LISA AKHURST

Lisa’s background is in film and television production. While working at The Jim Henson Company, she ignited a passion for children’s programming and animation, and decided to begin scriptwriting for children on a full-time basis.

Passionate, original and quick-witted, Lisa has a flair for writing character-driven stories with comedy and heart, for both older and younger audiences. She currently has shows airing on major networks worldwide, including CBeebies, Nickelodeon, Nick Jnr, Milkshake, Sprout, ABC, France 5, Treehouse and The Disney Channel.

Lisa’s CV can be found here

• PJ MASKS
• DEER SQUAD
• MILO
• PIP AND POSY
• DENNIS AND GNASHER: UNLEASHED
• LUO BAO BEI
• CLANGERS
• KAZOOPS
• WILDWOODS
• LILY'S DRIFTWOOD BAY

• Children's and Animation

JOE ALEXANDER & ANDY AMFO

Joe and Andy grew up in South London in the nineties, immersed in the capital’s music and youth culture. Ten years later, they write honest, perceptive stories of the inner city. Joe and Andy now use their own experiences as a starting point, before letting their overly excitable imaginations take over… That is, of course, if they don’t get distracted by the record player in the corner.

• REBEL SOUL
• RHYTHM OF LOVE
• TRANSMISSION

• Comedy Drama
• Drama /

SAM BARLOW

Sam spent the first decade of his career at HIT Entertainment as their in-house script executive where he script edited an unholy number of episodes of some of the world’s best-loved preschool shows.

The last few years have seen Sam take the leap into the twin worlds of full-time writing and parenthood. He is still trying to decide which is the more loopy. Sam’s big-hearted and funny scripts, together with his sharp sense for story structure, have seen him asked to head write a number of successful series – among them the multi award-winning and BAFTA-nominated Lily’s Driftwood Bay.

Sam’s CV can be found here

• MILO
• YUKEE
• PIP AND POSY
• LILY'S DRIFTWOOD BAY
• WILDWOODS
• CLAUDE
• DIGBY DRAGON
• WISSPER
• NODDY: TOYLAND DETECTIVE
• BOTTERSNIKES AND GUMBLES

• Children's and Animation /

GUY BURT

Guy Burt is a BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and novelist. He wrote his first novel (AFTER THE HOLE, filmed as THE HOLE) when he was 18 years old. His television work spans contemporary crime drama (WIRE IN THE BLOOD, THE VISITOR, MURDER IN THE MIND), historical dramas (THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE, THE BORGIAS, MEDICI, TUTANKHAMUN) and lighter comedy-drama (such as KINGDOM, with Stephen Fry, and DIAMOND GEEZER, with David Jason). Recently he has also been writing acclaimed drama for younger audiences: HARRIET’S ARMY, about the role of children in the First World War, won a Best Writer BAFTA, while his adaptation of the contemporary children’s novel JOE ALL ALONE won a BAFTA for Best Drama. He is currently showrunning and exec producing the third season of ALEX RIDER.

Guy’s CV can be found here

• ALEX RIDER
• MEDICI: MASTERS OF FLORENCE
• THE BORGIAS
• THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE
• RIVIERA
• HARRIET'S ARMY
• DIAMOND GEEZER
• JOE ALL ALONE
• TUTANKHAMUN
• THE HOLE

• Drama /

JOANNE CARMICHAEL

Joanne is a mixed-media artist and the creator of the original idea for and characters from Lily’s Driftwood Bay.

It all began in 2007 on the Isle of Arran, with a cottage not much bigger than a beach hut and a compulsion to fill it with flotsam and jetsam, pottery, sea-glass and driftwood. She soon spied the potential to create a whole new world from all the things she was finding: a big red boat, sea-glass sea, a dancing stag, a skateboarding Granny dog, a chicken created from the bottom of a washed-up teacup all began emerging from the beaches of Arran… and that was just the beginning.

With no background in animation, she imagined a storyline of an island girl called Lily setting off on adventures with treasures washed ashore for her by the waves. Amazingly, a TV company seemed to like it – and developed it with her.

After working on series one as creative consultant, she is now studying graphic design and illustration while working on new ideas for TV shows and picture books. She is a founder member of Children’s Media Network Scotland and still likes to do her bit to keep the beaches clean, which the local seabirds are very happy about.

