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Scripted

A year-long development scheme for Drama writers

I hope my experience shows there is no time limit to honing your skills as a writer, as long as you love what you do.
— Janice Hallett (Drama Room 2016)

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writers' Scripted (previously known as Drama Room) is a 1-year writer development scheme for writers identified through our Open Call and other talent searches.

We work with around 12 writers on the Scripted scheme every year, to develop their craft skills and knowledge of the industry. During the first 6 months of the programme, writers receive workshop sessions exploring character, structure, different mediums of storytelling, practical writing exercises as well as industry masterclasses with writers, producers and agents. There are also networking and ad hoc pitching opportunities (often in continuing drama, audio drama and children’s). The writers are paired up with Script Editors for 9 months to develop an original spec' script, which they focus on for the second half of the programme.

The aim of the scheme is to encourage and develop the best in new drama writing and to give these writers the opportunity to build strong connections with producers and help them gain ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ broadcast commissions.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writers Scripted logo

Latest News

The writers who took part in the latest Scripted group 22/23 (under its previous name, Drama Room) have now been announced. Find out full details below.

We began working with the new Scripted group towards the end of 2023. We'll announce their names in autumn 2024.

Drama Room 2022/2023

The thirteen writers in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writersroom Drama Room 2022/23

We're very pleased to announce the thirteen writers selected to be part of our Drama Room writer development group for 2022/23. They were selected following our Open Call submission window which closed in January 2022.

Across the first six months of the programme, the writers attended targeted training and development, including craft workshops (with practical writing exercises), masterclasses, introductions and networking events. For the latter half of the programme, the focus is on writing, for which they receive the support of a Script Editor for a further six months to develop their original spec' scripts.

We’re excited to see all the amazing things this talented bunch will go on to do!

The thirteen writers are:

  • Amy Arnold
  • Adam Bennett-Lea
  • Rhiannon Boyle
  • Sophia Chetin-Leuner
  • Mohamed-Zain Dada
  • Samuel Evans
  • Alan Flanagan
  • Daniel Katanchian
  • William Mager
  • Tom Mair
  • Nk'iru. Njoku
  • Michael Lee Richardson
  • Lily Seriki

Find out more about the Drama Room writers for 2022/23 on our blog

Drama Room 2021/22

Drama Room 2021/22

Following the Open Call submission window which closed in January 2021 the following sixteen writers were chose to be part of Drama Room for 2021/22. The group met for the first time in Manchester in October 2021 and will take part in development sessions both online and in person, before spending six months developing their spec' script with the help of a script editor. These are the writers in the group:

  • Alex Riddle
  • Alvin Yu
  • Benedict Lombe
  • Brennig Hayden
  • Carlo Kureishi
  • Emilie Robson
  • Faebian Averies
  • Fionnuala Kennedy
  • Georgia Affonso
  • Gillian McCormack
  • Houmi Miura
  • Nathan Ellis
  • Paris Ventour
  • Rosanna Suppa
  • Sarah Gordon
  • Tim Barrow

Find out more about the Drama Room writers for 2021/22 on our blog

Drama Room 2020

Drama Room 2020

Our fifth Drama Room development group was formed following the open submission window which closed in January 2020. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic all of this group's sessions have been carried out online. There are 20 writers in the group.

  • Amy Trigg
  • Andy Twyman
  • Asif Hasan
  • Beru Tessema
  • Chloë Mi Lin Ewart
  • Daniel Rusteau
  • Elliott Kerrigan
  • Jahvel Hall
  • Kelly M Jones
  • Kirsty Smith
  • Kristian Phillips
  • Mandip Singh Dhesi
  • Matthew Greenhough
  • Matthew McDevitt
  • Maud Dromgoole
  • Mina Barber
  • Sami Ibrahim
  • Siofra Dromgoole
  • Temi Wilkey
  • Yolanda Mercy

Find out more about the Drama Room 2020 writers on our blog

Drama Room 2019

Drama Room writers line up for a photo

Our fourth Drama Room writer development group met for the first time in autumn 2019.

There are 15 writers in the group.

  • Dipo Baruwa-Etti
  • Emma Dennis-Edwards
  • Marcelo Dos Santos
  • Yero Timi-Biu
  • Nyla Levy
  • Kat Woods
  • Theo Toksvig-Stewart
  • Alex Mathias
  • AJ Yi
  • Omar Raza
  • Shazia Ali
  • Lettie Precious
  • Lucy Burke
  • Anna Mason
  • Ayad Andrews

Find out more about them on our blog

Drama Room 2018

The third annual Drama Room writer development group met for the first time at our TV Writers' Festival in early June 2018.

