Feeling a weight lifted from my shoulders, having decided not to go for the BBC Writers' Academy this year. It's not that I thought with any certainty I'd get in - the odds are about 80 to 1 against, and I doubt my current scripts are either developed enough or fresh enough to have got me through the first and second sifts. But at least now I don't have to think about it so much.
Plus not going for the academy frees up lots of TV time. No need to be watching Holby City and Casualty and EastEnders as homework. I'll probably keep watching Casualty, as it's been on a roll for me lately - particularly the character May. [Love to write for her one day!] What else am I watching? BBC Scotland's homegrown soap River City, and I'm flirting with Waterloo Road.
British TV dramas I'd love to write for? The BBC has commissioned a series about the Medicis and Renaissance Florence that's right up my street. But I haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of getting on that anytime soon, even though I know the period backwards. To get to hour-long drama I need to build up more half-hour credits. Still got so much more to learn.
I'm also dipping my toes into children's programming, having been accepted on the BBC Scotland CBeebies Lab that starts next month. Four day-long sessions about writing for the up to 6 audience, with industry practitioners in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Should be fascinating, and I've got a fistful of mad ideas that might fit the bill. Will let you know how that gets on.
For now I'm busy writing a radio project, first deadline is Friday of next week. Can't announce all the details until contracts have been signed, but it's a fun project that started for me at a brainstorming session in May last year. That's evolved into a cross-platform thing with all sorts of bells and whistles. But the script won't write itself, so... Onwards!
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