The BBC Writers Academy 2008 has opened its doors for applications.
Simply put, this is THE current way into the BBC for screenwriters.
Those who are selected will be given extensive tuition, and when they’ve finished their training, most of them will be given gigs writing real shows.
If you want to write for British TV, you’d be crazy not to apply.
Here’s the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/writers_academy.shtml
Thanks to Dr Bryan for pointing out it had gone live.
Read about more screenwriting opportunities on the Screenwriting Goldmine screenwriting forum.
How To Write A Screenplay
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Worth pointing out that this isn’t for beginners – you already have to have had something broadcast on TV or radio to apply, if my memory serves correctly.
Yes, that’s right: from the BBC jobs board:
‘To be eligible for this scheme, writers will have already had at least one professional drama commission in film, television or radio drama script produced or one theatre piece performed professionally.’
It seems that anyone who can actually apply has already broke into the business
I’m not sure that’s quite the same thing – even if you buy into the concept of “breaking in”, which strikes me as something of a fallacy when at best we’re freelancers, having one radio play or an episode of Doctors broadcast is a world apart from being ‘in’.
The Synopsis of “Rex” (Copyright effective 6/21/06 per form Pau3-067-028)
Lew Solomon a contender for the middleweight championship and his wife, Joclene visit a psychic to see if she can foretell if he will be victorious in a forth-coming fight. She predicts that he will win and also predicts that Joclene will give him a son. After being intimidated by Lew, Ora reluctantly forewarns that the boy will cause the death of his father. Terrified of the thought of being killed by his own son, Lew puts the boy up for adoption. He then finds out the whereabouts of the adoptive parents and arranges for the boy’s death.
Shortly thereafter, Joclene finds a notation in Lew’s computer that read, “See Kirksy on the 12th about John and Laura Collins” She is so curious, she hires a P.I. to find out who these people are. She is able to locate John Collins, but not Kirksy. Joclene visits John and learns that he and his wife adopted a boy. However, they were both killed by a hit and run driver. Joclene is certain that her son is dead and drops the matter.
Several years later Lew has lost and regained the championship. His next opponent is a fighter named Rex Combs who has a perfect record and is much younger. Lew is defeated by a knockout in the seventh round and consequently dies in the ring.
After the funeral, Rex visits Joclene to offer his condolences, monetary support and the championship belt as a peace offering. She accepts the belt, but after thinking about it, returns it expressing that he is the rightful owner. Consequently their friendship develops into a relationship and they begin to see a lot of each other and eventually marry.
Just prior to his first defense of the title, Rex is approached by Donna Sphinx a ruthless, gangster type and fight promoter. She offers him a handsome sum of money to throw his next fight. When Rex refuses she threatens his life. Edward Johnson, Donna’s secretary then contacts Rex with a proposal. For a price he offers secret information about Donna and shocking photographs of her that will counteract her threat.
Donna discovers that Johnson has stolen the photographs from her safe and has him murdered. The police catch the assassins in the act and one of them is killed and other one is captured while committing the crime. For a lesser sentence the survivor agrees to turn state’s evidence implicating Donna as a co-conspirator. With the prospect of receiving a life sentence in prison and the fact that the world now knows her secret, she takes her own life.
A year later Joclene gives birth to a boy. One day while watching the news on TV she sees the sentencing of a man named Kirksy Love. He is given twenty years to life for distribution of drugs. She feels that, he’s got to be the same Kirksy mentioned in Lew’s computer. Her P.I. locates Kirksy’s wife and Joclene pays her to be taken to the penitentiary to see her Kirksy. During their visit, Joclene agrees to pay Connie $150,000 if Kirksy tells of his connection with her deceased husband. Inasmuch as he is dying of terminal cancer, he agrees. He tells her that Lew hired him to kill the son of John and Laura Collins.
Joclene tells Rex the story and he suggests that she contact the adoption agency to verify that John and Laura Collins were actually the people who adopted her son.
At the adoption agency Joclene and Jeannie, Rex’s sister are informed that the couple who adopted her son were actually named John and Laura Clemens. Joclene remembered that Lew was famous for getting people’s names confused. She is elated to learn that her son is still alive until Jeannie informs her that the adoption agency also made a mistake. John and Laura Clemens were Rex’s foster parents for two years before her parents, adopted him. She remembered as a child going with her parents to pick up Rex at the home of the Clemens’. So in reality, Rex is Joclene’s biological son
Joclene is devastated by the news and kills herself. When Rex finds her dead he attempts suicide but only disables himself. Since Jeannie was the one who revealed the awful truth, she assumes the responsibility of caring for Rex. and his son.