• LILY'S DRIFTWOOD BAY

• Children's and Animation /

DENISE CASSAR

After a 12 year career as an award winning comedy actress Denise gave birth to some small people (just two) and decided to start writing stuff that would make them laugh. Subsequently she has spent the last 14 years turning random ideas about animals, trains, aliens, toddlers and superheroes into episodes of some of preschool’s best loved shows such as Bing, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Noddy, Thomas the Tank Engine, Waybuloo, Topsy and Tim and more recently The Clangers. Now those small people are a bit older she’s attempting to stay relevant to them by trying not to embarrass them on social media and writing telly for a slightly older audience; shows like Bottersnikes and Gumbles, Dennis The Menace, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud and Mr Bean. She won a Writers Guild Award for Best Children’s Script in 2015 which was one of the last opportunities she had to leave her writing shed at the bottom of the garden.

Denise’s CV can be found here

• PIP AND POSY
• MR BEAN
• BING
• TOPSY AND TIM
• THE RUBBISH WORLD OF DAVE SPUD
• PUFFIN ROCK
• CHIP AND POTATO
• DENNIS THE MENACE
• LILY’S DRIFTWOOD BAY
• BOTTERSNIKES AND GUMBLES

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

KEITH CHAPMAN

There’s a lot to be said for advertising. It unearths talent like Keith Chapman, who once worked as an art director selling shaving foam and Wotsits before joining Jim Henson and his Muppets.

Keith went on to create BOB THE BUILDER and, since Bob’s first appearance in 1999, the show has sold to every country in the world, generating $5bn in sales to date. A new-look series of Bob the Builder was launched in 2015.

Keith co-founded Chapman Entertainment, creating FIFI & THE FLOWERTOTS and developing ROARY THE RACING CAR. Chapman also produced LITTLE CHARLEY BEAR and RAA RAA THE NOISY LION.  He created Nick Junior’s global smash-hit preschool show, PAW PATROL, which is fast becoming another billion-dollar brand. Keith is currently developing more children’s shows.

MIGHTY EXPRESS – this series, currently on Netflix, is the second collaboration with Spin Master.

• PAW PATROL
• BOB THE BUILDER
• MIGHTY EXPRESS
• FARM ON MARS
• JONNY JETBOY

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

CHRIS CORCORAN

Chris is a comedy writer based in Wales who likes to write scripts that have realistic characters and funny dialogue. He loves team-writing, co-writing or writing alone and his projects reflect that. He has written and performed with Greg Davies, Rhod Gilbert and Elis James. He also has a background in live comedy and stand up.

He currently has a teen/family, comedy animation set in the Welsh valleys, in development with BBC Children’s, he is team writer on DENNIS & GNASHER UNLEASHED series two and he is working on a dystopian comedy short about the end of consumer capitalism. Not all of it. Just one aspect of it. Series to follow.

• KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES (BBC CHILDREN'S)
• DENNIS & GNASHER UNLEASHED (BBC CHILDREN'S)
• MAN DOWN (C4)
• BOB JONES (BBC WALES/BBC RADIO WALES)
• THE COMMITTEE (BBC THREE)
• SOCIAL CLUB FM (BBC RADIO WALES)
• THOSE THAT CAN'T (BBC RADIO WALES)

• Children's and Animation /

GILLIAN CORDEROY

Growing up on a farm in rural Oxfordshire helped develop Gillian’s
left-of-field imagination. Her keen comic eye and gift for creating the unexpected make her a popular choice for writing teams and development work. She writes for film and TV and has many years’ experience working on live-action and animated scripts in the UK, the US and Europe.

Gillian lived in Italy for many years where she taught English, wrote novels and trained the Italian Fire Brigade. She has an MA in Screenwriting from the London College of Communication.

Gillian’s CV can be found here

• CHIP AND POTATO
• RUFF-RUFF, TWEET AND DAVE
• TOPSY AND TIM
• SHANE THE CHEF
• KAZOOPS
• WANDA AND THE ALIEN
• TICKETY TOK
• MOUK
• WIBBLY PIG
• 64 ZOO LANE

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /
• Feature Films /

LAURENCE DAVEY

It would be something else if you could write your own future. But that’s kind of what happened to Laurence after his first script, The Honeymoon. It was about an Englishman who marries a Hungarian. Two weeks after finishing the script he met and married a Hungarian. Thankfully, the real-life version has a happier ending than the script.

He is driven by a constant desire for original ideas, which has led him to develop and write new television series and feature-film scripts. Imaginative and pacy, Laurence creates from the comfort of his own home.

• NORTH STAR
• FIELD HOSPITAL
• WEALTH
• STICKS
• THE FIFTH WOMAN
• CRITICAL
• CASE SENSITIVE
• DCI BANKS
• WAKING THE DEAD
• DANGEROUS MINDS

• Drama /
• Feature Films /

RACHEL DAWSON

Despite a hi-tech office, Rachel likes to sit and write at her kitchen table with a full teapot and a view of the lively North Sea. Hugely experienced at writing for children’s television, she also has a couple of films to her name. She writes from the heart and boasts an uproarious, heart-warming and funny style.

