Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime
The newsletters give information that will be of interest to those writing scripts for screen, radio and stage. They tell you about new items on the website, such as interveiws with directors, actors etc, and also opportunities, such as theatre residencies for writers and the odd competition.
(Is it fair that it's only for Northern writers? Imagine the uproar if it was only for writers from the South of England!!!)
................
The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award
Deadline: 3 November 2006
Do you have a fresh idea for BBC Radio Drama?
Do you have a zest for writing? Could you write a bold, original story for radio? BBC Radio Drama is looking for talented writers based in the North of England, with compelling stories to tell. You could win a bursary of up to £6000, have your work produced on BBC Radio 4, secure a six month mentorship with a Radio Drama Producer and have the opportunity to develop future commissions - so get your creative juices flowing and get writing!
What is The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award?
This biennial award was set up to commemorate the life and work of Alfred Bradley, the distinguished BBC Radio Drama Producer. Its the most prestigious radio drama prize in the country and encourages new radio writing in the North of England, in collaboration with BBC Radio 4. Previous winners include Lee Hall, Mandy Precious, Peter Straughan and Pam Leeson.
This is a commission for the Afternoon Play slot on BBC Radio 4 (2.15pm weekdays, or listenagain). The Afternoon Play is all about storytelling. Anything and everything goes in this slot - contemporary and period drama, comedy, issue driven plays, drama documentary, family plays, crime and thriller, romance fantasy. But remember: story, story, story. Do you have a good story?
If youve never written a radio play before, here are some ways to get started: Radio Drama Guidelines, Writing Tips, Script Archive, Script Formats.
Who can apply?
You can apply if you were born, brought up or are currently based in the North of England and have never had a play produced by BBC Radio Drama.
Who decides?
Sally Wainwright Writer: At Home with the Braithwaites, Sparkhouse and The Wife of Bath for TV, Cold in the Earth and 15 Wild Decembers for Radio 4
Simon Stephens Writer: Motortown, Port, Herons and On the Shores of the Wide World for theatre
Julie Hesmondhalgh Actor (most recently Hayley in Coronation Street)
Jeremy Howe BBC Commissioning Editor for Drama, Radio 4
Kate Rowland BBC Creative Director, New Writing
Sue Roberts BBC Executive Producer, Radio Drama North
How do you enter?
Send a hard copy of an original 45 minute radio drama (7,000 words maximum) to:
Alfred Bradley Bursary Award
BBC writersroom
379-381 Euston Road
London NW1 3AU
If you would like receipt of your entry acknowledged please enclose a stamped self-addressed postcard and if you would like your script returned to you please enclose a large s.a.e.
Rules
The closing date for entries is noon on 3rd November 2006
Shortlisted writers will be notified by the end of January 2007
Winner/s will be notified by the end of February 2007
Make sure your name appears only on the front page of your script and on your covering letter
You must submit a hard copy of your script, we cannot accept scripts by fax or email or on tape
Script should be clearly typed/word processed and printed on A4 paper
The judges decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into
The BBC writersroom run various schemes for different parts of the country.
if you hang around long enough something will come up that you can enter- trust me.
Anyway, must dash I have to work on my Alfred Bradley entry
Ta-ra!
I wish they would remember that there are people in the South West too, who also have less opportunities than those living in London. It's still a long way to London from Cornwall!
Just received this automated response. Do you think they'll send a real answer?
Hello,
Thank you for your enquiry. This is an automated reply from the writersroom mailbox, now at [email protected]
Our Frequently Asked Questions are likely to cover what you want to know and can be viewed here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/writersroom_faq.shtml.
Please note that we are not liable to respond to anything already covered in the FAQs.
We advise all writers to check our Submission Guidelines before sending work or making enquiries: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/submissions.shtml
If you have a complaint about a BBC programme or website, please direct it to BBC Complaints: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
Unfortunately, we cannot answer general queries about BBC output. If you have a question about the BBC which is not related to scriptwriting, please contact BBC Information: www.bbc.co.uk/info
Please note that for reasons of resources and copyright, we cannot accept scripts via email, and we delete them without consideration. You should send your eligible script, by post, to: BBC writersroom, 1 Mortimer St. London W1T 3JA.
If your enquiry cannot be answered by the information provided on the website we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
I think this is to cover themselves, say if they produce a programme and someone may have submitted an identical idea by e-mail, and then claim the idea has been stolen or copyright infringed. If it has only gone into the system by recognised channels that problem will be unlikely.
I tried sending a 3 minute World Cup monologue a while ago, as requested on the BBC site /Radio 5. I sent it by email exactly as requested, and got that identical auto response - saying they don't accept any scripts by email! Sent a paper copy just to make sure, but never got any reply at all. The World Cup is of course long gone so it will never be accepted for broadcast now. What a shame when they call for something, then send silly confusing auto replies but never actually respond to the submission.
Hi Viv, I sent my World Cup submission by email and recieved an automated response acknowledging the entry. What address did you send it to? I clicked the link on the Writersroom page that advertised the competition. How disappointing for you not to receive an acknowledgement - I just hate it when you are left wondering if your work has been considered.
I sent Julie H (Hayley in Coronation Street) one of my short stories, and she wrote a very nice letter back to me. I'm now wondering if I should send one to Antony Cotton (Sean).
Jacey - yes, I clicked on the website link so I know I must have sent to the right place, but no acknowledgement. Just that stupid auto message everyone gets. Same thing happened to a friend at my writing group too. So two disappointed writers never sure if our work was read! I don't often listen to Radio 5, so I never heard any of the monologues being broadcast. Did anyone hear them and were they any good?
