Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio is after writers from Wales to join his brand-new mentorship scheme. The programme aims to give greater opportunity to those who live outside the capital and who are underrepresented within the UK’s London-centric TV industry.
Jed, who is behind hit TV shows like Line of Duty, Bodyguard, Bodies and more, wants to address the disparity long-held within the industry and the challenges faced by aspiring writing talent in the UK regions.
Successful applicants will have a chance to work with TV talent who have been behind some of the UK's biggest small screen hits, including Marnie Dickens (writer & creator of Thirteen BBC3), Emma Frost (writer of Jamaica Inn BBC1), Steven Moffat (writer of Sherlock BBC1), Vinay Patel (writer of Murdered By My Father BBC3) and Jack Thorne (writer of His Dark Materials TV series BBC1).
Read more: The massive TV shows made in Wales
Talking about the launch of the programme Jed said "I'm thrilled to partner with my distinguished fellow mentors to provide TV industry access to emerging writers who are financially and geographically disadvantaged.
"The idea that a working-class kid from a small mining town in the West Midlands could ever work in TV didn't even occur to me, or to anyone I grew up with. It was only when a TV production company placed an advert in the British Medical Journal that I was able to contribute to a medical drama. But for that one random chance, I would never have had access to the TV industry.
"I'm honoured and grateful to be part of a programme that will pass on the same life-changing opportunity that was given to me at the start of my own career."
The disparity in the industry is caused by many factors, however, economic circumstance is widely believed to be one of the biggest barriers - a situation worsened by the cost of living crisis. Jed is launching the initiative to help champion diversity and inclusion in TV. Each mentee will work with their mentor to pitch an original idea and hopefully secure a commission.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 21, 2023 at 5pm. The programme will run over a 12-month period and will accept 6-10 mentees within the first year. Applicants must live outside of London to be considered for the programme. To apply for the programme, click here.
Of course, here in Wales, the vibrant TV production industry has initiatives to help local talent and creatives to explore a career in the sector, you can find more out about that at the creative.wales website.
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