My Write Across Birmingham and the Black Country Experience
17 October 2024
Two writers sum up being on our recent writer development scheme, run with BBC Writers
The 10 Write Across Birmingham and the Black Country writers. From L-R: Neil Paul, Aimee Berwick, Benita Verdi, Rebecca Rogers, Aliyah Begum, James Allen, Rajinder Ram, Claire Rowlands, Elle van Lil, Lawrence Walker
Write Across Birmingham and the Black Country was a regional writer development programme, run in collaboration with BBC Writers and other local partner organisations. We ran an open callout for scripts from writers in the area in the spring of 2024 and received over 250 submissions!
Ten writers were selected to take part in a programme of engaging workshops, expert-led sessions and networking opportunities, while each participant developed their own new original TV series idea with support from members of the BBC Writers team.
The programme culminated at the end of September with a day at the Mailbox (the home of the BBC in Birmingham) when each member of the group had the chance to hear from guests including Create Central Champion Sir Lenny Henry and to pitch their idea to the audience in the room. Following this they have now been partnered with mentors with the aim that they will go on to write their scripts.
Two members of the group, Aimee Berwick and Rebecca Rogers, have summed up the Write Across Birmingham and Black Country experience …
“The application process for Write Across Birmingham and the Black Country was reflective of the course as a whole - a creative task, which comprised a list of questions to generate a new character. I ended up with a protagonist who moves to New York pursing her dream of becoming a video games designer only to be pulled back to Leamore to solve the problems created by her unreliable dying mother. A few months later I was invited to interview. Ros, Jess, Elise and Paddy were lovely, they sent three questions in advance allowing plenty of prep time. However, when the meeting happened I was so nervous that at one point I think I may have blacked out. Having already made it through the initial sift raised the stakes. After the interview I called my mate, with the headline “I think I’ve messed that one up.”
But something inside me hoped it would work out, maybe someone would drop out and I’d get another chance? In the last five years my writing has shifted from the thing I’d been playing with (with a secret desire to do it as a job job) to something people were occasionally paying me for. Bolstered by my small scale work being well received and with a love for creating characters, the next step was learning the nuts and bolts of screenwriting. I had everything crossed, for weeks – making getting around quite uncomfortable.
Then an email came from Elise to say it was all go, and as far as I know it wasn’t because someone had dropped out - Over. The. Moon.
In person sessions were held at the beginning, middle and end at The Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton and BBC, Mailbox in Birmingham. We knew exactly what to expect and where to go (thanks to Elise, who, if you do a BBC writers scheme you’ll know the magic she musters). We were given a BBC Writer’s tote, sandwiches, a note book, fizzy pop and a pen (not in that order). These sessions were a great way to get to know each other and the BBC Writers’ team - I was put into Ros’ group. We had one to one mentoring sessions from about week two alongside online masterclasses with a range of speakers.
We bonded well as a group - we had a good mix of members from both Birmingham and the Black Country - but we managed to keep it civil. Jokes. It was lovely, and one of my favourite parts of the scheme - I do like making new mates and we’ve already had some meet ups since graduation.
A session that really landed was with Kate Leys. I made 24 pages of notes - she described a universal story. She also spoke about not getting tied to working in a linear fashion and remembering that we were artists - it felt like Kate gave me a pass to create and be bold with it - I trust you’ll pay attention if you trust I’ll tell you a story, from a unique point of view.
Midlands’ writers Maya Sondhi, Perrie Balthazar and Matt Evans spoke about breaking into screen writing - we also got invited to a VIP screening of Maya’s original police drama DI Ray Series 2. Celia Morgan gave a generous masterclass about being a working writer.
Ultimately we were working towards creating an original idea and one page pitch, this was a crash course with deadline - we were to present our pitch to industry professionals, including Sir Lenny Henry at a graduation event around 10 weeks after we started the scheme. I’m passionate about representing Birmingham and the Black Country in my work and set my piece in Dudley. Pitching to industry professionals sounds intimidating and . . yeah, it was. BUT. . . on the other side of that fear was learning – good job I work best under pressure. BBC Writers have a crafty way of holding you so you’re working on scary new stuff but with solid support - your feet aren’t quite touching the ground, but that’s ok.
