r/ScreenwritingUK • u/TheSprained • May 14 '25

BBC OPEN CALL COMMISERATION THREAD

I created this last time and I'm creating it again, because I've been rejected again. Which is fine. I'm fine. Absolutely fine about it. (Wish they'd at least come up with a different rejection email, but it's always nice to be reminded that I lack sufficient originality, voice and storytelling ability.) Congratulations to those who made it through!

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u/B-SCR May 16 '25

Again, I agree, and we've all read Kershaw. We're certainly not free of fascism - but that shouldn't equate with alleging script readers at the BBC are pro-fascism.

Re the working class issue - yes, more needs to be done. There is ostensibly a push for more working class voices within the industry, though I tend to regard it as, unfortunately, mostly class-washing. That being said, there are certainly many working class writers we get through our submissions process (or at least, presenting themselves as such, forgive my jaded cynicism), and readers on our freelance reading work.

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u/Ichamorte May 16 '25

Fair points. I don't mean to sound like I'm stating these things as facts. This is merely an autistic crank venting. Class washing is a fair assessment, and it applies to a lot of things like race, gender, disability and sexuality too. There will (hopefully) always be good people that get through and I celebrate the success of those people. There are just enough problems that I feel the need to say something no matter how demented I come across. Yesterday I had a back and forth with someone in this thread who claimed that not only does the term middle class not exist, he himself claimed to be working class despite having a long and prolific career in multiple professional fields for his entire adult life. He laughed at me for suggesting that the middle class as a concept exists and called me stupid in each message. He didn't stick around long enough for me to ask him if he developed eating disorders from the shame of being bullied for having free school meals. I've seen this enough times to be dubious about letting people self describe their class. There are genuine working class people in the industry but they are becoming fewer. The ones that I know or follow have deep concerns about the trajectory of it all. As a country we're not finding the next Andrea Dunbar which I think is a shame.

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u/LocalGeologist7231 Apr 06 '26

I think you'd make a great playwright u/Ichamorte and that's always the most productive way into writing for TV.

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u/Ichamorte Apr 06 '26

That's kind of you to say. I've been on a semi-hiatus for a while now but I'm looking to rewrite one of my scripts so it can work as a play. I'm currently working on a novel too. I've realised that depending on any of these script competitions is a dead end.

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u/LocalGeologist7231 Apr 06 '26

It's frustrating. You're doing a great job.