Southwark Playhouse looks to Elephant move

From Nuala Calvi in The Stage:

Southwark Playhouse is to relocate to a new, purpose-built theatre in Elephant and Castle, under plans submitted to Southwark Council.

The company has been homeless since the owners of its Southwark Bridge Road base announced that they would not be renewing its lease.

It will now be included in a major redevelopment project by First Base on the site of the former London Park Hotel, being designed by Millennium Dome architect Richard Rogers.

The plans include a 250-seat theatre shell at the base of the 44-storey tower block, with “significant” front of house and backstage facilities and an additional education and community space.

Stoppard season on BBC radio

The BBC have released more details of the season of Tom Stoppard plays to be broadcast on Radio 3, Radio 4 and BBC 7 from 29 June.

There will be a mix of new adaptations of stage plays and original radio plays, as well as a documentary about Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead.

ITV1 to focus on 9pm dramas

ITV Chairman, Michael Grade, has said that he wants ITV1 to reclaim its position as a home for quality drama, reports Leigh Holmwood for Media Guardian.

Speaking at the Rights Lab conference, organised by producers' alliance Pact, Mr Grade again reiterated that the time when ITV would copy other broadcasters' ideas was over.

"Priority number one is for ITV1 to regain its ground in 9pm drama," he said.

"[ITV director of drama] Laura Mackie and her team are raising our ambitions in this area so if you think that we're only interested in detective dramas or psychological thrillers, think again," Mr Grade added.

"Mobile, Fallen Angel, Kingdom, the Jane Austen season and Talk to Me have done well for us, but we need more, particularly more returnable series.

"We want the next Life on Mars, the next Spooks and, yes, we're still in the market for the next Morse, the next Foyle's War or the next Doc Martin. Not copies, you understand.

Easier said than done, of course (and Grade himself has said it several times already since he joined ITV).

Meanwhile, as Maggie Brown reports for Media Guardian, long-time head of ITV drama, Nick Elliot, threw his farewell party earlier this week.

He was responsible for 8,000 hours of drama and scores of series while at the Network Centre: Cracker, A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders, Cold Feet, Foyle's War, Miss Marple, Prime Suspect, to name but a few - and always tried to mix in the spiky one-offs with the more routine.

The final move at his leaving do was to invite onto the stage with him the ITV drama commissioning team who have taken over. A younger generation, all female bar one lone male, led by Laura Mackie, Sally Haynes and Corinne Hollingsworth.

Casualties

A guest post from Guild member Gregory Evans:

I had mixed feelings when I heard Casualty had "triumped" (to use the word, and spelling, from the show's official website) at the recent BAFTA Television Awards. The BAFTA for Best Continuing Drama, as I understand it, is awarded for a particular episode submitted by the producers (in this case it was the Christmas two-parter), but is also in recognition of the overall high quality of the series throughout the preceding year.

Part of me was pleased Casualty won its BAFTA - because I think it's a great show; because I know quite a few of the team who worked on it in 2006 - I know how hard-working and talented they are, how genuinely nice, how deserving of the honour - and also because I wrote two episodes last year, so I feel I played a small part in its success.

But another part of me (the meaner, nastier part) didn't give a shit about the award because that's how Casualty has treated a lot of its regular writers over the last few months.

I was one of those writers. I've written Casualty scripts (among other things) for the past five years, usually about three episodes a year, and I was considered one of their "core writers".

I delivered my last script in December. It went through smoothly, as usual, and everyone was pleased with it – especially the director, who did a superb job, and the producer, who was making her final episode after being with the show for about four years.

A couple of weeks later, I asked the series editor when I might be commissioned again. A lot was changing in Casualty around that time: the executive and series producers were both being replaced, along with several script editors and episode producers. It was more than the usual job-churn you get in any long-running tv show, it was a change of management.

In light of this, the series editor told me she couldn't say for sure when I'd be commissioned again - it was likely the new producers would want to bring in "new blood", would want to "reinvent" the show - but she assured me I was a "valued writer" and that I'd be commissioned for an episode some way into the new series, which was just about to go into production. "Several seasoned Casualty writers are understandably unhappy about this," she wrote.

Actually, I wasn't unhappy at all. I was busy with other things, so I was in no hurry to start another script, but I wanted a rough idea. She told me I'd probably get an episode sometime in February, and I left it at that.

That was the last I heard. Since that email early this year, no one from Casualty has been in touch with me, or my agent - either to offer me a job, or to tell me they don't want to work with me any more.

A while ago, on the advice of another writer, I emailed the new series editor (who I knew when he was a researcher) to find out what was going on. I didn't get a reply.

It's some small consolation to know I'm in excellent company: the new management at Casualty seem to be treating all their "seasoned" writers in a similar way.

Shortly after the BAFTA was announced I had an email from a fine and vastly experienced writer, who wrote four superb episodes of Casualty last year. He wrote to me: "I appear to be persona non grata with Casualty these days. I did think when they won their BAFTA I might have got some acknowledgement but not a peep." And he ended up: "I watched the BAFTAs and heard Andy Harries' advice to producers: Treasure your writers. If only!"

I had a similar email a couple of months earlier from another Casualty casualty, also a "core writer", who's written some of the finest episodes over the past few years (including several in 2006). He told me that, since the arrival of the new management, no one had bothered to tell him what was happening: "I haven't even had the courtesy of an email," he wrote. "Any loyalty I had to the show is now gone. In fact, I think that being so loyal to them was stupid. [...] I don't think they realise how priceless it is to have a bunch of experienced writers on hand to guarantee quality."