Collage of writers photos

There were 15 writers in the group:

  • James Price
  • Silas Parry
  • Samara Maclaren
  • Greer Ellison
  • John O’Donovan
  • Jesse Schwenk
  • Joseph Charlton
  • Patrick Cash
  • Naomi Sheldon
  • Sian Ejiwunmi-le Berre
  • Eno Mfon
  • Paula Ogun
  • Rabiah Hussain
  • Isis Davis
  • Joshua Azouz

  • Meet the Drama Room 2018

    Find out more about the 15 writers who were part of the 2018 Drama Room development group on our blog.
  • Drama Room: Day One

    Story structure with John Yorke, protagonists, antagonists all to the accompaniment of Trump protesters! Find out more on Patrick Cash's blog post.
  • Drama Room: Day Two

    Eno Mfon was part of our Drama Room writer development group for 2018. She explains more about what happened on their second workshop day, which focussed on Radio Drama.
  • Drama Room: Day Three

    Jesse Schwenk was part of our Drama Room writer development group for 2018. He looks back at the group's two-day workshop on writing TV Drama and shares loads of useful advice and information he picked up during the days.

Drama Room 2017

Our second Drama Room development group began in June 2017 with the writers meeting for the first time and coming to our .  This was followed by an intensive workshop with John Yorke in July on story structure.

Photo collage of the drama room writers

These writers were in the group:

  • Adura Onashile
  • Alan Harris
  • Alyn Farrow
  • Amy Ng
  • Berri George
  • Dan Pick
  • Daniel Hopewell
  • Emma Jowett
  • Hayley Wareham
  • Henry Darke
  • Jimmy Osborne
  • Kamal Kaan
  • Katherine Soper
  • Lisa Keogh
  • Lori King
  • Oonagh Kearney
  • Rachel Smith
  • Somalia Seaton
  • Stef Smith
  • Hayley Wareham blogs about how she found herself part of the Drama Room and the Radio Day - "You can do things in radio that are tricky to pull off in the theatre and expensive on TV."
  • Wales Drama Award

    Alan Harris and Alyn Farrow were both finalists for the Wales Drama Award in 2014. Watch them introduce their shortlisted plays.
  • Amy Ng's first broadcast commission was a powerful monologue for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Music Day 2017 performed by Daniel Mays. Find out more and listen now.
  • The Break

    Berri George's comedy-drama Tits was part of our second series of The Break, produced in partnership with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Drama for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Three and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer. Watch now.
  • Drama Room 2017 writer Daniel Hopewell blogs about his journey with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writersroom and shares his advice to writers.
  • Kamal Kaan blogs about writing his first 45-minute radio drama and why it's a love-letter to his home town of Bradford.
  • Stef Smith is a Scottish playwright whose work has been performed at theatres including The Traverse, The Royal Court, The Tron Theatre and The Citizens Theatre. She recently came on our residential for writers who are interested in working for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Scotland show River City.

Drama Room 2016

Our first Drama Room development group began in the summer of 2016 and ran for six months.

The drama room writers line up for a photograph

 There were 14 writers on the scheme:

  • Ben Weatherill
  • Dave Florez
  • Gavin Cutter
  • Mario Theodorou
  • Morna Regan
  • Paula Stanic
  • Xana Marwick
  • Philip Doherty
  •  
  • Two writers (Chandni Lakhani and Mario Theodorou) from our first Drama Room group have gone on to gain a place in our TV Drama Writers' Programme 2018. This is a separate scheme which offers a placement with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Studios or an independent production company and a script commission.
  • The Break

    Drama Room 2016 graduate Charlene James wrote an episode of The Break I - our short monologues for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer & ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Three. Find out more and watch now.
  • Miriam Battye from our Drama Room 2016 was successful in our recent Class Dismissed sketch writing opportunity, with her sketch commissioned for the C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ show.
  • For the 2017 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Music Day ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writersroom produced 6 monologues on the power of music. One of the writers was Russ Dunsmore, part of our 2016 Drama Room group. Listen to his monologue 'Movement' now.
  • Drama Room graduate Theresa Ikoko adapted her award-winning stage play Girls for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 4 produced by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writersroom Development Producer Abigail Gonda. She blogged for us about the process of translating her work into a different medium and how it has affected her writing.
  • Writer Janice Hallett on our blog
  • Find out more from Drama Room member Chandni Lakhani
  • Writersroom Development Producer Abigail Gonda with advice on which writing avenues to explore
  • From Anne Edyvean, former Head of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Writersroom

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