Rachel’s CV can be found here

• SHANE THE CHEF
• MAGIC MARLON
• PUFFIN ROCK
• RUFF-RUFF, TWEET AND DAVE
• TOPSY AND TIM
• ELLA BELLA BINGO
• EVERYTHING’S ROSIE
• MIKE THE KNIGHT
• ROARY THE RACING CAR
• DRIVER DAN

• Children's and Animation /
• Drama /

SOULLA TANTOURI ERIKSEN

Soulla left her job as a secondary school teacher when she accidentally discovered screenwriting. She quickly realised that writing for the screen was the perfect marriage (storm!) of her two biggest passions (writing & photography) and she’s never looked back. Soulla is a second generation Liverpudlian Greek Cypriot

• LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO
• BACK UP
• TWO DAYS IN YORKSHIRE
• BUSY BODIES
• MANORS
• CHIP & POTATO
• WAFFLE THE WONDER DOG

• Children's /
• Continuing Drama /
• Drama /

MICHELLE GAYLE

Michelle wrote her first script on spec for a producer who wanted to turn her first novel, Pride and Premiership, into a drama. And while the drama didn’t get made, the script did open many doors for her.

Michelle likes to hold a mirror up to society through her writing, telling stories that resonate with her audience. Much of her original work gives a voice to those who traditionally have been ignored or undervalued, such as women, children, ethnic minorities and the working classes and she has continued to emphasise human moments even when writing for historical fantasy drama – A Discovery of Witches. 

Contemporary, sometimes challenging but, as in life, ‘never without humour’ is her motto. Not one to venture far from the kettle, she has been known to write in the kitchen, but at the first glimpse of sunshine she is drawn straight outside to write in the garden!

• WOLFBLOOD
• I AM
• PERFECT
• DUPED
• A MATTER OF LIFE
• THE BACKING SINGER
• Books:
• PRIDE AND PREMIERSHIP
• DON'T LIE TO ME ROBBIE WILKINS
• SAY YOU LOVE ME STEVIE C

• Drama /

MATTHEW GRAHAM

As an 11-year old, Matthew read a script that would shape the rest of his life: The Empire Strikes Back by Lawrence Kasdan. Little did the young Matthew know that he would go on to work with George Lucas on his Star Wars TV series. Matthew learnt his craft hard and fast, writing for EASTENDERS before creating the alcoholic, homophobic, 1970’s DCI with bad hair, otherwise known as Gene Hunt in LIFE ON MARS. Following the success of the spin off ASHES TO ASHES, Matthew co-created 6 part drama BONEKICKERS, and fantasy drama ETERNAL LAW, as well as fulfilling his lifelong dream of writing episodes for DOCTOR WHO. After adapting the novel ‘CHILDHOOD’S END’ into a miniseries, he also wrote the first episode of ELECTRIC DREAMS, each episode being an adaption of short stories by Philip K Dick.

Recently, Matthew co-developed and produced THE SPANISH PRINCESS.

• THE SPANISH PRINCESS
• CHILDHOOD’S END
• LIFE ON MARS
• ASHES TO ASHES
• DOCTOR WHO
• THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
• ETERNAL LAW
• ELECTRIC DREAMS
• THE STONE TAPE

• Drama /
• Feature Films /

HENRIETTA HARDY

Henrietta’s writing gets under the skin, drawing you in with stories of disenfranchised teenagers kidnapping their siblings; an Iranian family and a Norwegian family going head to head following a murder; and a suburban woman who makes a pact with her death-row devil.

With an MA in Scriptwriting from the Northern Film School under her belt, Henrietta has more recently taken part in the EU TV Drama Writers Lab 2016 in Berlin and Creative England/BFI Talent Campus East. She’s an insightful writer with a talent for emotionally hard-hitting drama about people in very real but impossible situations.

• DOCTORS
• CASUALTY
• THE BILL
• FAMILY AFFAIRS
• CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU
• RECOVERY
• FIRE TO THE RAIN

• Continuing Drama /
• Drama /

SARAH-LOUISE HAWKINS

Sarah-Louise wanted two things when she was small: straight hair and to be a writer. Having had one of her stories published by Jackie magazine at the age of 13, she thought she was heading for journalism super-fame, but decided to turn down an apprenticeship at the paper to study Scriptwriting at Bournemouth University.

Sarah-Louise was a key writer on The Bill when it won a Writers’ Guild Award and a BAFTA for Best Continuing Drama Series. She has worked continually in mainstream TV drama.