Another writer, who I met at the leaving do for the executive producer, had recently been fired from his episode after the second draft, something that had never happened to him before in a long and distinguished career.

Like these writers, and others, I once felt enormous affection and loyalty towards Casualty. Whenever I stepped into the warehouse in Bristol where it was produced, I felt included and valued, part of the team.

I'm not complaining about what has happened at Casualty. Producers can use the writers they choose, of course; long-running series need reinventing from time to time; "new blood" is a good idea (we were all new blood once). It's how it's been handled that's been so crass. For a show that's all about sympathy and professionalism, it's been heartless and unprofessional.

Gregory Evans is currently writing for The Bill

Chinua Achebe wins Man Booker international

Chinua Achebe has won the 2007 Man Booker International book prize - an award for a body of work rather than a new book.

The description of Achebe by some commentators as 'obscure' has riled Maya Jaggi in The Guardian.

The question arises, obscure for whom? Achebe, aged 76, is revered across continents as a founder of the modern African novel in English. Things Fall Apart, his 1958 debut about the devastating impact of Christian missionaries on Igbo culture amid the scramble for Africa in the 1890s, is one of the most widely read novels of the 20th century. Nor was Achebe obscure to the galaxy of writers - including Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka, Toni Morrison and Nadine Gordimer - I heard pay birthday tributes to him at Bard College in upstate New York, where he has taught since a car crash in Nigeria 17 years ago left him in a wheelchair.

Yet making the case for profiling Achebe in this paper in 2000, I was struck anew by how towering figures in world literature can fall beneath the radar in the west, or slip from memory. It may be worse for those not writing in English, as I was reminded by the death on Sunday of Senegal's Ousmane Sembène, aged 84, a francophone novelist and founding father of sub-Saharan African cinema. Hardly a household name - though, like Achebe, he deserves to be.

Blurb coming to Europe

San Francisco-based Blurb, a site that enables users to print as few as one copy of a book on demand, on Wednesday announced plans to expand its business to Europe.

The company plans to begin printing books in the Netherlands in three weeks. Europeans can now order books with a shipping time of 5 to 7 days (instead of 7 to 10 days) at a lower shipping rate.

More from Miriam Olsson for Cnet.

I've never heard of Blurb, but it sounds like competition for Lulu.com.

Chase comments on Sopranos finale

David Chase, creator of American TV series The Sopranos, has responded to criticism of the final episode, reports BBC News.

"I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there," he said of the drama's end...

"People get the impression that you're trying to mess with them, and it's not true. You're trying to entertain them. No-one was thinking, 'Wow, this'll tick them off," he added.

Dedication dilemmas

By Edward Docx in The Daily Telegraph.

There are some novelists who will tell you that it's the characters or the plot that cause all the trouble, or the research, or the pacing, or managing point of view, or controlling tone; but you would do better not to believe them. All of these are exasperating. But the thing that really screws you up is the dedication.

The book may be good, bad or both, but once it is finished you can dodge it, stand by it, disown it, move on, say you did or didn't mean it, point out that you made it up, insist that it has nothing to do with you or anything that has happened in the past. The dedication, on the other hand, is where you have to say exactly what you mean. The dedication is where you can balls up the rest of your life.

Docx gives some great examples, including this by J.D. Salinger for Franny and Zooey:

"As nearly as possible in the spirit of Matthew Salinger, age one, urging a luncheon companion to accept a cool lima bean, I urge my editor, mentor and (heaven help him) closest friend, William Shawn... lover of the long shot, protector of the unprolific, defender of the hopelessly flamboyant... to accept this pretty skimpy-looking book."

The Croak - Action Transport

An intriguing writing opportunity called The Croak, from young people's theatre company, Action Transport, courtesy of the BBC Writersroom. The initial deadline is 24 June 2007.

The Croak will bring together experienced writers, aspiring writers, and new writers. It is a learning experience, the chance to write your own play supported by one of the UK's leading companies for young people. Experience is not required; wanting to write is the only qualification.

Michael Rosen is new Children's Laureate

Michael Rosen succeeded Jacqueline Wilson as Children's Laureate yesterday, reports BBC News.

"I see my job as Children's Laureate being an ambassador for fun with books. I hope that I'll be able to boost all children's reading for pleasure but also to give a special lift to the wonderful diverse world of poetry for children."

In The Guardian he is interviewed by Simon Hattenstone.

The trouble is, he says, educationalists and government ministers have tried to take the fun out of poetry. They have reduced it to a question to be answered in a Sats test, and that is one thing he is keen to change.

"The question is, how d'you encourage it, not how d'you say, 'Uh-uh, no sorry, what we're going to do now is look at The Owl and the Pussycat and count the adjectives.'"

On location with Debbie Horsfield

In The Times, Daphne Lockyer goes behind the scenes on the new BBC TV drama True, Dare, Kiss, written by Debbie Horsfield.

True, Dare, Kiss centres on Phil (played by Dervla Kirwan, of Ballykissangel fame), who returns to Manchester for her father’s funeral and is reunited with her siblings – Nita (Pookie Quesnell), Beth (Lorraine Ashbourne), Alice (Esther Hall) and Dennis (Paul Hilton). After an absence of 20 years, she finds it unchanged from a fateful night in the 1970s when a cataclysmic event shattered the family’s life.

