.

Currently, my finished trial script is being shared around the BBC Children’s departments and who knows what exciting, unexpected email I may get next!