Long Story Short - watch seven exciting new short dramas for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three

Long Story Short is the result of a brand-new talent initiative from BBC Writers, created to shine a light on the next generation of UK screen talent. Spanning all four nations of the UK, Long Story Short pairs fresh writing and directing voices with local production companies to develop authored, ambitious short films for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. The result is a slate of seven remarkable short films, each one a testament to the energy, imagination and craft of the teams behind them. Long Story Short champions homegrown storytelling, amplifying voices from every corner of the country, and providing a platform for fresh perspectives that reflect the richness and diversity of the UK today.

The seven writers are alumni of BBC Writers talent-development work. Each film is produced by an independent production company which has been supported by the BBC’s Small Indie Fund.

This project was made possible thanks to the support of colleagues across BBC Drama Commissioning, BBC Three, BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Wales, alongside screen agency partners Creative Wales, North East Screen, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: “BBC Drama has always been about backing the best of UK storytelling, and Long Story Short reflects just how exciting this future looks. These films are bursting with originality and ambition, a powerful reminder that the next wave of storytellers is poised and ready to shape television in bold and surprising ways. It’s been a joy to see these distinctive voices come to life on screen and I can’t wait to see where their journeys take them next.”

Jess Loveland, Head of New Writing for BBC Writers and Drama Commissioning says: “We designed Long Story Short to give writers a meaningful opportunity to see their work come to life onscreen and achieve that all-important broadcast credit. We’re incredibly proud of what these seven creative teams have achieved, and we’re delighted to be able to give them a platform to tell stories that surprise, challenge and connect with audiences across the UK.”

Nasfim Haque, Head of Content for BBC Three says: "Projects like this are essential to shaping a new generation of diverse screen culture in the UK and we can’t wait to share these exciting new films with our audience.”

The films premiered at UK film festivals in late October and early November 2025 before reaching wider audiences on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three from February 2026.

Find out more about each film and the creative teams behind them:

Beyond

Wales

• Writer: Alex Mathias
• Director: Martin Thomas
• Cast includes: Tomos Rhys, Leisa Gwenllian, Iwan Rheon
• Production Company: Triongl

A shy teenager tries to fit into his new hometown on the night of their annual paranormal festival but finds himself marked for abduction.

Writing about teenagers made me reflect on those strange, fluctuating times. Feelings of alienation and persecution in stark contrast with the thrill of first love or the relief of finding your tribe. There could be no better setting to explore these themes than a paranormal alien festival in South Wales."

Alex Mathias

Doppelgänger

England, Northeast

• Writer: Alison Carr
• Director: Zak Harney
• Cast includes: Sarah Balfour
• Production Company: Candle & Bell

When ten-year old Josie Johns met her doppelgänger, it kicked off a decade of intense and bitter rivalry. Now an adult, Josie is about to confront her double, settle some scores, and take back control of her identity once and for all.

In my first script for the screen, I really wanted to embrace what screenwriting allows while staying true to my distinctive voice and tone. DOPPELGÄNGER is about identity, pressure, disappointment, and hope. It’s dark and funny, and a bit sad. I am committed to telling stories rooted in the modern North East, and collaborating with the incredible talent up here has been a treat.”

Alison Carr

Jealous People are Ugly People

England, Midlands

• Writer and Director: Theo James Krekis
• Cast includes: Loris Scarpa, Emaan Durrani, Zak Wadley
• Production Company: The Fold

Consumed by his jealousy of his best friend’s sudden career success, Vasilly’s resentment festers, feeding a dark, supernatural force within him.

In Greek culture there is a 5,000-year-old belief in the ‘evil eye’ – a curse cast by a jealous person’s glare. I wanted to explore this belief through a cinematic lens, dramatising how jealousy and feelings of inadequacy manifest when we compare ourselves to others, and the destructive consequences that follow.”

Theo James Krekis

Peak Male Excellence

London

• Writer: Adam Grant
• Director: Karimah Zakia Issa
• Cast includes: Ali Khan, Shanay Neusum-James
• Production Company: Joi Productions

Desperate to impress his crush, awkward fresher Rohan turns to an online masculinity coach for advice, but his quest for peak male excellence leads him to question if alpha status is all it’s cracked up to be.

PEAK MALE EXCELLENCE is about a university fresher who goes looking online for guidance about a girl he fancies and ends up tumbling down the rabbit hole of a masculinity guru. I love how if you have a difficult question about what to do in life, the online world is chomping at the bit to provide the worst possible answer.”

Adam Grant

Pineapple

Scotland

• Writer: Rachelle Atalla
• Director: Alia Ghafar
• Cast includes: Harmony-Rose Bremner, Dylan Blore
• Production Company: Barry Crerar

Lonely and disaffected twenty-something Mabel finds connection over a pineapple in the local supermarket.

PINEAPPLE was inspired by a real-life dating craze, originating in Spain, that really captured my attention. In a world where more and more of our existence is conducted online, often exacerbating our loneliness, I wanted to write something that interrogates our need and desire for meaningful in- person connection.”

Rachelle Atalla

 

Privileged

Northern Ireland

• Writer: Anthony Moriarty
• Director: Naomi Waring
• Cast includes: Sean Landau, Sophie Lenglinger
• Production Company: Out of Orbit

After a raw stand-up set earns aspiring comedian Tony a cancellation from his university’s most powerful influencers, he is faced with a choice; either sanitise his material or find the courage to embrace his voice.

With PRIVILEGED, I wanted to explore the pressures of social- media-fuelled culture wars relevant to young audiences. Focusing on a raw, working-class comic facing cancellation felt like a fun but nuanced way to explore authenticity versus hypocrisy in an age of outrage, cancel culture, and class conversations.”

Anthony Moriarty

 

True Love and Wormholes

England, South

• Writer: Dave Florez
• Director: Annabel Vine
• Cast includes: Anjana Vasan, Corey Mylchreest
• Production Company: Indefinite Films

Maggie’s from the West Country; Craig’s from the Future. Together they might just save the planet. He’s funny, intense, impossible to resist... but the closer Maggie gets, the more she suspects his story hides something darker. As their bond deepens, the danger escalates, smashing the boundaries between reality and delusion, monotony and wormholes, betrayal and True Love.

I wanted to explore what it means to search for connection in a divided, screen-obsessed world. By bending reality, I’m questioning not just how we see the world but how we see ourselves – through the madness of falling in love, and possibility that romance and activism might actually heal.”

Dave Florez