Hartswood West, ScreenSkills and BBC Writersroom Wales have joined forces to find two up-and-coming TV writers with a strong connection to Wales. Part-funded by the ScreenSkills High-end TV Fund, Fflur and writer Alan Harris will receive a six-month bursary to develop original drama ideas. Following this, they will be given the opportunity to present their work to the BBC. Additionally, they will benefit from expert advice and guidance from established Welsh screenwriters Russell T Davies (A Very English Scandal, Doctor Who) and Cath Tregenna (Torchwood, Law & Order) as part of the scheme.
The writers were chosen following a rigorous selection process, during which they had to pitch their submitted idea to a judging panel, which included Ben Irving (Drama Commissioning Editor for Wales, BBC) and Brian Minchin (Executive Producer, Hartswood West).
Fflur said: “Having long admired the work of Hartswood Films, it’s fantastic to finally get an opportunity to work alongside them to develop a really exciting pitch. I am very passionate about Welsh representation on screen, and am always eager to divert from the easy stereotypes to show the rest of the world how funny and quirky and diverse Welsh people are. I entered this programme because I’m invested in creating a really engaging Welsh story which will connect with audiences across the UK, and it’s wonderful to have someone as experienced as Russell T Davies overseeing the creative process.”
Kaye Elliott, Director of high-end TV for ScreenSkills said: “ScreenSkills is dedicated to developing talent and crew across the whole of the UK. We are very pleased to support this new scheme with the High-end TV Skills Fund, enabling talent to grow in Wales. We look forward to seeing how Fflur and Alan develop their work in the next six months.”
Helen Perry, Development Producer at BBC Writersroom Wales said: “Wales harbours real TV drama writing talent and the Hartswood West Scheme confirms this. The competition was tough. But I’m delighted for Alan and Fflur. I can’t wait to see their work come to life, hopefully on BBC Network TV, very soon.”
Brian Minchin, Executive Producer at Hartswood West said: “Fflur and Alan are ambitious, talented, and bursting with ideas. Wales has long been a great place to make TV and with fantastic writers like Fflur and Alan making their voices heard it will surely stay that way.”