Sarah-Louise’s CV can be found here

• MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE
• THE MALLORCA FILES
• LONDON KILLS
• DUMPING GROUND
• SUSPECTS
• THE BILL
• PLAYING THE FIELD
• IN THE NAME OF LOVE

• Children's and Animation /
• Drama /

VERONICA HENRY

Veronica Henry is an award-winning British author, scriptwriter and journalist. She has written over twenty novels including The Beach Hut, The Beach Hut Next Door, Christmas at the Beach Hut, A Wedding at the Beach Hut and A Day at the Beach Hut, a collection of eight original short stories and over fifty delicious seaside-inspired recipes.

Veronica was recently commissioned by Keshet Productions to develop an original crime drama series, PERFECT, with Claire Mackintosh.

KIT HESKETH-HARVEY

1957 – 2023

MUCH LOVED

Kit wasn’t a bad person, he just liked to make people cry. As a cathedral chorister at Canterbury, he realised that hard work made art, and art made people cry. He wrote from that moment, and has not only produced reams of award-winning scripts, but performed and directs too.

Kit wrote from the comfort of his bed, in a Barbara Cartland style, but believed in the power of hard graft. It’s a winning formula that has resulted in the Biennale award for Maurice, the Vivian Ellis for Orlando, a Grammy nomination for The Bartered Bride, Writer of the Year for IPC, the Prix Marulic for A la Villa Bab Azzoun and Olivier nominations for Kit and the Widow.

OBITUARIES

The Guardian
The Scotsman
The Telegraph
Operawire
The Times
The Stage

• FIVE O'CLOCK ANGEL
• WRITING ORLANDO
• YUSUPOV
• A LA VILLA BAB AZZOUN
• VICAR OF DIBLEY
• MAURICE

• Comedy Drama /
• Drama /

SAMANTHA HILL

Fuelled by long walks, laughter and strong coffee, Samantha develops
award-winning ideas, creates pilots and writes scripts for children’s animation series in a range of genres. She is known for her wry, comedic and characterful style. Formerly a writer and editor at Time Magazine, her background in journalism means she has a great eye for story structure and the telling detail. Samantha has also written live-action feature film scripts and prime-time television shows.

• TREASURE TREKKERS
• BIG FIVE
• DAISY AND OLLIE
• LITTLE PEOPLE
• MESSY GOES TO OKIDO
• CHI CHI
• BING BUNNY
• CHARLIE AND LOLA
• ICONICLES
• WIBBLY PIG

• Children's and Animation /

DAVE INGHAM

Dave is an award-winning writer whose background as an animation producer has led him to an innate understanding of story and structure. His work embraces a wide range of styles and humorous content, while his lightness of touch has rendered him highly sought after in the industry.

Dave has scripted a succession of feature-length specials and is most at home in the world of live action and animation. His skills as a head writer mean he has steered several projects from early pitches through to broadcast and awards. How he turned the ideas of some 25,000 children into a half-hour script for The Tate Movie Project is anyone’s guess.

Dave’s CV can be found here

• A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL
• TOPSY AND TIM
• SHAUN THE SHEEP
• BOJ AND BUDDIES
• BOTTERSNIKES AND GUMBLES
• CLOUDBABIES
• TRACEY BEAKER RETURNS
• LITTLE PRINCESS
• LUO BAO BEI

• Children's and Animation /
• Family Features /

E L JAMES

• FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
• FIFTY SHADES DARKER
• FIFTY SHADES FREED
• GREY
• DARKER
• FREED
• THE MISTER
• THE MISSUS

• Feature Films /

DAVE JENKINS

In 2000, inspired by his love of motor racing and his 15-month-old son’s insistence on watching the Grand Prix with him, Dave created Roary The Racing Car. This coincided with his central role in the expansion of Nickelodeon UK where he was the network’s vice president and commercial director.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Dave also has his own publishing company and is responsible for several best-selling football titles under his Red Card Publishing banner. Dave continues to fire his imagination in search of that elusive second international TV hit!

• ROARY THE RACING CAR
• SWEET DREAMS

• Children's and Animation /

CIARAN MURTAGH AND ANDREW BARNETT JONES

BAFTA- and BAA-winning writing double act Ciaran and Andrew spent 10 years performing live comedy across the UK (and Denmark, for some reason) with their company The Black Sheep, before discovering that writing for TV meant they could make even more people laugh and get to sleep in their own beds. Since winning last place on The Slammer, they have been in constant demand for their witty, cheeky, irreverent, rambunctious writing style, working across all ages and aspects of comedy. They are also increasingly called on as head writers and script editors.

