Betty Box & Peter Rogers Comedy Writing Programme 2016
The Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) has launched a new comedy writing competition, the Betty Box and Peter Rogers Comedy Writing Programme.
The CTBF, working in partnership with Big Talk Productions and LOCO London Comedy Film Festival, is aiming to discover "original, exciting voices" by "offering a unique launching pad to those passionate writers who are in need of financial and industry support, and who may not otherwise have a chance to develop their craft and careers."
Four winners will each receive £10,000 and be invited to participate in a personalised six-month programme of industry support as they develop a comedy feature screenplay or a six-part comedy series for television. The grant is given in honour of Betty Box and Peter Rogers, the producers behind the Doctor series and Carry On franchise.
The selected participants will have their work developed by Big Talk Productions (the company behind projects such as Friday Night Dinner and Hot Fuzz) and will receive comprehensive professional support from the CTBF and LOCO. The programme will culminate in a live, full cast table read to an industry audience at the 6th LOCO London Comedy Film Festival in May 2017.
Barry Jenkins, the President of The CTBF, comments: "The Betty Box and Peter Rogers Comedy Writing Programme provides an exciting opportunity to discover those hidden gems of comedy writers who need support to realise their creative potential. Both Big Talk and LOCO are at the very forefront of the UK's thriving comedy landscape, ideally placed to support the next wave of talent in the genre. We're excited to see what this year's entrants will produce, and we're certain the programme will prove a fitting legacy for Peter and Betty - two titans of British comedy."
Denise Hicks, the co-founder and director of LOCO, adds: "We are thrilled to be joining forces with the CTBF and Big Talk for the Betty Box and Peter Rogers Comedy Writing Programme, bringing together a great British comedy legacy with our brightest contemporary talents to search for and support four exciting, undiscovered comedy screenwriters. With this generous award we will be able to give our writers the funding and expertise that they need to create their very best work, and to keep British comedy fresh, surprising and, above all, funny."
How to enter
The competition explains: "The programme is designed to discover and support writers who have demonstrated a commitment to writing comedy (paid or unpaid) - but who are not yet writing professionally full-time. We're looking for applications from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and experiences: new doesn't have to mean young."
To enter you must have a minimum of two years' experience anywhere behind the scenes in film and/or television. The organisers explain: "This experience need not be current nor consecutive. You may have a mix of experience, from working as an usher in your local multiplex when you were 19, to helping out as a runner on a short film, to working in the office of a production company or broadcaster. If you are not currently working in the industry, you may still qualify providing your previous experience adds up to a total of at least two years."
Other rules include that you must be living in the UK at the time of applying and that you must not hold any previous professional writing credits on a theatrically released feature or sole writing credits for broadcast scripted television programme.
The deadline to enter is 26th August 2016. The four chosen recipients will be announced at a ceremony in October.
To read the FAQs and Guidelines, and to apply, visit apply.ctbf.co.uk/entrant
This article is provided for free as part of BCG Pro.
Subscribe now for exclusive features, insight, learning materials, opportunities and other tools for the British comedy industry.