A big takeaway for me was the importance of solid mentoring, Ros was supportive and intuitive, a blueprint for what a good mentor can do. Now, knowing I can create dozens of one page pitch documents from the many ideas stored in the notes section of my phone and start building a portfolio is exciting. For now, screenwriting is officially demystified - I consider myself introduced.
With the help of our legacy WhatsApp group I’m excited to see what’s next for everyone. I’m off on tour until December so I’ll be using my down days to write my first pilot, it’s based in Dudley, as it should be - it’s all going on in Birmingham and the Black Country and the locals demand screen time.”
Sir Lenny Henry and Head of BBC Writers Jess Loveland with the Write Across Birmingham and the Black Country writers, members of the BBC Writers team and guests
“TV has always captivated me. It's been a great source of inspiration and a world where learning has been accessible. When a friend invited me to the BBC Write Across launch at Birmingham Rep, I was intrigued by this incredible-sounding opportunity and excited to be in a room full of West Midlands creatives. I’m a neurodiverse writer, actor, director, and Co-AD of Heady Conduct Theatre. I’ve always been fascinated by the audience - how to connect them to stories that deeply resonate, creating powerful, shared experiences. I’ve wanted to transfer my experience and passion for making theatre into television... I just wasn’t sure how.
The night before I found out I’d received an interview, I watched a programme about Morecambe and Wise and woke up smiling. The next morning, while on a run, I thought, 'I have stories inside me to tell - I want to tell stories that entertain, move, provoke, unite, and inspire.' When the email inviting me to interview landed, I literally fell off my chair laughing. I couldn’t believe it, and neither could the people sitting next to me in Dudley Costa Coffee.
I was offered a place (cue much jubilation), and the course began with a day-long session at BBC West Midlands, led by the brilliant Beth McCann on ‘Story and Structure.’ The day felt five minutes long, and as if a magician had opened their ‘box of tricks’ and invited us to see how the illusions really worked. I sat around a table with my cohort of exciting creative thinkers, all from diverse backgrounds, throwing around stimulating ideas. I left feeling giddy and determined to absorb as much as possible over the next two and a half months. A week later, Kate Leys led a session on ‘Character,’ profoundly articulating the power, place, and human need for story, which struck a chord – it was a gentle and yet whopping reminder of why what we do matters.
Create Central Champion Sir Lenny Henry speaks to the writers at BBC Birmingham
We pitched three loglines to the group, were assigned mentors from the BBC Writers team (Jess Loveland, Usman Mullan, and Rosalynd Ward), and chose an idea to develop into a one-page pitch for an original series. Masterclasses from industry experts like Justine Potter from Can Can Productions demystified the one-page pitch and the role of a TV Commissioner. We also met established writers like Perrie Balthazar, Matt Evans, Maya Sondhi, Celia Morgan, and Sir Lenny Henry, who shared their journeys into writing. It was brilliant to learn from their experience and insight and to hear from like-minded creatives. My kitchen turned into a sea of Post-It Notes as we refined our series pitches. Meeting regular deadlines was sometimes hard, but always healthy. Usman Mullan helped me find the balance of light and shade and unearth the characters’ needs and wants in my comedy-drama series, Isolation with the In-Laws.
Finally, we pitched our ideas to the BBC and local indie companies, with Sir Lenny Henry kicking things off with his energy and humour, telling everyone to hire us! It was fantastic to hear how everyone's pitches had developed since our logline day. Meeting with Indies and the Programme Partners (Create Central, Script Sirens, Creative Black Country, The Rep, and Black Country Touring) was a superb way to say thank you and start building connections.
Now, it’s on to writing the pilot and applying to BBC Writers Open Call. It’s been a privilege to be supported in learning, nurtured in writing, and given opportunities to meet industry professionals. As I move on to the next stage of my career with a strong network of peers from my cohort and with my writing style honed and developed for TV, it’s fair to say that Write Across has been truly transformative.”