In 2016, the duo won the Children’s BAFTA writing award as part of the Gumball writing team and, in 2018, they won the writer award at the British Animation Awards for an episode of Counterfeit Cat.

Ciaran and Andrew are delighted to have won the 2020 Writers Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Children’s TV Episode, for the 2018 Christmas episode of Danger Mouse (which was also nominated for the 2019 Children’s BAFTAs!).

Black Sheep’s CV can be found here

• NUMBERBLOCKS
• DANNY AND MICK
• CRACKERJACK!
• BEST BUGS FOREVER
• MR BEAN THE ANIMATED SERIES
• NINJA EXPRESS
• MIFFY'S ADVENTURES BIG AND SMALL
• THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
• THE SLAMMER
• BOTTERSNIKES & GUMBLES
• DENNIS AND GNASHER UNLEASHED
• DIDDY MOVIES
• SHAUN THE SHEEP

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

SIMON JOWETT

Simon has written scripts and developed projects for a wide range of media, across an equally wide range of ages: from silent pre-school to extravagant action adventure, by way of animation, computer games, sketches, surreal sitcom and occasional fiction. His first professional sale was a script for a comic strip – a five-page Doctor Who story.

Acutely aware of the limited number of pages he has in which to tell his story, he favours fast-paced, tightly-structured, character-led work with a strong sense of storytelling, be it choosing what to watch or read or working on his latest script.

• SHANE THE CHEF
• MORIARTY
• JUNGLE BOOK
• MOUK
• GIGGLEBIZ
• TILLY AND FRIENDS
• KID NINJA
• SHONKU DIARIES

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

NIALL LEONARD

During his 30 years in the business, Niall has had a hand in British TV classics, such as Monarch of the Glen, Wire in the Blood, Wild at Heart and Hornblower. He wrote the Crusher trilogy of novels and the screenplays for the international blockbusters Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

His novel M, King’s Bodyguard is a gripping thriller about one detective’s mission to preserve the life of his king and prevent a bloody war in Europe. Published by Parthenon in 2021.

Niall has gained a reputation for being fast, funny, flexible and passionately committed to his material – or as some script editors might put it, an argumentative PITA. If you want an original, skewed and irreverent approach to your project, call Val and see if he’s available. If you want an easy life, she has lots of other good writers too…

• Screen credits:
• FIFTY SHADES DARKER
• FIFTY SHADES FREED
• WILD AT HEART
• WIRE IN THE BLOOD
• SEA OF SOULS
• MONARCH OF THE GLEN
• HORNBLOWER
• THE DARK ROOM
• SILENT WITNESS
• Novels:
• M, KING’S BODYGUARD
• CRUSHER
• INCINERATOR
• SHREDDER

• Comedy Drama /
• Drama /

PAUL MARI

Paul’s parents insisted he got a sound education and introduced him at an early age to the classics – Steptoe and Son, The Sweeney, Porridge, Boys from the Black Stuff, MASH, The Singing Detective … Well-crafted working-class stories with a dark comedic edge.

A graduate of the BBC writer’s academy his love affair with film and tele continues; a love that has never deserted him, let him down, or left him waiting at a bus stop.

• TOM
• BOSTON DEEPS
• EDDIE FEAR
• EASTENDERS
• HOLBY
• CASUALTY
• DOCTORS
• MONEY SHOT
• RONJA, THE ROBBER'S DAUGHTER (SHOWN ON AMAZON PRIME)

• Drama /

VERONICA MCKENZIE

Veronica is particularly keen on historical projects, having worked with archives and found footage. Past projects include shorts  ‘THE LAST SUPPER’ (2011), ITSY (2017), feature documentary ‘UNDER YOUR NOSE’ (2016) about UK Black LGBTQ+ history, screened at the V&A, Tate Modern and universities worldwide. ‘MONICA LOOSE ON A CRUISE’ screened at BFI Flare 2019.

Veronica’s feature ‘NINE NIGHTS’ won the Pan  African Film Festival Narrative Feature Director Award 2019, and was nominated for an African Academy Movie Award.

Veronica’s CV can be found here

• NINE NIGHTS
• MONICA LOOSE ON A CRUISE
• ITSY
• UNDER YOUR NOSE
• THE LAST SUPPER

• Continuing Drama /
• Drama /
• Feature Films /

RICHARD MEWIS

Having re-written and polished TV and feature-film scripts as a successful TV and feature-film script editor and producer, Richard was encouraged by many in the know to write in his own work. He secured his first on-screen credit on a BBC drama, which was watched by more than six million people and starred Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Eddie Izzard and Dougray Scott, and has since written a number of features, returning drama series and comedy dramas.

