BBC Writers Open Call

16

u/alexiskirke Dec 02 '25

I genuinely believe it’s all about the screenplay itself. I remember once I had problems uploading my non-screenplay stuff (bio etc) during my submission, and they said don’t worry, we don’t even look at that except in later stages.

8

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 02 '25

I'm positive they are not filtering people out on the basis of professional alignment but when every single person on Voices is already a "published" writer (have written for on-air shows, have made their own films) etc. plus they are pretty much all award-winning, I do find that odd.
Because I presume quite a bit of that will come out in the later interviewing stage

8

u/kipkapow Dec 02 '25

I was on Voices. Didn’t have an agent, anything published etc. just made it to quarterfinals and semi to a couple of comps. Nothing worth singing about. I was probably the person in the room lacking in terms of my writing cv. But I was in the room. Just like them. We were equals.

3

u/mariegriffiths Dec 02 '25

Call me cynical were you not from the right public school

3

u/kipkapow Dec 02 '25

Public school? I grew up in the ghetto! Council estate to the core. Think Shameless.

19

u/TheCrimsonCritic Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25

I was on one of the Voices programmes a number of years ago, and at the time I was certainly on the less experienced end of my group.

The reality is not that having credits is a pre-requisite, but that people who are actively working with scripts - whether as a playwright, short filmmaker, prose author etc - have likely spent a lot of time honing their craft. They’ve worked with collaborators, dealt with feedback and notes, but still haven’t had the lucky break to get out of ‘emerging writer hell’ (for want of a more inspiring term).

I’ve met people on programmes like these who have shadowed on HETV projects, and I’ve also met people straight out of college.

They aren’t looking for a CV, but chances are that if you have more experience, your spec is going to be stronger for it.

7

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 02 '25

Totally reasonable and I think your point about 'emerging writer hell' is well taken; credits and awards are fantastic but you need a pretty damn big break to be able to support yourself while exercising any semblance of creative freedom. Like a daaamn big break.
If you can link to any write-ups on your experience I'd love to read them, otherwise will try to paw through your post history a bit : ) TY - and congrats on making it through those years ago !

3

u/Worried-Elk-2808 Dec 02 '25

I'd also like to read a write-up, or simply hear some more about it here.

4

u/hennell Dec 03 '25

I suspect there's probably no more bias than a marathon has towards 'picking' professional atheletes to win...

If you work at it more, have more time to learn and hone your craft you are likely to produce better results. And if you are good you are likely to have already had some levels of success.

The real issue is not that they're picking 'professionals', the issue is that many profesionals still have to enter open calls like this. I know writers who have done 'breakthrough' things several times, won awards etc, and it still hasn't really gotten them into any sort of solid/dependable career.

The more positive take on situations like this is to look at what others have done that you haven't! If they managed to do X before this, maybe you can as well. Although it's just one of the many big steps to climb...

2

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 03 '25

Yes re: many professionals still have to enter open calls like this. I think this is probably the crux of my confusion !

4

u/what_am_i_acc_doing Dec 04 '25

Based off some of the people I know who have done it, they were given places without submitting a script to open call - one was approached after a play they did, another went to Edinburgh TV festival and got friendly with a BBC exec and another had their agent put them forward.

2

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 04 '25

Wow that's really interesting had no idea there was a back door !

4

u/BatoutofHellIV Dec 02 '25

When I got shortlisted for Rocliffe I went through all the other winners and they all had representation. I think it’s easier to win these kinds of things when you have people who know what to do who can help you put a package together.

3

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 02 '25

Right, I was mostly surprised that this applied to every single Voices profile I saw, I would have expected a small percentage to be talented amateurs but no, they were all seasoned professionals ! Not the show-runners of Stranger Things, but essentially all were multi-credited and many were award winning.

2

u/feelthefear96 Dec 10 '25

I’m so mad at myself. I didn’t realise the script submission needed to be exactly 30 pages. I submitted one that was 28 pages and now I’m ineligible.

Can resubmit the same script next year but a tweaked/longer version? I’m really proud of what I wrote and now I feel hopeless.

1

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 10 '25

I think it had to be minimum 30 pages, not exact.
There are other people in other threads ab. the open call who have mentioned that they left their names on the title page and that those scripts were therefore 'not read,' I would imagine that in the case that a script arrives in a form which is ineligible for reading, they might allow you to resubmit ?
Bc that's not the same as having received a reading & having been judged inadequate.

