All this week we're announcing the 72 writers who have taken part in our six Voices development groups for 2023.
Today it's the turn of the 4th group who are based in the Midlands and North of England. Meet the 12 writers below and find out more.
Commissioning Executive, Alice Ramsay:
"We鈥檙e thrilled to announce the 12 writers we鈥檝e been working with from across the Midlands and North of England. Usman Mullan, 大象传媒 Writersroom Development Producer, and I have had the absolute pleasure of working closely with this talented group over the past six months to develop a distinctive series outline that is ready to go to script. Alongside their projects, the group have also been attending workshops and seminars from 大象传媒 Writersroom and industry professionals that have enabled them to develop their craft skills, gain knowledge of the industry and build their network. We feel so privileged to have worked with them as part of Voices and look forward to continuing our creative relationship with them at the 大象传媒."
If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 2023 writers, then please don鈥檛 hesitate to get in touch with the 大象传媒 Writersroom team: writersroom@bbc.co.uk
You can find out more about Voices and how to gain a place in the group on our Voices page.
Mo Ahmed is a writer from Yorkshire, focusing on the little-known and surprising intersections that make up modern Britain. Mo鈥檚 work spans the drama, satire and thriller genres and draws heavily from his multicultural experience growing up in a monocultural city. Mo won a commission from Channel 4 to develop a comedy and also won the Mother Tongues prize which led to him working with the producers of GOD'S OWN COUNTRY to write a feature film.
In 2022, Mo was selected for C4鈥檚 Commissioning Mentor Network, where he was paired with a drama commissioner. He was also involved in Screen Yorkshire鈥檚 Flex programme which aimed to generate a new slate of Yorkshire-based stories. Mo splits his time working on long-form podcast series and developing his slate of scripts and ideas.
Lou Burns is an emerging writer of television drama based in Newcastle. She is passionate about telling social realist stories with strong northern roots, and likes to explore themes such as poverty, injustice, corruption, inequality, and community in her writing.
In 2022 Lou鈥檚 pilot RIOT reached the top 3% of the 4718 scripts received by the 大象传媒 Writersroom. Previous to this, Lou was a finalist for both a Northern Writers Award, and Channel 4鈥檚 4stories talent scheme.
In addition to writing her new pilot SHERRIE, Lou is currently working with Lone Pine Productions to adapt the book BE GOOD, LOVE BRIAN into a feature film.
Natalie Cutler is a writer/performer from Dudley who began her career on the comedy circuit with her debut one woman show - NOT YET SUFFRAGETTE which received a 5* review from Broadway Baby and was nominated for 'best show' at the Fringe. She graduated from the National Film and Television School in screenwriting and in 2022 was the only writer from the UK selected for the Cannes Film Festival writers鈥� residency with Studiocanal. Her TV drama won best pilot on the FilmMarketHub and reached the top 10 scripts in Steven Knight's writing competition. She is currently on the BFI Network鈥檚 Writers Development Lab and is mentored by Bafta winning NATIVITY! Creator, Debbie Isitt.
From the 鈥榤iddle of nowhere鈥�, Mia Fairbrother is a Midlands-born emerging writer - joining the Writersroom cohort shortly after receiving the BAFTA Rocliffe prize for Emerging Writers in TV Drama 2021 with her script UNDERAGE. When she鈥檚 not writing, Mia works within unscripted television: having worked on several mainstream shows from the likes of LOVE ISLAND, THE CIRCLE, and most recently Channel 4鈥檚 FIRST DATES.
Tonally, Mia typically enjoys writing gritty, realist pieces punctuated with heart and comedy. From small-town beginnings, she鈥檚 particularly interested in how one鈥檚 past can too easily predict their future, exploring this often in coming-of-age narratives. Still in her early-to-mid-twenties herself, Mia is extremely passionate about developing authentic, young adult voices across television.
Paul Jones is a writer of Maltese heritage based in Liverpool. He returned to education in his forties to study creative writing and screenwriting. PATTERDALE, adapted from his short story, won the 2021 Alfred Bradley Bursary Award and was broadcast on Radio 4. His second radio play, OF A NIGHT, will be broadcast in late June 2023. He is currently developing a television drama centring on three generations of a Liverpool family.
Paul is delighted to have been selected for the 大象传媒 Writersroom Voices programme and hopes to continue writing for both radio and television.
Theo James Krekis is the writer and director of PRAM SNATCHER which was funded by the BFI NETWORK and had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival 2022. His debut feature of the same name is in development with the BFI and will be produced by Try Hard Films. In television, Theo's original series BLOSSOM is in development with Clerkenwell Films which he's also set to direct. He was selected for Channel 4's 4stories scheme where he directed SUPERDAD, a road movie for the BAFTA winning anthology series ON THE EDGE.
His previous short, MEMOIRS OF A GEEZA, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2019, London Short Film Festival 2020 and BFI Flare 2020. His directorial debut, MANGAS, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival the previous year. Theo is an alumni of Network@LFF, Edinburgh Film Festival's Talent Lab Connects and is a Film London Lodestar. He's repped by Independent Talent Group for narrative work and Knucklehead for commercials and music videos.