• ICE
• GRIEF
• JUST LIFE
• JOHN

• Comedy Drama /
• Drama /

SAM MORRISON

Sam’s first script, Doug, was an Australian soap opera version of Macbeth, and since then he has found himself writing mostly for elves, fairies, and animals – especially pigs and sheep. He also directs and animates, script-edits and plays football with incremental slowness.

He writes alone – at a desk – or in a team, and his style is one of silly ideas and snappy dialogue. He loves board games to the point of obsessiveness and likes to be green.

Sam’s CV can be found here

• HEY DUGGEE
• GAMES NIGHT
• BEN AND HOLLY'S LITTLE KINGDOM
• MODERN TOSS
• STAR WARS: VISIONS
• THE PATSY
• GRIME CITY PD
• PEPPA PIG
• SHAUN THE SHEEP
• OLOBOB TOP
• ANDY'S PREHISTORIC ADVENTURES

• Children's and Animation /

LIAM O’BRIEN

Liam’s desire to be a writer can be traced back to the moment that, aged five, his parents explained to him that Thunderbirds wasn’t a factual documentary but was actually a made-up story written by clever people from the 1960s. From that day on, watching countless films and TV shows has been his “research” to work out how to tell a good story, and not just an excuse to get out of the washing up.

Liam now creates TV and movie scripts full of lovable characters, witty dialogue and fast-paced, entertaining stories. He writes in a room where Luke Skywalker, Batman and every incarnation of The Doctor keep an eye on him.

• BRIAR POINT
• GEORGE FROM DECK 18
• MORTIMER
• WE ARE RECORDING
• THE END OF THE WORLD

• Comedy Drama /
• Drama /
• Family Features /

SEYI ODUSANYA

Seyi has been building up his experience working on a variety of projects, live action, mixed media and animation writing for a numberof CBeebies shows, Molly and Mack, JoJo and GranGran and he has now joined the writing team for Odo made by Sixteen South for Milkshake, taking part in their virtual writer’s room and contributing episodes.

Seyi’s CV can be found here

• JOJO & GRAN GRAN
• ODO
• MY FRIEND MISTY
• MOLLY AND MACK
• INSIDERS

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

SAMUEL PALMER

Samuel Palmer has always had a love for literature, the silver screen and whatever metonym describes television. He’s inspired by these works, the places he’s lived and the people around him, especially his three children, who, despite being the bane of his existence, can be okay sometimes.

It was in California, living out his twenties after a purposefully botched work visa, that Samuel first pursued his dream career as a writer. Naturally drawn to dark comedy with plans to explore a wide variety of styles and genres, he took a more serious approach to his craft when he was forced to leave California and move to Manchester by the powers that be. Samuel isn’t completely blaming his wife for the move but it was her that took the job.

Samuel Palmer’s writing has been described, amongst other things, as “really, really, really good” by his mother. It is from her he inherited his love for writing, but thankfully not his vocabulary, which he describes as “really, really, really good”.

Samuel’s CV can be found here

• IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS
• BACK OF BEYOND

• Drama /

EMMA PITT

After being asked at work “what do you really want to do?”, Emma’s answer was to quit her job and enrol on the TV Scriptwriting MA at De Montfort University where she graduated with a Distinction. Her final script was awarded the Media Film and Journalism Prize for Best Project and picked up for development by Red Productions. She was mentored on another project by Jed Mercurio which led to her successfully pitching for series 2 of Critical but the show was axed before her script could reach the screen.

• THE BALLAD OF A HAUNTED MAN
• MY ONE TRUE LOVE
• THE BOY WHO THOUGHT HE COULD FLY
• SINS
• GO THE DISTANCE
• BLAME

• Drama /

JEFF POVEY

After writing As You Like It, it might have been hard for Jeff to live up to his own genius but, thankfully, he realised he had the greatest gift of all: he didn’t have to do any real work to earn a living. This unique insight led him to write mainstream TV dramas, films and a novel.

Jeff can be found scribbling anywhere from a lay-by on the A1 to in his neighbour’s garden shed (without their prior knowledge).

Jeff’s CV can be found here

• MIDSOMER MURDERS
• THE MUSKETEERS
• HOLBY CITY
• EASTENDERS
• HOOTEN AND THE LADY
• BY ANY MEANS
• MARINADE
• I’LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU
• CASUALTY
• WIRE IN THE BLOOD
• WILD AT HEART

• Continuing Drama /
• Drama /
• Feature Films /

JAVID REZAI

• DODO
• COCOMELON
• FLIX
• EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A CAT
• HOLLYOAKS

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

JAKE RIDDELL

Jake is a screenwriter and story consultant with over twenty years’ experience. Before turning to writing full time, he worked as a story producer for THE BILL, during which time the show was nominated for a BAFTA.  He subsequently went on to write 12 episodes and rewrote many more. He also wrote most of the first series of MURDER INVESTIGATION TEAM (ITV) and was the story consultant for the second series.