“It’s as though the house has been preserved in aspic,” says [producer, Marcus] Wilson, who also co-produced Life on Mars and has brought his expertise of all things 1970s to this set, too – the preponderance of Formica and swirling carpets here are just the tip of the iceberg. “We wanted to present the idea that whatever happened on that night caused the clock to stop.” The exact nature of the secret, which stalks the very heart of this dysfunctional family, will be revealed, eventually, in the six-part drama. “But unlike Cutting It, where an audience could dip in and out, True, Dare, Kiss requires them to stick with the ride throughout,” says Horsfield. “I hope they will want to.”

Wikibook = wikibomb

From The Globe and Mail:

For some reason, the hunt for the great Internet novel is still on. The hunt, of course, isn't for a book about the Internet; the object here is a book written by the Internet, in the same collaborative spirit that cooked up Wikipedia.

The results thus far aren't promising. But the "wisdom of the crowds" is in these days, and so we watch as one well-meaning website after another tries to make a go of having the mob write fiction. One large attempt recently ended in glorious disarray, but others are still ongoing. Unsurprisingly, the less ambitious they get, the more successful they become.

Tony record for Stoppard

Tom Stoppard's play The Coast Of Utopia won a record seven Tony Awards in New York last night, including Best Play. As BBC News reports:

The 69-year-old, who won his first honour in 1968, said: "I feel a bit nostalgic actually because this year it's 40 years since I first came here with a play...It was a different planet in 1967, the Broadway theatre. It had a little ashtray clamped to the back of every seat and the author got 10% of the gross."

ITV.com ready for relaunch

ITV.com has long been one of the worst media websites around, impossible to search and bereft of content. Hopefully, that will all change - a relaunch is set to go live next Tuesday. As Mark Sweeney reports for Media Guardian, the main innovation included in the £20m revamp is the broadcasting of shows from ITV1, ITV2 and ITV3 live online.

A staged rollout of ITV.com's video streaming will see the 30-day catchup service and programme archive activated for different programme genres on a week-by-week basis.

Soaps such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be the first genre to launch, followed - on subsequent Tuesdays - by broadband games, drama, lifestyle, sport, entertainment and news.

AGM 2007 report

A report on the Guild's 2007 AGM is now available on the Guild's website.

Knocked Up

Blogger, writer and romantic comedy specialist Billy Mernit isn't afraid to put the boot into films he doesn't like. But this week he's found one to rave about: Knocked Up, written and directed by Judd Apatow. And, as ever with Billy's posts, there are useful insights for writers.

Knocked Up proves what should be the present-day romantic comedy screenwriter's maxim: don't write a "Romantic Comedy."

No, write a story about two fascinating, funny people who irrevocably change each other's lives, and leave all that Same Old Shit (e.g. the Bad Date Montage, et al) out of the picture.

Knocked Up trailer

The Royal Tapes

BBC Radio Five Live has launched a new competition open to all writers, The Royal Tapes.

We want you to submit scripts of up to three minutes in length featuring two characters, which capture a moment, an extraordinary emotional idea inspired by the role that the monarchy plays in our lives, a microcosm of the drama that surrounds the royal family.

It can be funny, surreal, poignant or challenging. Your drama can be about anyone and be set anywhere – be original, be provocative, be dramatic. The scripts are from your perspective and don't have to contain a royal character.

Entries must be received by 12 noon Friday 29 June. Thanks to BBC Writersroom for the link.

Six words that sold a script

From Jay A. Fernandez in The LA Times:

It's rarely a good idea to greenlight a movie off of a title alone (unless it includes the words "Pirates" and "Caribbean"). That's like falling in love with a MySpace photo.

But when Harvey Weinstein pulled the trigger on the latest raunchy comedy idea from "Dogma" and "Clerks II" writer-director Kevin Smith after Smith had written only six words of it, Weinstein's $15 million looked like a pretty good bet.

The title? "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."

Guild signs new TNC Agreement

From the WGGB website:

The first-ever minimum terms collective agreement for playwrights was negotiated between the Writers' Guild and the Theatre Writers' Union and the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court (collectively, the TNC), and signed in 1979.

In 2004, both the Guild and the theatres felt that a complete revision of the agreement was necessary. The Guild met with the PMA to draw up our bid in June of that year and negotiations with the three theatres began in September 2005.

The Guild negotiators (David Edgar, Nick Dear, Paul Sirett and Olwen Wymark) were advised by a PMA delegation (Alan Brodie, Diana Franklin and Mel Kenyon). Negotiations were concluded successfully on 26 March this year and the agreement was signed on behalf of the Writers' Guild by David Edgar, our new President, at the Guild's AGM on 1 June 2007.

The headline gain is an increase in the up-front fee for writers (the combined commission, delivery and acquisition fees) from £8,467 to £10,000, in all RSC, NT and RC spaces except for the Theatre Upstairs. The £10,000 play achieves a long-lasting ambition for playwrights, and will serve as a benchmark in negotiations with other companies.

In addition, we have removed loopholes in the rehearsal payment system, ensuring that playwrights are paid for all the days they attend rehearsals (and readings and workshops outside the rehearsal period), for conducting other production related business (like interviews and programme compilation), and for those days on which it is mutually agreed they should not attend.

We also made sure that the playwrights' right to casting approval was safeguarded in the new agreement.

For the first time, we have guaranteed writers' hotel and accommodation expenses (within the terms of the theatres' expenses policies), both during rehearsals and during workshops, auditions and research.

