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What is Write Across Bradford?

Write Across Bradford is an eight-week development programme specifically designed to support emerging writers and creatives who are at the early stages of their writing careers. Through a series of engaging workshops, expert-led sessions and networking opportunities, we'll explore the art of crafting compelling stories for television, empowering participants to develop their own new original series idea.

This professional development programme is led by ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Writers in collaboration with our programme partner organisations: , , , and .

Selected writers will take part in a range of craft and industry sessions designed to grow their professional skills, cover the foundations of storytelling for the screen, and demystify the process of writing for television. They will learn how to generate exciting ideas for television by analysing recent shows that have resonated with audiences and exploring techniques that spark creativity. Writers will hear from industry guests such as screenwriters, producers, and commissioners, as well as connecting and developing working relationships with peers amongst the group.

During their time on the programme all participants will define and develop an original idea for a television drama or comedy drama series, laying the groundwork for a one-page pitch document. Writers will work collaboratively with support from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Writers team, industry experts and with their peers in the group to develop this idea, receiving editorial feedback and creative support along the way. It is hoped that the pitch will function as a creative springboard for the writer to develop further.

We are excited to invite up to 12 talented writers to join this programme, which will run from July to September 2026. Most sessions will be delivered digitally via online video calls, allowing flexibility, with select in-person sessions and workshops taking place in Bradford.

Participants can expect approximately one workshop session per week, lasting 90 minutes to two hours. Participants’ commitment to attending all sessions is vital, and we will strive to accommodate the group’s existing work and personal commitments when scheduling. We will endeavour to give as much notice as possible regarding dates and times of sessions, but we might need to be flexible on occasion, owing to speaker availability. On those exceptional occasions where participants cannot attend live, we will endeavour to record the sessions. Support will be provided for any participants who need assistance accessing the online workshops.

To ensure accessibility, this programme is free to attend for all successful applicants. We will cover all reasonable travel costs and access needs. Please note that this is a non-paid writing opportunity.

Eligibility

Writers should be over the age of 18 and currently live full-time in the Bradford District (specifically the City of Bradford, and ).

We strongly encourage applications from individuals who have been historically under-represented in the screen industries.

What will I need to submit?

• A paragraph about your writing history. You do not need to have any credits, awards or professionally produced work. We just want to understand your passion for writing and a little bit of the journey you have been on up to this point.

• A sample of your previous dramatic writing. This should be an original written piece of drama or comedy-drama (we are unable to accept sit com scripts), in the form of a radio, theatre, television, or film script. Samples should be a minimum of 20 pages (excluding title and/or character pages) and submitted in the form of a complete script, we cannot accept unfinished scripts or extracts.

• Creative task. 

Selection

All entries will be reviewed by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Writers team and representatives from our partner organisations on the following criteria:

• The quality of the writing sample (evidence of a compelling story; ability to write interesting characters and believable dialogue; ability to authentically bring the story world to life); and
• The originality of the response to the creative task

To arrive at our final selected writers, we may ask applicants to attend a short video call with members of the selection panel. This will also provide an opportunity to talk about your writing and any ideas that you would like to develop through the programme. We will be sure to give applicants good notice if invited for a follow-up conversation.

Final Facts

Submissions will open in February 2026 (exact date tbc) with the deadline for submissions in March 2026. We will aim to come back to everyone by end of June 2026. The programme will commence in July and will run for 8 weeks. All details and schedule will be provided to successful candidates nearer the time.

Unfortunately, due to limited resources we’re unable to provide individual feedback on unsuccessful applications.

If you have any questions please contact us via email at bbcwriters@bbc.co.uk