Following a successful pilot in Bristol and the South West, Channel 4 has announced that its New Writers Scheme is once again open for applications, offering writers a fantastic opportunity to harness their skills with months of expert industry training and mentoring.

The project, which is now being rolled out across the UK following the successful trial last year in the south west of England, aims to identify and nurture underrepresented writing talent outside of London with a focus on diverse, regional and authentic voices who have a passion for television drama.

This year’s new writers scheme aims to work with around four to eight writers located in Bristol, Glasgow and Leeds, making up 20 participants in total. The aspiring writers will benefit from eight months of expert industry training and mentoring, alongside introductions to scripted indies and feedback from Channel 4.

Channel 4’s Drama Commissioning Editor, Gwawr Lloyd said: “The pilot programme was a triumph and it’s fantastic to extend this scheme to the wider Nations and Regions by offering places in Leeds and Glasgow as well as Bristol.

“I thoroughly enjoyed working with the last cohort of writers and I’m excited to get to know the new creatives on this year’s scheme. It’s an incredible opportunity for the channel to work with fresh talent from different regions. Often narratives told on screen reflect the writer’s own personal experiences and it’s important to hear from a variety of voices, especially from underrepresented groups, to inspire interesting and authentic story ideas.”

Kevin Blacoe, Channel 4’s Head of Partnerships & Skills, Nations & Regions, said: “Nurturing talent is something we’re passionate about as a broadcaster and these initiatives enables us to do just that.

“4Skills is all about providing opportunities for those from underrepresented backgrounds and different regions of the UK who wouldn’t normally get the chance to experience what it’s like working behind the scenes in television and guiding them as they progress their career.  By doing this we’re not only supporting those already working in the sector but we’re investing into the future talent of television, ensuring every voice is heard both on and off our screens. “

Channel 4’s New Writers Scheme ran as a pilot in the West & South West of England in 2022. It was developed by Channel 4’s Bristol hub in partnership with Bristol UNESCO City of Film, BFI NETWORK (delivered regionally in the South West by Watershed), UWE Bristol and The Bottle Yard Studios. Its purpose was to support partner ambitions to develop TV drama talent and increase representation of regional stories on screen. Following on from the successes of this pilot and working again with partners at the BFI Network, Channel 4 is now expanding the scheme to continue to support more writers across the Nations & Regions.

Applications for the Channel 4 New Writers Scheme are now open, and it welcomes submissions from new and emerging writers based in commutable distance to either Bristol, Glasgow or Leeds. The scheme is open to unrepresented writers looking for their first writing credit and writers who are working on developing their own original series.

The deadline for applications is Friday 1st March 2024.

For full details and how to apply, visit: https://careers.channel4.com/4Skills/C4NewWritersScheme