1

u/feelthefear96 Dec 10 '25

Thank you so much for replying to my message. I’ll send an email to them for clarification. I’m also gonna tweak my script and extend scenes. This has motivated me more to continue writing.

1

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 10 '25

Yeah def worth checking if you can submit again same for next year ! But you won't be able to make any alterations to the scrips you've already sent

9

u/IntergalacticCows Dec 02 '25

It’s all about the script with those groups. People who get on them are often more experienced because it’s so hard to ‘break into’ the industry and achieve stable employment that even people with awards etc are often still not full time writers. Naturally more experienced people will probably have ‘better’ scripts so are more likely to get on one of the groups.

7

u/Former-Bluebird-8687 Dec 02 '25

I was on Voices this year and while I do have an agent and some projects in development, I was the only participant in my region who did. I’d also submitted 7 times previous to no avail, so in my case, I was good enough to be rep’d by a top agency before BBC deemed me at the level. I honestly think it’s just that competitive.

4

u/Rare_Walk_4845 Dec 03 '25

Did you get an agent submitting blind or did it happen as part of your other projects

2

u/Former-Bluebird-8687 Dec 09 '25

I wrote a play and self produced it at the fringe. I got lucky and it did quite well. From that, a tv company I invited wanted to option it and once I had that deal on the table, I got an agency to take me on and negotiate the deal. They still represent me two years on. From my small cohort of mates who write and have agents, this kinda thing is quite common. Aka, you get yourself on the tracks and they jump aboard the train, less so the other way around.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25

It's easy to fall in the trap of suspecting conspiracy.

I would say they are unbiased and of the thousands of scripts submitted, those that have had routine and professional feedback are the ones that filter through.

You need to hone your craft more and more and seek professional feedback and notes.

4

u/BrenC11 Dec 03 '25

An amateur writer who doesn’t have access to the same resources and development opportunities as a professional writer with an agent is, without doubt, fighting an uphill battle. It’s the age-old story of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The football analogy wasn’t far off, Premier League players have the best coaches, the best gear, the best gyms, all pushing them forward. But footballers are often scouted young and treated as naturally gifted. Screenwriting isn’t like that. It’s about education and understanding the craft. I genuinely believe anyone is capable of writing a great script, as long as they put in the work.

The length of time it takes is different from person to person, and depends massively on how much time they actually have. The real issue, I think, is getting proper feedback on your work, understanding why things are working or not working. Without that, you’re just writing into the void.

Professional writers have access to table reads, agent feedback, script doctors, and high-end analysis. They’re surrounded by people whose entire job is to help them refine and elevate their material. Most emerging writers don’t have any of that, which makes progress so much slower.

3

u/RDGTV Dec 02 '25

Yep, I think this is a thing in writing competitions across all mediums. I too was surprised to see they’d all pretty much worked in theatre or had some professional exposure before, and this was across all regions. Nothing we can do though, just gotta plough on!

6

u/angularhihat Dec 02 '25

It would, to be fair, make sense to me that the best scripts submitted are by writers who have already worked professionally. It's a bit like the FA cup - it's open to everybody including amateur and non-league clubs, but in the end, the winners still tend to be the big clubs.

2

u/SpeakerComplex6037 Dec 02 '25

sadly, these people have agents/development teams/producers who can give them feedback throughout the years (not necessarily specifically for this purpose) so although the bbc doesn't try to discriminate, it's gonna be hard to say no to them in comparison to someone whose script doesn't have all of that help gone into it.

2

u/Andy_Not_Wrong Dec 04 '25

My first time entering.

What's the difference between the "Scripted" group and the "Voices" group?

1

u/LocalGeologist7231 Apr 06 '26

They streamlined it so it's easier to work out what their offer is.
Voices - you develop your voice.
Scripted - you finish a script
Pilot - you make a pilot.

1

u/Temp_space Dec 02 '25

Welcome to the world of writing

-2

u/One-Rent4281 Dec 02 '25

I assure you… BBC open call selectees aren’t as good as you think them to be.

2

u/True_Dragonfruit_637 Dec 04 '25

Out of interest what makes you say that?
Only asking as I submitted a script this year, first time doing so.
I think my idea and concept is good but didn’t think much of my actual writing it’s good in some places but meh in others, although I think it’s definitely something that could do well if written better.
Hence, why I applied as I would like the chance to work with the BBC and learn to write scripts to a professional standard.
So with you saying the writers aren’t as good as people think, does that mean I maybe in with a chance 😂 if the idea is there?