Recent credits include SUPSECTS, DEATH IN PARADISE and GRANTCHESTER. He also wrote 3 episodes of LONDON KILLS, for Acorn TV. He served both as a story consultant and writer on REYKA, an eight-part crime drama about a mixed-race criminal profiler for M-Net / Fremantle International, starring Kim Englebrecht and Iain Glen. It sold all over the world, including All4, culminating in an international Emmy nomination for best drama series in 2022.  He has also acted as a story consultant on several dramas both in Europe and around the world.

Recently, Jake has written all six episodes for ENDANGERED, a thriller for M-net / Forlan Films based on a best-selling novel. It will go into preproduction in 2023 with an international cast. He’s about to adapt WEEPING WATERS, the first in the Inspector Albertus Beeslaar series of books by Karin Brynard, for Forlan Films / M-net.

Jake’s CV can be found here

• REYKA
• LONDON KILLS
• GRANTCHESTER
• DEATH IN PARADISE

• Drama /

CATH STAINCLIFFE

The Secret Seven are mostly to blame for Cath’s life of crime. A compulsive reader and writer, Cath was already an established novelist when her TV breakthrough came with her debut series Blue Murder.

As a self-professed lazy researcher, all her work is set in Manchester and her stories invariably feature women juggling the demands of kids and home life with the exacting task of catching murderers. Her stand-alone novels focus on the impact of crime, following ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. As well as adapting her own work for television and writing original radio drama, Cath has also written novels based on the Scott & Bailey characters. She is the proud owner of a CWA Dagger for her short story, Laptop.

Cath’s writing recipe is warmth, grit and a dose of humanity with buckets of strong tea.

• BLUE MURDER
• LEGACY
• STONE
• FROM FACT TO FICTION

• Drama /

JULIAN UNTHANK

Julian has held a variety of jobs from boy soldier, to movie animal trainer, before studying at Bournemouth Film School and pursuing a career in screenwriting.

He’s the writer and creator of Acorn TV’s Emmy™ nominated QUEENS OF MYSTERY, an off-beat, Amélie-esque style take on the traditional world of cosy crime, the second season of which was released on Acorn’s US and Global platforms in January 2022 before going on to be sold to dozens of international territories including Channel 5 in the UK.

A five season veteran of ITV’s worldwide hit DOC MARTIN, Julian is currently writing Season 2 of SUSPECT for Eagle Eye Productions and Channel 4 as well as developing and adapting several television shows for the UK and US, two of which already have international distributors attached, as well as developing his own feature script UNKNOWN FEMALE with US production company 87North and director David ‘Bullet Train’ Leitch.

He is the writer of the multi-award winning Oscar™ short-listed short LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT starring John Hurt, as well as being the writer of the zero award winning, 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, medieval slasher-fest SWORD OF VENGEANCE starring no one in particular.

Julian’s CV can be found here

• QUEENS OF MYSTERY
• DOC MARTIN
• JANE AUSTEN MYSTERIES
• NEW TRICKS
• THE BILL

• Comedy Drama /
• Drama /

JEN UPTON

With more than 15 years’ experience, it’s safe to say that Jen’s a Children’s Media veteran, albeit a very young one. She has worked in development and production at HIT, Chorion and Disney, acting as creative executive on preschool shows for 6- to 12-year olds.

Always a screenwriter in the background, on the birth of her second child, Jen turned to writing full time, Head Writing for CBBC’s Bottersnikes and Gumbles, Dennis and Gnasher: Unleashed, and Digby Dragon for Nickelodeon, as well as developing and writing for other shows.

Jen specialises in bonkers, fast-paced comedy that is always full of heart.

Jen’s CV can be found here

• BOTTERSNIKES AND GUMBLES
• NELLA THE PRINCESS KNIGHT
• BITZ AND BOB
• WILDWOODS
• DIGBY DRAGON
• DENNIS AND GNASHER UNLEASHED!
• NODDY
• SHANE THE CHEF
• WINNIE AND WILBUR

• Children's and Animation /

AN VROMBAUT

At nine years old, An was happiest when writing and drawing, so promised herself that she’d never forget what it felt like to be nine and now she writes and draws for a living.

An’s grown-up writing life started with The Story of Henrietta the Hairy Hippo, the pilot episode for the pre-school TV series 64 Zoo Lane, which has now been broadcast on BBC/CBeebies for 17 years. She works from her converted garage, with a space for writing at one end and a space for drawing at the other, creating charming, playful, character-driven scripts as well as award-winning short films and picture books.

