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I’m delighted to introduce you to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom Voices 23 writers. From January to June this year we have had the great pleasure of working with 72 incredibly talented emerging writers from across the length and breadth of the UK. We'll be announcing their names throughout this week. Meet the first group (from our Wales hub) below.

Working closely with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom team, out of six UK-wide hubs, the writers have taken part in an intensive programme of craft workshops, expert masterclasses and discussions with guest writers including Ryan J Brown (WRECK), Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn (BLUE LIGHTS; THE SALISBURY POISONINGS) and Lisa Holdsworth (CALL THE MIDWIFE; A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES).

The writers have also had the opportunity to hear from key industry representatives including agents, producers and member of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Drama Commissioning team, as well as sessions with BAFTA Albert and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.

All our Voices 23 writers have also spent the last six months defining and developing a new series idea to outline stage with the editorial support of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom team.

It’s been an immense pleasure getting to know these talented writers this year; we can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve next. I’m thrilled to introduce them to you now and I do hope you enjoy reading through their biogs and getting to know them.

If you would like any further details on any of the Voices 23 writers, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ 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.

Jess Loveland, Head of New Writing, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom + Drama Commissioning

All week we'll be introducing the Voices writers from each of our hubs separately. The first group we'd like you to meet are our 12 Voices from our hub in Wales.

Commissioning Executive Celi Fowler:

We are incredibly excited to announce our Welsh Voices group for 2023! Since January, we have been working with 12 writers to help develop and hone their writing skills, each working towards an original TV idea. It has been a delight getting to know and working with such a passionate and talented group who have brought with them such an exciting range of ideas. We are looking forward to seeing what they do next!"

Mari Beard and Hanna Jarman first met in 2006’s NYTW and went on to be performers living in Cardiff. They started their writing partnership in 2017 when they wrote their dark comedy series MERCHED PARCHUS/RESPECTABLE GIRLS with ieie productions which aired in 2019. Together they were nominated for BAFTACymru awards in the writers and breakthrough categories. The series went on to be nominated for a RTS award for Best Drama and a Celtic Media award for Short drama.

They also wrote the drama series Y GYFRINACHfor BoomCymru with support from the BFI young audience fund and are both currently working on a new writing project for ieie productions.

Mari’s other writing credits include BAFTA nominated BEX(Ceidiog) and Hanna’s include, Y TEIMLAD/THAT FEELING (NYTW), BRANWEN (WMC/Fran Wen), GALWAD 2052 (SkyArts). They both also had babies in 2022 because, apparently, they can’t do anything without each other.

Emma Cooney is a Welsh Writer and LAMDA-trained Actor. Her Theatre credits include BELLY BUTTONS AND GOODBYE MEMORY LANE (The Sherman Theatre). She’s also written and performed comedy sketches for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sesh and is a proud alumna of both The Sherman Theatre’s Writer’s Group and The Royal Court’s Introduction to Playwrighting Group.

In 2023, her play SIAN DE BERGERAC was shortlisted for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom’s Drama Room, reaching the top 1% of the 4,287 scripts submitted. It was also long-listed for The RSC’s 37 Plays Initiative and an extract was performed at The Sherman Theatre’s New Writing Showcase. 

Emma wants to create TV and Theatre that’s hilarious, heart-felt and ambitious. Her work often explores the complexity of women, loneliness and hope.

Phil Hamer is a screenwriter from Pontypridd. Arriving late to writing in 2020, Phil’s screenplay SIDE STEP made Nicholl Fellowship quarter final and won Best Unproduced Screenplay at the International Film Festival of Wales in 2022. It also made top 3% at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Open Call 2023. His comedy THE DAVIESES was an SWN TV Pilot finalist in 2021 and made Top 12% at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Open Call 2022. Phil’s comedy drama HIS OWN DEVICES was an SWN Short Film Script quarter finalist in 2021.

Currently smuggling his strongest beliefs into accessible genre scripts, Phil is developing DISTANT PLANET, an alien love story about a single mum with a wormhole in her airing cupboard (‘Socialism could work if it wasn’t for humans’) and LIMBO, a ghost story set in a desolate Welsh mining town (‘Never trust Westminster or psychics from Merthyr’).

Primarily, Phil seeks to explore the devastating effects of modern capitalism on the poorest regions.

Rebeca Hughes is a Welsh screenwriter based in Cardiff.

Prior to taking part in the Welsh Voices scheme, her pilot GALAR/GRIEF reached the top 12% of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom’s Open Call. She wrote the screenplay for TV movie romcom ZOE IS HAVING A BABY produced by Reel One Entertainment and starring The Handmaid’s Tale’s Nina Kiri.

Through all genres from drama to comedy, Rebeca enjoys writing quirky, memorable characters and throwing them into situations that speak to the complexity of wider society. In particular, Rebeca focuses on multi-faceted female characters who face moral challenges in their lives and relationships.

When she’s not writing scripts, she’s reading them as a Development Executive in the film industry.

Paisley Jackson is a young female, neurodiverse actor and writer from Newport, South Wales.

Her first play CELTIC MANNERS won ‘The John Thaw Initiative’ and was performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre with two sell-out shows. Paisley’s theatre credits include Chippy Lane Productions, Dirty Protest and Theatr Gwaun.