Jack William Mackey is a writer from Liverpool, currently based in London. He began writing during the pandemic, after completing an undergraduate degree in Arabic and German, and whilst procrastinating from starting the dissertation for his Masters in International Law and Diplomacy.
Jack is currently developing an original comedy-drama THE CURES with Can Can Productions and Channel 4. He has also entered a first-look deal with Can Can to develop a further three original projects in 2023. Jack is represented by Julia Tyrrell Management.
Makeda Matheson is a Writer and Director from Huddersfield. Makeda鈥檚 directing projects span documentary (her film ALIVE received its world premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2021) and commercial film (Chanel, CNN et al). In her scripted work, Makeda draws on her Afro-Caribbean heritage and background as a documentarian to delve into different worlds and to explore the rich tapestry of untold stories that exist in the north of England.
Makeda was part of Scratch Me (BFI x Film Hub North) 2022-23 where she received mentorship from Fulwell73 and Screen Yorkshire鈥檚 FLEX agile storytelling program 2020-21. She is represented by Natasha Salter at Salt Partnerships.
Harry May-Bedell is a writer and performer based in Leeds. With a background in theatre, dance and comedy, Harry鈥檚 work treads the fine line between hilarity and despair featuring bold characters and big stories that explore what it means to be human through a unique queer lens.
Harry has received theatre commissions for Leeds International Festival including the sell-out show 鈥楲eeds Needs Help鈥� and has taken part in multiple talent development programmes including Scratch Me (Film Hub North) and FLEX (Screen Yorkshire). In 2020 Harry wrote and starred in the BFI-funded short MONSTER.
Current projects include PLAYING WITH DOLLS, a comedy/drama TV series in development with Wall-to-Wall North, a comedy web-series called HEY BABE! with Tyke Films and most recently Harry has been selected as part of a prestigious mentorship programme to develop a new original TV project.
Harry is currently unrepresented.
Lauren-Nicole Mayes is a working-class actress and writer from Blackpool, based in Manchester. Lauren broke into the world of writing having noticed a lack of stories being told representing the women who had raised her. Lauren was chosen as one of the selected five for the Box Of Tricks and Sky Studios ScreenPlay Award with her original script, BABYNUN XO. She was a part of the Sky Studios cohort for the year and the play then went on to receive Arts Council funding and support from The Lowry Theatre for an industry sharing event. The script is now being developed for television. In 2022, her one woman show DEAR LITTLE LOZ was commissioned and developed by Izzy Parriss Productions for Edinburgh Fringe at Surgeons Hall receiving rave reviews. Lauren is an Associate artist at Oldham Coliseum Theatre and the lead facilitator of Scribbles, their playwriting group.
Earlier this year, Lauren was shortlisted for the English Touring Theatre鈥檚 NationWide Voices programme via The Royal Exchange Theatre and most recently she was commissioned by Julie Hesmondhalgh鈥檚 Take Back Theatre company for Back To The Bone Festival with her original piece, AM I STILL BLEEDING?
Lauren writes about her autobiographical experiences as well as touching on themes such as family, love, social issues, sacrifice and class.
Frankie Meredith is a writer, mother and proud midlander. She often writes about her family & friends (and is awful at changing the names). Her work can be funny, dark, a bit weird and it is almost always set in the West Midlands - coz it鈥檚 a lot more than just Peaky Blinders.
She wrote her first full length play TURKEY while on Soho Writers Lab which was produced at The Hope Theatre to 5* reviews, offies noms and a sell out run. FINDING PETER was taken to Edinburgh and had two subsequent runs in London and her play 17 was produced at Vaults Festival by Wildcard Theatre. She wrote and directed her own folk-musical, PETTICOAT COUNCIL which premiered at Warwick Arts Centre in 2021 and toured the Midlands.
MAY QUEEN - her play about myth and Coventry - was performed at the Belgrade this July after it toured the UK with PainesPlough. Her first short film CLEMENTINES won a British International Film Festival Award for Best Film and she is currently developing work for television. She has recently been on attachment with the RSC and on Channel4s mentor scheme. She is repped by Jessie Stewart at Independent.
Mark Williams mixes humour with realism in his writing to create gripping, authentic stories which reflect his experience of living in Stoke-on-Trent. Mark grew up in a council estate in the 1980s and struggled with severe speech problems and undiagnosed dyslexia but at the same time, he had lots of character-building adventures. Many years later, Mark found himself working as a GP in a semi-rural practice in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
He then decided to write and perform an episode of 大象传媒 Radio Four鈥檚 iconic series FOUR THOUGHT, described as 鈥渢hought-provoking鈥� and chosen as one of the best episodes. Mark is currently working on a comedy-drama pilot: THE GOAT, based on losing and then finding faith in religion, people, and ideas. He has also written about the Monkey Dust crisis in Stoke-on-Trent, Descartes鈥� theories, and his day job.