Hi Viv, For a while you could "listen again" to the monologues on the Five Live website, but I've just checked and they seem to have gone now. The last three chosen are still on the Five Live and Writersroom websites though:
Thanks jacey. I just took a brief look and will go back to it later. What an amazing number of entries they had. Not so upset now that mine failed! Well done you.
Well, knock me over!
What to they consider north? Manchester? Bradford? Wakefield? All far south to me. Typically this is where the boundary starts and finishes. I am amazed that something like this actually occurs and includes the North East. I regularly search sites for competitions and incentives.Apart from a Orange New Voices and Biscuit Publishing, that generated from Darlington and Newcastle but were natioal, there seems to be little else that I can find that stretches as far as this.
I do agree that things shouldn't be prescriptive in terms of region/gender/religion. I'm just amazed that they specifically include this area.
Comments
www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom
(Is it fair that it's only for Northern writers? Imagine the uproar if it was only for writers from the South of England!!!)
................
The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award
Deadline: 3 November 2006
Do you have a fresh idea for BBC Radio Drama?
Do you have a zest for writing? Could you write a bold, original story for radio? BBC Radio Drama is looking for talented writers based in the North of England, with compelling stories to tell. You could win a bursary of up to £6000, have your work produced on BBC Radio 4, secure a six month mentorship with a Radio Drama Producer and have the opportunity to develop future commissions - so get your creative juices flowing and get writing!
What is The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award?
This biennial award was set up to commemorate the life and work of Alfred Bradley, the distinguished BBC Radio Drama Producer. Its the most prestigious radio drama prize in the country and encourages new radio writing in the North of England, in collaboration with BBC Radio 4. Previous winners include Lee Hall, Mandy Precious, Peter Straughan and Pam Leeson.
This is a commission for the Afternoon Play slot on BBC Radio 4 (2.15pm weekdays, or listenagain). The Afternoon Play is all about storytelling. Anything and everything goes in this slot - contemporary and period drama, comedy, issue driven plays, drama documentary, family plays, crime and thriller, romance fantasy. But remember: story, story, story. Do you have a good story?
If youve never written a radio play before, here are some ways to get started: Radio Drama Guidelines, Writing Tips, Script Archive, Script Formats.
Who can apply?
You can apply if you were born, brought up or are currently based in the North of England and have never had a play produced by BBC Radio Drama.
Who decides?
Sally Wainwright Writer: At Home with the Braithwaites, Sparkhouse and The Wife of Bath for TV, Cold in the Earth and 15 Wild Decembers for Radio 4
Simon Stephens Writer: Motortown, Port, Herons and On the Shores of the Wide World for theatre
Julie Hesmondhalgh Actor (most recently Hayley in Coronation Street)
Jeremy Howe BBC Commissioning Editor for Drama, Radio 4
Kate Rowland BBC Creative Director, New Writing
Sue Roberts BBC Executive Producer, Radio Drama North
How do you enter?
Send a hard copy of an original 45 minute radio drama (7,000 words maximum) to:
Alfred Bradley Bursary Award
BBC writersroom
379-381 Euston Road
London NW1 3AU
If you would like receipt of your entry acknowledged please enclose a stamped self-addressed postcard and if you would like your script returned to you please enclose a large s.a.e.
Rules
The closing date for entries is noon on 3rd November 2006
Shortlisted writers will be notified by the end of January 2007
Winner/s will be notified by the end of February 2007
Make sure your name appears only on the front page of your script and on your covering letter
You must submit a hard copy of your script, we cannot accept scripts by fax or email or on tape
Script should be clearly typed/word processed and printed on A4 paper
The judges decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into
Anyway, I signed up... must be a couple of months ago, now. Never had a newsletter yet.
if you hang around long enough something will come up that you can enter- trust me.
Anyway, must dash I have to work on my Alfred Bradley entry
Ta-ra!
Hello,
Thank you for your enquiry. This is an automated reply from the writersroom mailbox, now at [email protected]
Our Frequently Asked Questions are likely to cover what you want to know and can be viewed here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/writersroom_faq.shtml.
Please note that we are not liable to respond to anything already covered in the FAQs.
We advise all writers to check our Submission Guidelines before sending work or making enquiries: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/submissions.shtml
If you have a complaint about a BBC programme or website, please direct it to BBC Complaints: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
Unfortunately, we cannot answer general queries about BBC output. If you have a question about the BBC which is not related to scriptwriting, please contact BBC Information: www.bbc.co.uk/info
Please note that for reasons of resources and copyright, we cannot accept scripts via email, and we delete them without consideration. You should send your eligible script, by post, to: BBC writersroom, 1 Mortimer St. London W1T 3JA.
If your enquiry cannot be answered by the information provided on the website we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Regards,
BBC writersroom
I'll have another look at the website, though.
Can't take e-mail submissions because of copyright? So how can writers send mss to publishers who ONLY accept them by e-mail???
www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/worldcuptapes_update.shtml
My entry "For Better, For Worse" is there under my real name, Miranda.
What to they consider north? Manchester? Bradford? Wakefield? All far south to me. Typically this is where the boundary starts and finishes. I am amazed that something like this actually occurs and includes the North East. I regularly search sites for competitions and incentives.Apart from a Orange New Voices and Biscuit Publishing, that generated from Darlington and Newcastle but were natioal, there seems to be little else that I can find that stretches as far as this.
I do agree that things shouldn't be prescriptive in terms of region/gender/religion. I'm just amazed that they specifically include this area.