She reached the top 4% of open submissions for The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom, and is listed as a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Promising Writer. CELTIC MANNERS was described as “A Wales-set drama – following on from Polly Garter in Dylan Thomas's ‘Under Milk Wood', and Effie in Gary Owen's ‘Iphigenia In Splott".

In 2022/23 Paisley graduated from The Sherman Theatre Writers and The Royal Court Playwriting Groups where she has completed her new play ZETA.

Now looking forward to writing for television, whilst exploring female led stories with a clear sense of place, Paisley champions herself on her dark humoured pieces, conversational characters and sharp wit.

Natasha Kaeda is a Welsh-based writer working across stage, screen and audio.  

After completing Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab, Natasha went on to develop her first play TIME EQUALS ZERO through a seed commission from The Hampstead Theatre. In 2020 Natasha’s play, IN MY LUNGSTHE OCEAN SWELLS was staged at The Vault Festival and won the Origins Award for Outstanding New Writing and received an OffCom Commendation. Other playwriting credits include THE QUARRY (ALRA showcase), A CRADLE SONG (shortlisted for The Orange Tree Writers Collective), FALLOW (developed with the Sherman Theatre). 

Natasha’s episode AUTUMN was the first in a series of four audio dramas called LAND SKEINS. The project won the OffWestEndCom Innovation Award 2021. She is currently developing a new audio play, supported by Arts Council Wales. 

In 2022, Natasha was shortlisted for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Writersroom’s Pilot scheme with her TV spec script WILL YOU BE THERE TO LOVE ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Melodie Karczewski is a disabled writer and actor from Thanet who has been living in Cardiff for the last 3 years.

Growing up, she was apart of the BFI Academy, NFTS BFI Academy, HighRise New Gens and the BAFTA mentorship programme where she was mentored by Kayleigh Llewellyn. She is a recent graduate on the BA Acting course at The Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama and is a member of Open Door.

Her short play, THE TASTE OF HEALING, which she wrote, directed and starred in, was put on at The Yard theatre in London in June 2023.

She is interested in telling stories inspired by true events, folklore, forgotten communities and the ethical questions posed by our modern world, in both dramatic and comedic ways.

Photo credit: @Yellowbelly

Originally from Edinburgh but now based in Cardiff, Hannah McPake is an actor and playwright.  In 2013 she co-founded multi-award-winning gig theatre company Gagglebabble and in 2020 she began writing. 

Her first full-length play TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM was performed at Sherman Theatre last Christmas.  Recipient of the Radical Creatures Commission from National Theatre Wales, BALLOON GIRL is scheduled for performance in 2025. I AM KEVIN a hybrid theatre/film with Cornish landscape theatre company Wildworks is out in cinemas this July.  

Hannah regularly collaborates with yello brick to create audio experiences and is an Associate Artist of Theatr Iolo.

Hannah's work is often inspired by history or reimagining's of well-known stories, it puts female characters squarely centre stage, usually playful and comic but unafraid to delve into the dark side of life, big-hearted and quietly political. Hannah is working on her first TV drama pilot.

Mali Ann Rees is a Cardiff born writer and actor who trained at East 15 Acting School. Mali debuted her professional writing career with her 30-minute audio-drama BRATIAITH for the Sherman Theatre’s Heart of Cardiff series and subsequently became an Associate Artist for the Sherman Theatre.

She has written sketches for The Size of Us a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio comedy sketch show which she also performed in. Mali’s first staged work was a short play called THIEVES, which was performed as part of Theatr Clwyd’s Curtain Up series.

Mali was selected for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Welsh Voices 2023 and is looking forward to embarking on her journey into television writing. 

Hefin Robinson is a bilingual playwright and writer from Carmarthen. He enjoys regular collaboration with a number of Wales-based companies.

Recent work includes: THE FIELD (yello brick); DOCTOR DOLITTLE’S WILD ADVENTURE, PINOCCHIO AND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, THE CURIOUS MUCHNESS OF STUFF AND NOTHING (Hijinx Odyssey); FINAL CUT, COLD CASE/GWAED OER (yello brick with Wales Millennium Centre); DREAMERS & DRAGONS, HUMANKIND, NOWHERE (Mess Up The Mess)

Other plays include SOARING (Dirty Protest with NTW/Sherman) and his prize-winning debut ESTRON (‘ALIEN’) which toured Wales in a production by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. Hefin has been a participant of Theatr Clwyd’s writer in residence scheme and the Royal Court’s writers’ programme.

Dave Stevenson is a screenwriter and author from Crickhowell, Powys.

In 2020, he was selected for the Emerging Welsh Writers Group by The Other Room Theatre and Bad Wolf, where he developed his TV drama pilot MY FRIEND, THE WALRUS. His short film, I’M AFRAID IT’S BAD NEWS, screened at the 2020 Borderlines Film Festival, and he has worked in development on several feature projects with acclaimed directors and producers.

As an author, Dave’s work was published in Create 50’s sci-fi anthology THE SINGULARITY, while his self-produced children’s audiobook series, POOR UNCLE DAVE, continues to reach a growing international audience.

Despite the 21st Century’s best efforts, Dave remains an optimist and brings this outlook to his writing. His work covers a range of genres, from rom-com to sci-fi via dramedy and fantasy, with the same core goal; exploring authentic, relatable characters through bold, absurdist concepts.