Northern Laughs

Please note that the application deadline for the Northern Laughs scheme has now passed. For more information on this and other new writers' opportunities offered by the BBC, visit the BBC Writersroom website: www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom  

The selected new comedy writers from the Yorkshire region are: Dave Baird, Lucy Beaumont and Andy Woolton. They will be mentored by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen, Funland, Armstrong and Miller).

INFORMATION ON THE SCHEME
BBC Comedy, BBC writersroom, Northern Film & Media, Screen Yorkshire and North West Vision + Media are searching for exceptional writers from the North who want to write comedy for television. If you can make us laugh, have a passion for TV Comedy, a strong individual and funny voice and excellent characterisation skills, you could take part in our scheme Northern Laughs.

Northern Laughs will provide a fantastic training and development opportunity for up to three comedy writers from each Northern region. The selected writers will learn about writing for television comedy through mentoring from leading comedy writers including Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen, Funland, Armstrong and Miller), and workshops which will give a detailed and invaluable insight into writing comedy for the BBC.

Each writer will receive a development bursary from BBC writersroom and there will be an opportunity for a writer representing each region to have their work showcased at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2009. At the end of the development process each script will be considered by BBC Comedy and the best ideas will be put forward to the BBC Comedy Commissioner in the North. Writers will also have a calling card script with which they can then apply for the BBC's College of Comedy 2010.
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Case Study: Adele FirthHair and Make up Artist, Married Single Other

Married Single Other Bingley-born Adele Firth has seen her career go from strength to strength since landing her first job as a fast track Costume Trainee on TV drama FAITH back in 2004. The post, funded by Skillset and Screen Yorkshire, allowed Adele to develop her talent from hairdresser to hair and make up artist to the stars, and prepared her for her next placements on TV dramas BODIES and SPOOKS: CODE 9.

Since then, Adele has gone on to cut Dame Judi Dench's hair on period drama Cranford and was most recently responsible for Ralf Little and Miranda Raisons' hair on forthcoming ITV drama MARRIED SINGLE OTHER, which shot in Leeds in 2009 (ITV1 9pm from 22 February). Adele also faced the tough challenge of creating 1950's and 1980's hair styles on Kay Mellor's forthcoming BBC drama A PASSIONATE WOMAN, which stars Billie Piper and Sue Johnston.

Both Married Single Other and A Passionate Woman were supported by the Screen Yorkshire Production Fund.