Concerned about the implications of granting theatres automatic rights to include extracts on their websites, we insisted that website rights be granted under a separately-signed agreement for a limited period.

We have reduced the option periods that theatres may purchase for the United States and the English Speaking World from eight months to six, and given playwrights greater influence over third party productions licensed by the TNC companies.

In addition, many clauses were revised to reflect best current practice and to accommodate changes in the production environment over the years.

Inevitably, we made some concessions. However, we are convinced that the resulting agreement and model contract improves the original in form and content, and will improve the pay and conditions of all playwrights working for the TNC theatres.

You can download the Full Agreement from the Guild's Rates and Agreements page.

A writer's entourage

In Written By, the Writers' Guild of America West magazine, David Hoag looks at the rise of literary managers and the other roles in Hollywood writers' growing entourages.

“Primarily, for me, the manager is very hands-on in development of spec material, which is really what I have him for,” says screenwriter Keith Domingue, who has written feature assignments for Village Roadshow, Dimension Films, and MGM, among others. “I look for someone who will become a development partner. I need that because it allows me to take more creative risks with my spec material.” As a result, Domingue will work through multiple drafts with his manager, something generally not possible with an agent. “From my experience, few agents have the time for that,” he adds.

Fever Pitch at the Screenwriters' Festival

The Screenwriters' Festival (3-6 July 2007) have launched their Fever Pitch competition in association with 4Talent. Entrants must submit a 25 word pitch for a film or TV drama along with a 150 word synopsis. Writers of the best ten will invited to attend the Festival and pitch live in front of an audience who will pick the winners.

The closing date for entries is 22 June 2007.

Behind the scenes at The News Quiz

On BBC News, Stephen Robb goes behind the scenes at Radio 4's The News Quiz.

Over two days up to the Thursday evening recording of The News Quiz, the writers each produce about 40 jokes - 10 for each topic.

"People say, 'How do you think of jokes?' but it's like asking a lorry driver, 'How do you drive a lorry?' It's automatic after a while," says Rhodri Crooks.

"The deadline seems to focus your mind," adds Simon Littlefield.

But the writers do admit to rituals that help them think, with Crooks disappearing for long walks, and Littlefield stepping out on to the balcony to smoke and gaze over central London rooftops.

President Edgar

At the Guild's AGM on Friday 1 June, David Edgar was confirmed as the new President of the Guild for a three-year term.

David Edgar is one of this country’s’ leading playwrights, having worked in the theatre, TV, film and radio. He is perhaps best known for his large-scale dramatisation of Nicholas Nickleby for the Royal Shakespeare Company and for television.

Other key works have included Pentecost, which won an Evening Standard award in 1994; The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs; Albert Speer, based on Gitta Sereny's biography of Hitler's architect; and Playing With Fire. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has at various times served as Resident Playwright at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Fellow in Creative Writing at Leeds Polytechnic, Professor of Playwriting Studies at Birmingham University and Literary Consultant for the RSC.

For the Writers’ Guild he has recently led the negotiating team creating an updated Minimum Terms Agreement covering the RSC, Royal National Theatre and Royal Court – which he has officially signed today, the first day of his Presidency. As President of the Guild he will speak for writers on public issues and will have a non-voting seat on the Executive Council.

David Edgar’s appointment continues the Guild’s tradition of choosing leading writers as its President – he takes over from the TV writer and novelist David Nobbs, while previous holders of the post have included J.C. Wilsher, Ian Curteis, Rosemary Ann Sisson and Alan Plater.

You can hear David Edgar in conversation at a Guild event on 7 June.

Meeting the agents

For those of you unable to make it to the Guild's Meet The Agents event last week, there's now a report up on the website.

Update: Guild member Frances Lyn has posted her impressions of the meeting.

Media Predict

Media Predict is a new online game from America that creates a stockmarket for media talent. Players register, get a virtual $5,000 to spend, and then back the projects or people they think will succeed.

As The Economist reports, the people behind Media Predict plan to charge companies to have projects listed.

This year was kind of a bloodbath for new [television] programmes,” says Brent Stinski, Media Predict's founder, “so we know that their systems need improving.” Advertising could provide another source of revenue. But laws against online gambling will probably foil Mr Stinski's hopes of turning the exchange into a real-money stockmarket. Traders will probably have to settle for prizes, which will be introduced later this year, and the warm glow that comes from knowing that they are the secret arbiters of public taste.

Future Perfect 2008

Paines Plough theatre have launched their Future Perfect scheme for young playwrights. Thanks to BBC Writersroom for the link. The closing date is 11 June 2007.

Future Perfect is a once in a lifetime opportunity to stretch your ambition as a theatre writer.

A year long attachment, Future Perfect aims to create a space for writers to explore their individual voices. Playwrights are inspired to develop their vision and confidence through challenging practical writing projects.

Alongside these projects writers will develop a full-length play with the support of Paines Plough's literary and artistic team.

We are looking for six writers between the ages of 18 and 30 to become Future Perfect 2008.

Will Ferrell - FunnyOrDie.com

American comedian Will Ferrell has a new online venture that is proving as successful as his feature films, reports Laura M. Holson in The New York Times.

For Will Ferrell, who commands up to $20 million for movies like “Anchorman” and “Blades of Glory,” starring in a short Web video may not seem like the best use of time.

But one afternoon in early March, Mr. Ferrell walked to a guest cottage at his Los Angeles home with a small crew that included Adam McKay, who is his production partner and the director of “Anchorman.”

