Hi There,
This fortnight I look back at the 1st weekend of the 2025 CHANNEL 4 SCREENWRITING COURSE, which we held at C4’s offices in London over the weekend of Jan 18 & 19. The weekend consists of a series of talks, q&a’s with some brilliant people from the TV drama industry – representatives from the Channel 4 drama department, script editor Kate Leys, script editor / producer Hilary Norrish and writers Thara Popoola, Lare Oyefusi, Grace Ofori-Attah and Charlie Covell – all of whom are alumni of the 4screenwriting course.
None of the below are verbatim quotes, just my (slightly fading) memory of what was said, my versions of the guest speaker’s words – so apologies in advance for any misquotes.
The weekend kicked off with Charlie Covell – what an inspiration Charlie is. Not only a wonderfully talented writer (The End Of The F***ing World, Truelove, Kaos, etc) but their talent is complemented by their generosity. Charlie was asked a question under which they read a slightly negative sub-text (about the industry’s openness to queer stories). Charlie’s response was – essentially – that the industry is open to stories across the board, that the best way to approach the industry as a new writer is with positivity and hopefulness, to assume the best until you confront evidence to the contrary. I found it enormously encouraging that someone like Charlie who has been at the intense cutting edge of writing and producing over the last few years, was preaching such a positive message.
Charlie was followed by script editor / consultant and all-round story expert Kate Leys. Kate has spoken on the course for the last few years and I (and the writers) always come away from her session buzzing with thoughts and ideas about how story works as well as thoroughly entertained. If you ever get the chance to hear Kate’s insights on story, grab it with both hands.
The final session of the first day was a joint Q&A session with 2 writer alumni from the course – Thara Popoola (from 2021) and Lare Oyefusi (who was on the course last year, 2024). This is one of the most valuable sessions for the new writers – a chance to pick the brains of writers from previous years who have really made the most of the opportunities the course offers them.
Meeting up with and listening to these writers makes me think about the qualities you need to succeed in this tough industry, qualities displayed by Thara and Lare – a quiet ambition – a determination to succeed that absolutely doesn’t manifest as arrogance but as a calm modesty, a focus and (as with Charlie) a generosity towards your fellow writers. As an illustration of this, the extremely impressive Thara (with a few other peers) has set up a brilliant initiative to support her fellow creatives, ‘Black Women In Scripted’ – writers need to support and back each other – and this is one of the very best examples of that.
The C4 screenwriting course has been running for such a long time now that there is a significant industry network of writers and script editors who have come through the course and have the course in common. It can be a really useful point of contact and one of the things I find most gratifying is how friendships and working relationships formed on the course often continue on afterwards .
The first session on Sunday morning was run by Eleanor Dawson from the Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB). This was the first time we’d asked someone from the WGGB to come and speak on the course and the session was invaluable. The WGGB is a brilliant resource for writers starting out – they offer free advice for the thorniest of writers’ difficulties. They will protect your interest and guide you as to what to expect from producers / employers and what to beware of. There is too much scope for exploitation of writers’ goodwill in the way the industry works – but the WGGB can be a valuable ally in helping you to navigate all of this. Eleanor talked about so many aspects of a writer’s career and the potential pitfalls – covering issues like options, shopping agreements, contracts, rights, residuals / royalties and much more. The WGGB has a lot of free literature that might answer some of your career questions.
Following Eleanor, we had a session with literary agent Julia Tyrrell – a brilliant supporter of 4screenwriting who had a load of insightful advice for these writers taking their first steps on the ladder of the industry – Julia has taken on as clients several 4screenwriting alumni – and helped them to thrive.
Sunday afternoon we were joined by script executive / producer Hilary Norrish. Hilary has a hugely impressive CV – she has been involved in so many brilliant TV shows and films – and the quality of the scripts she has worked on is a testament to her storytelling insights. Hilary is in fact the only guest speaker who has now spoken on all 15 years of the course and as with Kate Leys, her session is always a highlight. One thing Hilary reiterates every year, ‘The writer on a show is the primary creative.’ You should never forget this!
Finally we were joined by Grace Ofori-Attah – writer of the recent ITV hit show, Playing Nice and also of the excellent Malpractice¸ the second series of which should be on ITV quite soon. Grace is one of many 4screenwriting success stories and her session was inspiring. Grace has a calmness, a quiet focus which (as above) seems to be a common factor in many of the most successful writers from the course.
Both days finish with meetings between the script editors working on the course and the three writers they’re working with. This year for the first time we asked the writers to send us three ideas that they might want to write on the course as 1-2 page pitches. I had the pleasure of reading all of these 30+ pitches (we have 12 writers on the course). The standard was so strong, it makes me very excited about the scripts that may come out of the other end of the process in May. It was also really educational – and made me think about what it is that makes a good written pitch. One thought in particular stood out – not only do you need a good story idea, you need to convey something about how you’re going to tell / dramatize that story – it’s that conjunction of writer and story. Conveying your excitement for it but also illustrating something of how you will tell the story, what you as a writer bring to this particular story.
Script Reading & Development Q&A March 5th 6-8.30pm
I’m now taking bookings for my next running of this 2 ½ zoom session for the evening of March 5th.
https://script-consultant.co.uk/script-reading-development-qa/
A testimonial from the January session –
‘Philip’s Script Reading & Development Q&A was packed with insightful advice around starting an editorial career in the industry. I received feedback on my CV and clear, actionable pointers to use when contacting companies for script reading work. Philip’s focus on the ‘how to’ of finding opportunities really sets the session apart – I came away inspired with pages of notes and a mile long to-do list!’
CRAIG ROSE
Greenlight Screenwriting Lab 2025
I’m delighted to announce that I will again be running the GREENLIGHT SCREENWRITING LAB for new Irish screenwriters and script editors. All the information about this 6 month course is on my website. The weekends of the course will be held in Galway (May) and Dublin (October).
https://script-consultant.co.uk/ireland-screenwriting-course/
Entries will be open from Feb 14th – March 3rd.
First Draft Writers Event – TV Foundation / Soho Theatre / 27 March
https://the-tv-foundation.eventcube.io/events/70654/first-draft-2025/?p=priorityaccess
First Draft is a new event aimed at writers, no matter your experience. This is an opportunity to connect with the writing community and develop your voice. Speakers from across the TV industry and beyond will come together to create a programme of talks and masterclasses designed to help and inspire writers.
Best wishes
Phil
PHILIP SHELLEY
Twitter / BlueSky: @PhilipShelley1
Friday February 7th 2025
