"Think of the classic horror shot in cinema. You’re in the living room and you can’t see the monster coming from the hall. But in VR you can lean around the door and look in the hall."
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom launched in 2000 and alongside the growth of the influence of the internet in all of our lives, we have explored its potential as both a new distribution medium for storytelling and also in changing how stories are told.
Back in 2006 we ran an Interactive Serials residential scheme which resulted in Darke Town, a commission from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Serials.
A later residential innovation lab resulted in the creation of the ground-breaking 24-hour immersive online investigation The Last Hours of Laura K, which went on to be nominated for and win several awards. Find out more below.
Digital and Interactive Successes
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The Break
The Break is Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writers' returning series of bold new short form drama on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three, written by up-and-coming talent from across the UK. There have been six series of The Break so far, with Series 1 originally produced and released on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Taster website. Following the successful first series pilot The Break moved to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three/Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer. -
Charisma.ai - Catfish and The Act
We have always been interested in new forms of storytelling and what effect they could have on the evolution of scripted narratives for broadcast to a mass audience. So when the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s R&D department approached us in 2019 as they were looking for writers for an AI storytelling project, involving an interactive Chatbot and a new product called Charisma.ai, we jumped at the chance to be involved. It resulted in two interactive experiences which you can try on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Taster platform. -
Digital Drama Pilots for iPlayer
Four pilots for dramas on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer were developed and produced in 2019 with the writers of three coming via Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom in Scotland: Float (written by Stef Smith), Joytown (written by James Price) and Dash (written by Stewart Thomson). Subsequently Float went on to be commissioned as a full series of 6 x 10 minute episodes, launching on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer in August 2021. -
Festival Monologues
We've partnered with festivals on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ several times, beginning in 2017, to create tangible opportunities for emerging writers across the UK. Watch short online comedy and drama monologues that have been produced in partnership with 1Xtra Live, Asian Network Live and the Biggest Weekend festival following open submission callouts for scripts on our website. -
Float
Float, written by Stef Smith, began as a pilot episode developed via Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom Scotland and was subsequently commissioned for a full series, available now on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer. Float won Best Short Series at the Series Mania International Awards in Lille in 2022. Float has been recommissioned for a second series with filming taking place in 2023. -
InterConnected
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020 we at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom thought the only thing we could do was turn to the writers - to make sense of these strange and isolating times, to bring hope, entertainment and escapism back into our lives. InterConnected was born. An initiative open to everyone, from established writers to those who’d never before put pen to paper. The challenge was to create short form dramas between 5-10 minutes in length, about characters in isolation connecting via video conferencing software. We received a record number of nearly 7000 submissions demonstrating the appetite for a creative outlet in such unprecedented times. Watch the 8 produced stories now and find out more about InterConnected. -
Lady Shorts
Four fresh, funny, female-led shorts from some of Northern Ireland’s newest writing talent released on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer. Simon Nelson, Development Exec for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom, explains how Lady Shorts were produced during the pandemic. -
The Last Hours of Laura K
An immersive online investigation created following a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Writersroom Innovation lab. This ground-breaking digital experience places the audience at the heart of the story. The Last Hours of Laura K was launched in 2015 and went on to be nominated for and win several awards. -
Written by Alys Metcalf (Comedy Room and Cornish Voices) and voiced by Diane Morgan, this six minute viral video summed up all previous series of hit drama Line of Duty ahead of the launch of Series 6. Produced by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Digital Drama team in Cardiff, it went on to be nominated for a Lovie Award. Watch now on YouTube. Alys has since written similar summaries for Peaky Blinders, Silent Witness and Happy Valley. -
Monster
What happens when the dead return looking for answers and someone to blame? Turn down the lights, turn up the volume, and prepare to be afraid. Monster is an innovative audio experience for Halloween 2020 created by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Research and Development and written by Brad Birch. Find out more and try it now. -
Original Drama Shorts for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer
in 2014 and 2015 we worked with the in-house Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Drama team to develop 6 short form dramas specifically for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer. One of the dramas, My Jihad by Shakeel Ahmed, was subsequently developed into a four-part series. -
Podcasts
Our series of Podcast interviews with writers began in 2017 with featured writers including Jed Mercurio, Sally Wainwright, Jack Thorne, Sarah Phelps, Amanda Coe and David Nicholls. -
Valentine's Day Comedies for Social Media
For Valentine's Day 2018 we worked with the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Social Media team to offer the opportunity to our Comedy Room writer development group to pitch sketch ideas for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Social Media accounts. Three sketches were made and have achieved several million views on Facebook alone. -
Virtual Reality
Working with the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Virtual Reality hub, we ran a one-day introduction for a group of writers who are working in the field of immersive or interactive storytelling or who have a passion to get involved in new forms of storytelling. One of the writers, Victoria Asare-Archer, subsequently went on to write a virtual reality experience for Doctor Who called The Runaway.