With a camcorder rolling, Mr. Ferrell improvised a sketch as a down-on-his-luck tenant being harassed by a foul-mouthed, booze-sodden landlord. The actor playing the landlord was Mr. McKay’s 2-year-old daughter, Pearl.

“The Landlord,” which took 45 minutes to shoot and cost next to nothing to produce, was posted on the new Web site FunnyOrDie.com on April 12.

As of yesterday, the sketch had been viewed about 30 million times, and the newly posted outtakes have been watched more than 1.6 million times. (This being Hollywood, Mr. Ferrell and Pearl have already shot a sequel: “Good Cop, Baby Cop.”)

Doctor sells screenplay to Hollywood

From Dalya Alberge in The Times:

A doctor is swapping medicine for Hollywood after learning that her first screenplay is poised to go into production with an A-list cast.

John Malkovich, Peter O’Toole and Darryl Hannah are among the stars lining up for the period epic, Love and Virtue, written by Mia Sperber, who is a consultant radiologist in Liverpool.

Everyword at the Everyman

Next week (5-9 June) at The Everyman theatre in Liverpool, it's the Everyword annual new writing festival.

Open your mind this June with Everyword 2007. The Everyman’s annual festival of new writing is back with a week of workshops, seminars, readings and events to stimulate your mind and get the creative juices flowing. Whatever your level of Experience, Everyword has something to suit.

This year we bring you workshops from some of the industry’s top companies and practitioners including Tim Firth, David Eldridge, Frantic Assembly and Paines Plough, as well as readings of new plays from up and coming new writers and one-off writing events to really get you thinking.

Radio 4 denies sneaking out Kureishi drama

From Ben Dowell in Media Guardian (free registration required):

Radio 4 last night aired its controversial Hanif Kureishi drama Weddings and Beheadings, which describes the work of a cameraman who films the executions of western captives in Iraq.

A Radio 4 spokeswoman denied that it had "sneaked out" Weddings and Beheadings, which was due to be broadcast on Radio 4 last month, but was pulled at the last minute after the kidnapping of BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston.

However, Weddings and Beheadings was dropped back into the Radio 4 schedule with only three days' notice on Sunday and was not featured in any daily newspaper radio listings yesterday.

Pullman attacks broadcasters over children's TV

Children's writer Phillip Pullman has attacked broadcasters for their approach to children's TV, reports Amelia Hill in The Observer.

Philip Pullman, the Whitbread award-winning author of His Dark Materials, has condemned children's television as 'social poison', treating its audience as marketing opportunities while portraying them as dangerous and feral.

Pullman castigated broadcasters for sacrificing high-quality programmes in favour of those that yield more marketing opportunities. 'Children are regarded by broadcasters as a marketing opportunity at best, a dangerous and feral threat at worst, and an expensive nuisance otherwise,' Pullman said. 'This social poison goes much deeper than broadcasting, of course, but it's particularly visible there."

Guild website

The Guild website is down at the moment due to technical problems. We hope to have it up and running again as soon as possible.

Update: all fine now - it was a problem with the hosting company.

Silence of the clams

On his blog, screenwriter Craig Mazin is trying to eliminate clams. ("According to Jane Espenson, clams are one-liners or comic concepts that have gone stale from overuse.") Some examples:

The Inside Voice: “I’m sorry…did I say that out loud?”

The Freudian Slip: “Hey, Carol, I see you’re wearing some new boobs…I mean boots!”

The “Mr.” Insult: “Oooh, check you out. Mr. Big Man! Mr. Crazy hat-wearing guy!”

The Nutty List: “All I know is I want to eat a steak, get laid, and play some golf…not necessarily in that order.”

Dante’s Clam: “This is the date from hell!”

Wole Soyinka interview

In The Daily Telegraph, Helen Oyeyemi talks to Nobel Prize-winning writer Wole Soyinka.

He laughs when I ask if his exile and displacement have created a need for him to be in a state of discomfort to see clearly.

"No, nothing like that; the compulsion to write overrides my difficulties, it's not defined by them. An idyllic period of my existence was when I had a den attached to my home... a writing den, and no one had access to that unless they had their own special visa, applied for weeks in advance." He smiles ruefully and shakes his head.

Surviving Edinburgh

Dave Cohen's article from the most recent issue of the Guild's magazine UK Writer about how to survive the Edinburgh Festival is now online. Lots of tips - mainly about saving money.

The King Of Queens ends

One of America's longest running live-audience sitcoms, The King Of Queens, has come to an end. For the Writers Guild of America West, Dylan Callaghan talks to one of the show's creators, David Litt.

Here's something I learned that stuck with me the whole time during this show -- when I first started I was really into jokes. I'd have jokes in my head and write toward the jokes to the point where the story was serving the jokes. What I've learned is that it has to be the other way around. You have to write good characters and good stories and the jokes will flow from there. People worry about the jokes, but they should worry about the characters and the jokes will come.

Northern Film & Media bursary

Thanks to BBC Writersroom for the link to Northern Film & Media's bursary scheme. The closing date for applications is 7 June.

Northern Film & Media is to support two regional writers to develop a full length feature screenplay through a £10,000 bursary scheme.

Running for the second year, Northern Film & Media launched its Script Bursaries 2007 in late April.

Calling for 8-10 page feature treatments that have the potential to become well developed and commercial feature screenplays, Northern Film & Media expect all writers applying to be able to deliver a high quality completed script within the timescale indicated.