A visionary writer-director, An also works on other people’s IPs.

An’s CV can be found here

• 64 ZOO LANE
• FLORRIE’S DRAGONS
• BING
• MIFFY’S ADVENTURES BIG AND SMALL
• LITTLE WOLF
• RITA AND CROCODILE

• Children's /
• Children's and Animation /

PADRAIC WALSH

Padraic is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and fiction writer.

BLUE THUNDER sold-out its three-week run at the VAULT Festival in 2019 and won the Innovation Award. A second production ran at the 19th TREND Festival in Rome, a festival on the theme ‘New Frontiers in British Theatre’ curated by La Repubblica’s theatre critic. It was also adapted for BBC Radio 4 and was The Times’ Radio Pick of the Week, The Guardian’s Pick of the Day, and chosen for the BBC’s Drama of the Week podcast.

FOXES was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and was shortlisted for Best Original Audio Drama at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards.

His original TV comedy-drama MAN & WIFE (6x30min) was in development with The Forge.

His plays have received public readings at the HighTide Festival Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Abbey Theatre (Dublin), West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Ilkley Playhouse.

He also won the Walter Swan Trust Playwriting Award in 2015, was 2017-2018 Writer on Attachment with the Oxford Playhouse and was shortlisted for the Channel 4 4Screenwriting attachment in 2019. He has received a Peggy Ramsay Foundation Grant. His fiction has appeared in The Stinging Fly and Cyphers.

• BLUE THUNDER
• FOXES
• THE MARQUIS OF GRANBY
• EVENING

CATHERINE WILLIAMS

Catherine has been busy! As well as single-handedly writing two series of the Bafta-nominated New Teletubbies, she has also co-created and head-written Waffle the Wonder Dog, and Chip & Potato. Prior to that, Catherine script produced and wrote many episodes of Bafta-winning hit show Topsy + Tim (Cbeebies). Her schtick is immersive, emotionally-engaging, funny story-telling for young children: in other words, love and laughter. Previously, Catherine script-edited many other critically-acclaimed, much-loved, family favourites, including Pocoyo, Girls in Love, My Parents Are Aliens, Shaun the Sheep, Baby Jake, Bear Behaving Badly and Pet Squad.

Catherine is also working on her own feature and short film scripts.

Catherine’s CV can be found here

• LOVELY LITTLE FARM
• CHIP AND POTATO
• WAFFLE THE WONDER DOG
• PJ MASKS
• TOPSY AND TIM
• THE NEW TELETUBBIES

• Children's and Animation /

STEPHEN WYATT

Stephen Wyatt is an award-winning writer for radio, theatre and television.

His television credits include Casualty and two Classic Doctor Who stories, Paradise Towers and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

He is the only writer to have won the Tinniswood Award for best original radio script twice – for Memorials to the Missing and Gerontius. His other original radio plays include Double Jeopardy and Strangers on a Film, two plays about Raymond Chandler in Hollywood with Patrick Stewart. He’s written monologues for Bernard Cribbins, Sian Philips and Dora Bryan while his many radio dramatisations include Vanity Fair, Sketches by Boz, Patricia Highsmith’s Complete Ripley and Dante’s The Divine Comedy.

His recent theatre work includes The Standard Bearer directed by Julian Sands (U.K., U.S., and European tour); Told Look Younger (Jermyn Street Theatre); The Loves of Venus and Mars and The Loves of Pygmalion (U.K., European tour) and Look Up at the Stars (Waterloo East Theatre).

Publications include: The World and His Wife, a historical novel about the long-running marital battle between the best-selling Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton and his wife Rosina, a book of short stories, The Wallscrawler and Brian Desmond Hurst on Film (with Caitlin Smith).

• TOLD LOOK YOUNGER
• PICK YOURSELF UP
• THE SHADOW OF DORIAN GRAY
• THE DIVINE COMEDY
• MEMORIALS TO THE MISSING
• GERONTIUS
• STRANGERS ON A FILM

• Comedy Drama /
• Drama /

ELEANOR WYLD

Eleanor Wyld is a queer Jewish writer and actor from Hackney. She studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has worked extensively as an actor in theatre, film and television.

Eleanor has been commissioned to adapt her novel CRAY for the screen by Red Planet Pictures and the BBC co-writing with another of our clients, Sarah Gordon.

In CRAY, broke, would-be actress Janis Steele is putting on the performance of a lifetime. She’s on a coming- of-age quest for success and validation whilst serving canape?s to the people she partied with the night before. It’s a swirling, sharp-witted study of female alcoholism and mental health; loss and friendship.