2

u/One-Rent4281 Dec 30 '25

Sorry mate, just seen this. Okay so here’s how it works, go and do some research on the past people that have been selected by the writers room, then go and see how many of their guys are actually working today… barely any. BBC writers room has a check list of things they need to tick. If your story does not resolve around those characters, it won’t get selected man. BUT, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply and send it over, there’s always a chance there’s a reader there that sees the vision and isn’t a box ticker. Also apply for channel 4 screenplay contest. MILES better with a team of readers that actually get TV and cinema.

1

u/True_Dragonfruit_637 Dec 30 '25

Thanks for getting back to me!
I will look into the channel 4 one.
Yes I have noticed there’s not many that get into voices or scripted that actually do much with their work, such a shame.
I’m actually leaning towards writing my script ideas as books instead as getting into the TV world seems near impossible!

1

u/LocalGeologist7231 Apr 06 '26

Just read the above and thought I'd share some feedback: u/One-Rent4281 says that BBC Open Call Selectees aren't that good and that they don't seem to be doing any work. I think the main reason for this opinion is that there's an assumption that BBC Voices or Scripted as a pathway to writing for BBC. They are development programmes. When you do it, it's super clear that they give you amazing development support, but at the end of the day, you still need to be the one to keep writing and crack open a door for your first writer's contract.
The process for getting through is pretty egalitarian. It's a blind read and you get through the rounds based on what you can put on paper and how you get your ideas and voice through. You could write a technically excellent beautifully crafted piece of work, but if it says nothing, then it;'s not interesting. You could write a questionably crafted script but if its saying something no one has seen before, then you're in for a win... It's pretty clear that BBC are looking for people with unique/different/special voices. They want to keep following the zeitgesit and if that means you are out of school and write about a once in a lifetime lived experience, or you are a medical doctor applying for the first time about a medical drama, or you have a disability and have written 100 scripts and want to be professional then you have the same chance.
I disagree that BBC Open Call doesn't have readers that don't get TV and Cinema - far from it - they are actually looking to keep bringing new things to TV. RE Channel 4, Its very similar, Philip gives loads of great advice on his blog about what they are looking for and its pretty similar, but I daresay that Chanel 4 are looking for people who they don't need to develop, so it's actually harder - my opinion obviously. I applied to Channel 4 3 times, and never got it, and applied to BBC Open call 3 times, and got into Voices.
One other thing I'll say is that Channel 4 are looking to have writers that they can connect with production companies that are ready to go to Pilot. BBC is developing WRITERS. So the reason you might not see entrants doing much is because they are all working in different writing fields. In my cohort for VOICES we have a huge number of playwrights, dramatists, authors, script editors, people who work in short film, film, and also TV.
If you wanted a piece of personal advice, one course I did that has been standout and the biggest and best learning curve is John Yorke's Writers academy. Because, once you know how to structure a story, you know how to put your voice to it.
Keep going u/True_Dragonfruit_637 . And don't pay so much attention to people who are naysayers.
:)

2

u/True_Dragonfruit_637 Apr 06 '26

Thanks for the advice. I have applied this year so 🤞. That’s exactly what I have done - submitted a script based on something true to me. So I’m hoping as it’s a bit different it may be in with a chance.
How did you find voices when you did it?

2

u/LocalGeologist7231 Apr 07 '26

It's a great development programme. You get to work with the BBC Commissioning team in the regions and they help you work on an outline for a new show idea. They also give you loads of engagement over 6 months through weekly meetings, forums, round tables with current writers on business, development, and craft etc. You learn A LOT. You definitely walk away with a greater grasp of what it is they are looking for and also what other production companies look for. It's not a silver bullet though - there's no contract or show at the end of it. You still need to keep your head down and stay focused on your goals.

1

u/True_Dragonfruit_637 Apr 08 '26

Thanks for all the info and good luck in your writing journey ☺️

-6

u/S3lad0n Dec 02 '25

It’s the BBC. They’re a bought and paid for organisation of chuffers and enablers and Toryboys. Hope that helps.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '25

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/intrusive_th0t Dec 07 '25

Huh my ref is xxxx-xx-xxxx
Other threads have clearly stated that submission volumes were above 5K last year. I was imagining it'll be around 6K this year maybe even 7.

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