Northern Film & Media will pay the two successful writers £5,000 each for delivery of the completed screenplays.

The scheme also aims to develop writers in their production of scripts of the highest quality. To ensure this, Northern Film & Media will work with the writers and provide expert editing assistance from industry professionals on the projects.

The scheme is open to writers based in the North East region (Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham and Tees Valley). Applicants must be over 18 and not in full-time or undergraduate education.

Haggis back on Bond

Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis is back on the Bond franchise, reports J.A. Fernandez in The LA Times.

Haggis has more than earned whatever he's being paid to rework the "Bond 22" screenplay by regular Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade ("The World Is Not Enough," "Die Another Day"). His rewrite of Purvis and Wade's "Casino Royale" script helped to revitalize the aging franchise and give it the edgier credibility it needed to hook a new generation of fans and score the franchise's biggest box office — $588 million worldwide. (Don't cry for Purvis and Wade; they keep getting the Bond assignments and they're writing the new "Barbarella" screenplay that Robert Rodriguez just signed on to direct for Universal on Monday.)

The state of EastEnders

EastEnders recently got its lowest ever audience share, but is it as bad as people as some people make out, asks Caitlin Moran in The Times.

I watched this week’s quartet of ’Stenders, and it’s really quite good. Honestly. The green shoots of recovery are all over Albert Square. Monday’s episode starts quite badly – Phil Mitchell is called upon to save the life of a drowning child, and does it by wobbling the kid around on the ground in the manner of a dog searching for a treat in its owner’s pocket. But there are all kinds of long-term plot-threads yielding the occasional fleck of pure gold.

Update: In The Guardian, Mark Lawson considers the show's latest trailers.

Advance plotting

On The Guardian Books blog, Neil Griffiths explains why he never plots stories before writing them.

Although I would like to think there are as many varieties of writer as there are writers, there really are only two: those who plan and structure (to whatever degree) before they start and those who don't. I am the latter. Actually, I like to think of myself as a torchbearer (or is that trailblazer?) for this minority group (we are a minority group, I'm sure), because I reckon I do the least planning and preparation of any writer out there.

More Guild events

Soap Writers' Forum

If you're currently writing for any long running TV drama series or soaps, whether writing your own original work or episodes of existing series, The Writers' Guild invites you to join us for the Soap Writers' Forum on Tuesday 3rd July at The Writers' Guild Centre from 7.00 pm - 9pm.

The Guild's Television Committee is currently working on a Good Practice Guide and we want to get an overall and realistic picture of what it is like to work on major TV continuing drama series today. Come along and share your experiences whether you've been writing for soaps and drama series for a while or you're new to this area. The event is free and open to all working TV writers, Guild members and non-members.

If you would like to attend the forum please email Moe at: moe@writersguild.org.uk or contact the Guild Office on 0207 833 0777


Writers’ Guild Variety Nights

The Writers' Guild Variety Nights are back from Tuesday 10th July from 7.00pm - 9.30pm.

Writers' Guild Variety Nights are a series of regular events at which writers can showcase their work, or just come along and network with each other, in an informal 'industry' environment.

Whether you are a performance poet, a novelist with a desire to share your latest chapter, a playwright with a favourite scene, a budding comic or you feel you could come along and be an enthusiastic audience member - we want to hear from you!

Performance slots are open to everyone but Guild members are given preference. Each performer will be given a five minute slot. Tickets cost £2 for Guild members and £3 non-members and will be sold on the door but places are limited so please book in advance. If you would like to attend please email Moe at : moe@writersguild.org.uk or contact the Guild office on 0207 833 0777.

Rehearsed Readings at the Guild

Writers' Guild and Equity Rehearsed Readings continue with A Friend of Ronnie's by David Barry and Taste by Dick Sharples.

A Friend of Ronnie's :
"Susan is doing research for a book on the Great Train Robbery. She interviews Arthur, one of the last surviving participants, who reveals a little about the robbery and a lot about himself."

Taste :
"An elderly couple who have sold their house keep returning - to the distress of the new resident. "

A Friend of Ronnie' s and Taste will be read from 7.30pm on Wednesday 18th July at the Writers' Guild Centre. Tickets cost: £6 (members of the Writers' Guild and Equity) or £8 (non-members), including a free glass of wine. To book a ticket please email Anne at : anne@writersguild.org.uk or contact the Guild office on 0207 833 0777.

All events will be held at Writers’ Guild Centre, 17 Britannia Street, Kings Cross, London WC1X 9JN.

Poetry, Style and Verse

The Writers' Guild presents Poetry, Style and Verse to be held at the Writers’ Guild Centre on Tuesday, 4th September 2007 from 7pm – 9:30pm

Do you want to find out more about the different styles of poetry? Are you interested in becoming part of the poetry scene? This Guild event will help demystify the new, emerging as well as traditional poetry forms.

The evening will involve a discussion which will be followed by individual performances from our panel members and special guests. Speakers and special guests will be announced shortly, please keep an eye on the e-bulletin for further details.

Tickets for this event will be £5 for Guild members and £7.50 for non-members. Please join us after the event for a free glass of wine and a chance to mingle with fellow guests. Places are limited so please book in advance through the Guild office. If you would like to attend this exciting poetry event please send a cheque payable to the Writers' Guild, to ‘Poetry Event ’, Writers' Guild of Great Britain, 15-17 Britannia Street, London, WC1X 9JN.

