The BBC and a number of organisations from Liverpool’s creative sector have joined forces to launch a pilot writing scheme to support new writing talent.
“Write Across Liverpool” is designed to provide up to 15 aspiring writers with an insight into writing for TV, which is set to run later this year.
The scheme, which includes masterclasses from producers and commissioners, is backed by Liverpudlian Tony Schumacher, the former Merseyside police officer behind BBC One drama The Responder.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie launched the scheme during a visit to the city last week and hailed Liverpool as ‘the natural place’ to pilot the project before it is rolled out across the UK.
A number of recent BBC shows have been written by writers from Liverpool, including Jimmy McGovern’s Time, Anthony, Care and Moving On.
Tony said: “Starting a writing career is hard and it’s difficult to know where to begin. A scheme like Write Across Liverpool is exactly what you need as a new writer to help guide you through your development. It’s great the BBC and its partners are doing this in Liverpool.”
The BBC’s Writersroom, which works to support writing talent, will partner with various organisations across Liverpool City Region to run an eight-week training programme to develop new writers.
The BBC will lead the scheme alongside the Liverpool Film Office, Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Liverpool’s Royal Court, Unity Theatre, Writing on the Wall, 20 Stories High and DaDa.
It forms part of the BBC’s commitment to invest more of its budget outside of London through a new plan which was devised by Tim Davie in March 2021.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie said: “Liverpool is the natural place to launch a scheme like this because it is a city of stories. When you look at the writing talent that has emerged from Liverpool over the years, it’s quite extraordinary.
“Our aim with Write Across Liverpool is to find and develop the people who will be writing BBC One dramas in five years’ time and I’m confident we will do that given the creativity and talent in Liverpool.
“The BBC has a great story in Liverpool, Radio Merseyside is one of our most successful local radio stations and we have made a host of productions here in recent years. We want to build on that success with partners across the city region.”
