Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Celebrating 10 years success of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ writersroom, the first ever Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writers Festival will take place at The Leeds College of Music between June 30 2010 and July 1 2010.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ set up the writersroom under the auspices of Kate Rowland who has run it since its inception. The Festival will bring together some of the country's best writing, producing and commissioning talent to inspire and provoke debate amongst writers from across the country and invite them to have their say. Places are limited to writers with a television broadcast credit.

Kate Rowland says: "Writers are the lifeblood of any broadcaster and their imagination and ability to translate ideas into groundbreaking scripts form the basis of all great programming. What makes our work in writersroom exceptional is the collaboration with writers at the top of their game who believe in supporting a new generation of talent."

The agenda has been created by a committee of leading writers including Tony Marchant, Alice Nutter, Toby Whitehouse, Jack Thorne and Stephen Butchard. Sessions will cover topics including the politics of notes, the balancing act of running a show, the challenges of making the transition from writer-for-hire to getting original work on screen, and the place for political dramas today.

Seminars will be headed up by leading figures in the industry including Peter Bowker, Kay Mellor, Ben Stephenson, John Yorke, Nicola Schindler, Jed Mercurio, Adam Curtis, Polly Hill, Sally Wainwright, Paula Milne, Mark Catley, Phillipa Lowthorpe, Tony Jordan, Matthew Graham, William Ivory, Ben Richards and Peter Flannery. They will cover a range of subjects including how do you get original work on screen? And do writers/producers censor their ideas before they reach the commissioner?

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ writersroom has established itself as a home for new writers. They champion talent and diversity with writers at every stage of their career. Nurturing, training and mentoring more than 200 writers, through the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ writersroom they have gone on to produce hundreds of hours of original drama across TV and radio. The writersroom helps unheard writers gain a voice and tell new stories. A decade on, it has grown significantly and now reaches out to the industry as a whole, including the UK Film Councils Regional Screen Agencies, as well as many independent production companies and to universities and theatres throughout the UK.

With over 10,000 unique users visiting the website each month, and the handling of up to 10,000 scripts per year, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ writersroom is dedicated to developing new talent that will shape the future of the industry. For examples of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ writersroom successes, more information about the Writers Festival 2010 and to download an application form, please visit their website at bbc.co.uk/writersroom.

RN