Animation Writers’ Forum – free event

Are you an animation writer? Are in interested in becoming one but don’t know how to get started? The Writers’ Guild will be hosting an Animation Writers' Forum on Thursday June 28th from 7pm-9:30pm at the Writers' Guild Centre in Kings Cross.

The animation guidelines (pdf) published by the Guild are now five years old, so if you are you already working in this field and want to discuss ways to improve it do come along. Guild member and experienced animation writer James Mason will be leading the discussion.

The event is free for members and non-members. If you would like to attend the forum please contact moe@writersguild.org.uk or call the Guild Office on 0207 833 0777.

Battle for books copyright

On The Guardian Books blog, Nicholas Clee looks at why new print on demand technology means that publishers are looking to retain copyright even when a book goes out of print.

Standard contracts allow rights to revert to the author if a book goes out of print and if the publisher shows no inclination to reprint it. That made sense when the only way to publish a book was to order at least several hundred copies from a printer. But digital technology is changing the business. Books can be held in digital files, to be downloaded or to be printed on demand. They need never be unavailable. What, then, becomes the definition of "out of print"?

Hollyoaks under Kirkwood

In Media Guardian (free registration required) Stephen Armstrong talks to Hollyoaks Producer, Bryan Kirkwood, about the show's revival.

Kirkwood, 31, joined the show in January 2006 straight from the Coronation Street writers' room where he'd worked on Richard Hillman's killing spree and Peter and Shelly's bigamous marriage. When he arrived, it's fair to say the Hollyoaks awards cupboard was a fairly dusty place - one win in 2005, two in 2006.

He set about changing the show from the ground up, losing half the writers' room and some 15 cast members. "Hollyoaks used to have a reputation for blonde blandness," he says. "I don't have a problem with really good-looking actors, but I do want them to be able to act. We replaced the departing writers with some strong talent from the Liverpool theatre scene because a soap is only as strong as its storylines. I want to make Hollyoaks credible and cool like The OC and Dawson's Creek. That's where I see its future."

BAFTA TV Awards

Winners at last night's BAFTA TV Awards included:

• Single Drama - Housewife 49 (written by Victoria Wood)
• Drama Series - The Street (lead writer Jimmy McGovern; episodes also written by Alan Field, Marc Pye, James Quirk and Arthur Ellison)
• Drama Serial - See No Evil: The Moors Murders (written by Neil McKay)
• Continuing Drama - Casualty (see IMDB for writing credits)

In addition, Richard Curtis was awarded the Academy Fellowship.

Essential resource sites

For the Writers Guild of America west, Elliot Feldman has compiled a list of the Top 10 writers' resource sites. Feel free to add your own suggestions.

Munday wins TMA award

Donna Munday, chief executive of Royal & Derngate in Northampton, has been named Manager of the Year at the Theatrical Management Association Management Awards, reports Nuala Calvi in The Stage.

The future of the venues looked bleak in January, after Northampton Borough Council decided to reduce their grant by £600,000 over three years.

Northamptonshire County Council stepped in with a temporary lifeline for 2007/8 but the future funding situation remains uncertain.

Brits up for Tony Award

Two British writers, Tom Stoppard (Coast Of Utopia) and Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), have been nominated for Best Play in the 2007 Tony Awards. The Tonys are Broadway's highest profile theatrical accolade. The other Best Play nominations are The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane and Radio Golf by August Wilson.

Channel 4: Four Days In June

As part of their 25th anniversary celebrations, Channel 4 is holding a series of events in London next month, under the heading Four Days In June. The closing date for applications is 28 May.

Live and direct from Channel 4's HQ in London, an exclusive chance to draw wisdom from world-class figures in film, comedy and multimedia. You can even pitch us a TV programme.
What's the hook?

Members of the public will have the opportunity to attend seminars and masterclasses with various Channel 4 commissioning executives, high-profile on- and off-screen talent - including Academy Award-winning film director Kevin Macdonald; double BAFTA-winning writer Peter Morgan; producer and writer of The Office, Ash Atalla; Peep Show writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, and internet entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox - plus a selection of leading independent production companies.

25 UK authors of the future

Waterstones has compiled a list of 25 UK authors of the future, reports BBC News.

Publishers, editors and agents were asked to nominate the current and emerging authors most likely to make an impact over the next 25 years.

More than 100 names were submitted. Waterstone's selected the final list of 13 women and 12 men, drawn up to mark the bookseller's 25 years in business.

Online script services

Two new online script services have recently been launched, giving writers the chance to pitch scripts and get feedback from their peers.

Guild member George Hopkin has set up UKFilmForum.com. In George's own words:

It's completely free, of course, and aims to be a fuss-free forum for would-be, fledgling and experienced indie UK filmmakers alike looking to share leads, hints and tips and
track down the day-to-day stuff and resources required to produce low- and no-budget work.

It also takes a relaxed attitude to self-promotion - there's a forum dedicated to blatant self promotion - and companies and organisations are encouraged to plug their own events, contests, what-have you.

It has an entire section dedicated to the needs of screenwriters, who are encouraged to promote themselves and their work and perhaps discuss UK opportunities in a way which isn't often seen on this side of The Pond.

The second service, Open Spectrum, is a commercial site, focused solely on screenwriting. In their own words:

Open Spectrum is a unique and free-to-join online community that provides the platform for Writers and Film-makers to converge, collaborate and produce. The site operates on a peer reviewing system that allows all members to review and rate each others scripts to produce a Monthly Top Ten. Writers receive invaluable, impartial feedback to help write that next draft which will move the script closer to the Monthly Top Ten – the perfect way for producers and film-makers to find the writers and scripts they want.

