Channel 4 today announces the 12 writers who won coveted places on this year’s Channel 4 Drama Screenwriting course, 4Screenwriting.  Channel 4 is accepting entries for the 2023 Channel 4Screenwriting course from September 16th to October 3rd 2022.

Over the last 12 years 4Screenwriting has taken on over 140 new writers, pairing them with an industry script editor to develop a pilot episode script and then introducing them to key contacts within the TV drama industry. The course has been an invaluable resource, helping to identify new talent for the Channel 4 drama department and the industry as a whole. Many of these writers have gone on to enjoy notable screenwriting success.

The course has a particular focus on working with new and unheard voices – providing upcoming writers  with the opportunity to bring their stories into the world  of TV drama, in the UK.

The list of alumni includes screenwriters such as; Charlie Covell  (The End of the F**king World, Banana); Anna Symon (Indian Summers, Mrs Wilson, The Essex Serpent), Theresa Ikoko (Rocks), Nathaniel Price (Noughts & Crosses, Tin Star, The Offenders) Adam Usden (Zero Chill), Namsi Khan (His Dark Materials, Humans), Chandni Lakhani (The Dublin Murders, Vigil), Amy Trigg (Ralph and Katie), Annalisa D’Innella (Ralph and Katie) and Laurence Clark (Perfect).

Recent success stories include:  4Screenwriting alumni writing on C4 drama shows including Hollyoaks, Ackley Bridge, On The Edge, Screw and Queenie; several of the recent course projects have gone into active development with Channel 4 Drama; writers with their own, authored shows, on established series going into production or in writers rooms with ITV, BBC, Channel 5, Sky, Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, etc.

From almost 3,000 applications, the 12 writers that were selected and completed the 2022 course are: Iman Boujelouah, Edward Cripps, Lucy Goodman, Tiwa Lade, Nicole Latchana, William Mager, Nina Millns, Anthony Moriarty, Kirsty Rider, Harry Robertson, Paven Virk and Lydia Yeoman.

The writers received motivational, creative and practical advice to kick-start their careers with talks from high-profile writers, producers, directors and members of the Channel 4 commissioning team. These generous guest speakers included Russell T Davies (It’s A Sin, Doctor Who), Charlie Covell (The End Of The F**king World), Marc Munden (Help, National Treasure, Utopia) Petra Fried (Cheaters, Somewhere Boy), Hilary Norrish (Top Boy, Little Birds), Kate Leys (Churchill, Benjamin) and from the Channel 4 Drama team; Caroline Hollick, Gemma Boswell and Rebecca Holdsworth.

Head of Channel 4 Drama, Caroline Hollick, commented: “We’re delighted with the work of this year’s 4Screenwriting cohort. Once again, the scheme has shown what an incredible pool of writing talent we have in the UK and the writers join an impressive list of 4Screenwriting graduates. Channel 4 Drama is committed to developing new talent and we’re thrilled to continue 4Screenwriting into 2023.”

Producer Lisa Walters said:  ‘I’ve been lucky enough to witness the growth of 4Screenwriting over the years, nurturing some of the best fresh voices in our industry.  Each year 12 fantastic scripts, many leading  producers and production companies are keen to read.  The discovery of the top emerging talent is what they hope for and frequently what they find. There are so many brilliant writers, 4Screenwriting alum, who’ve begun fruitful careers in this way. Long may that continue. Hundreds  of stories told from diverse authors, it’s the heartland of Channel 4 drama and essential for providing an opportunity for talent, whatever their background, to shine.’

The 4Screenwriting course is open to applicants without a screenwriting credit and provides the opportunity to work with a dedicated script editor to write an original script. The course is run for Channel 4 by Philip Shelley who runs his own Script Consultancy Service. Philip works with individual writers, producers and production companies. 

The course will be running again for 2023. Entries for 2022 will be accepted from September 16th until October 3rd. Details for this will be updated on https://careers.channel4.com/4skills/talent-schemes/4screenwriting in the coming weeks.

ENDS

Notes to editors

During the 2022 intake, the programme also ran a mentoring scheme for an additional 13 writers – more details about these writers can be found on Philip Shelley’s website https://script-consultant.co.uk/ 

THE 4SCREENWRITING MENTORED WRITERS 2022

Here is the list of the 13 writers who have been mentored over the last 6 months by experienced industry practitioners (producers, script editors, development executives, literary agents, screenwriters):

THE WRITERS

Adam Bennett-Lea, Steven Camden, Callum Cameron, Rachel Clark, Jonathan Hughes, Jodie Irvine, Alys Metcalf, Danny Moran, Katy Mulgrew, Natasha Mwansa, Hollie Newton, Claire Rowlands, Annabel Zammit

NB If you would like any more information about any of these writers or would like to read their scripts, please contact me at: philip.shelley@script-consultant.co.uk