While it's free to join Open Spectrum, you do have to pay to upload scripts (between £2.99 and £5.99) - although, for a limited time following the launch, all services, including script registration, are free.

It would be interesting to hear what Guild blog readers make of these services, and what experiences people have of other online forums and peer-review sites.

Cussler case verdict

Thanks to Stephen Gallagher for pointing out that after eight days of deliberations the jury in the Clive Cussler versus Philip Anschutz case finally reached a verdict on Tuesday. Novelist Cussler had argued that Anschutz, who owns Crusader Entertainment, went back on contractual agreements during the making of Sahara. Crusader countersued, claiming that Cussler had made unreasonable script demands harmed the project.

As Variety.com reports, the jury's decision left both sides claiming victory.

"We're $3.5 million ahead and Clive got his rights back," said veteran showbiz litigator Bert Fields, who represented Cussler. Fields added that because of the jury's finding that Cussler intentionally misrepresented book sales, he would not rule out an appeal.

[Crusader's attorney, Martin]Putnam maintained that Crusader was vindicated because of the findings of Cussler's intentional misconduct and the fact that the only damages definitely awarded at this point were the $5 million to Crusader.

Films at Cannes

If you're going to Cannes this week or next, don't forget that there are films showing. If you get time between meetings, here are Peter Bradshaw's selections. (If nothing else, you'll be able to spend the next 12 months saying, "I saw that at Cannes" whenever a new film opens.)

The perils of coincidence

On his blog, screenwriter John August argues that a reliance on coincidence undermines Spider-Man 3.

My point is not to rip on Spider-Man 3, but to urge readers to look at their own scripts with an eye towards coincidence. If you’ve written a treatment, search for the following phrases: “at the same time,” “accidentally,” “luckily,” “unfortunately,” and “meanwhile.” They’re often a tip-off that you have events happening by coincidence. There’s almost always a better alternative.

ABC goes for drama and comedy

It seems that reality TV has not quite killed off (officially) scripted shows: American TV network ABC will today announce the commissioning of seven new drama series and four new comedies, report Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg in The New York Times.

The new series that is already generating the most positive talk, both inside and outside ABC, is a quirky romantic hourlong comedy-drama called “Pushing Daisies,”about a young man who discovers — to the advantage of a homicide detective — that with a touch he can both raise the dead and send them back again. His power complicates his relationship with a young woman he can love only unrequitedly. Lee Pace and Anna Friel play the couple, supported by Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth [it's created by Bryan Fuller].

Plundering the DVD back-catalogue

The Wire



A mere five years after it first aired in America I finally got round to watching the first ever episode of The Wire (created by David Simon) on DVD last night. Like everyone says, it's great. Wonderfully understated writing and acting that simmer with tension and intrigue.

Does anyone have any other TV-on-DVD recommendations to share? My top three would be Heimat (by Edgar Reitz), Deadwood (created by David Milch) and Carnivàle (created by Daniel Knauf).

Has BBC new media stalled?

In Media Guardian (free registration required), Bobbie Johnson asks whether the BBC's ambitious plans for new media services have been derailed.

After years of being technologically ahead of its rivals in both the public and private sector, people at the heart of the corporation say that it is paralysed by fear, and innovation has been crippled by a power struggle between different factions.

As a result, the corporation is suffering a brain drain as bright technologists quit for fresh - and less frustrating - pastures. A decade after leading the dotcom charge, the BBC is in danger of falling into a dot coma from which it may never awake.

Rehearsed reading: Bogdan's War by Jeremy Paul

If you're free tonight, why not go along to the Writers' Guild Centre at 7.30pm for a rehearsed reading of a new play, Bogdan's War, by Jeremy Paul.

Jeremy writes:

Searching for something personal to say about war when watching NATO bomb Baghdad to get rid of Saddam Hussein, I stumbled on a diary extract by the Serbian film director and writer Jasmina Tesanovic (Granta 67). It was her moving and harrowing account of living in the heart of Belgrade which NATO were bombing to get rid of Milosevic, 1999. Same difference and it triggered my play ‘BOGDAN’S WAR’.

What can it be like under the bombs of ‘friendly fire’? We engage with Tomas, a cartoonist, Galina his partner, their friends Jiri (half Czech) and Bogdan (a monkey-bear). Rade, Galina’s former husband, now one of Milosevic’s inner circle turns up with his 13 year old son. What happens to relationships? Who survives?

We’re reading the play this Monday, May 14 at the Writers Guild Centre, 7.30. Come and join us.

The Guild in Cannes

Guild Deputy General Secretary Anne Hogben writes:

There is now a growing number of members of the Writers’ Guild attending the Cannes Film Festival. If you are going to Cannes next week and would like to be kept in an email loop with fellow Guild members please send an email to anne@writersguild.org.uk. There will be a daily meet-up point at the UK Film Council pavilion at 6.00 pm so do drop by to meet up and have a chat.

The 60th Cannes Film Festival runs from 16–27 May 2007.

Archers audience grows

Brian Hewlett and Charlotte Martin (who play Neil and Susan Carter) recording The Archers (Photo: Stuart Wood / BBC)

Good news for Ambridge, reports Matthew Hemley in The Stage.

Long-running radio soap The Archers has recorded its biggest listening figures since 2005... In the latest set of Rajars - the system used to monitor listening habits across both commercial and BBC radio - the BBC Radio 4 soap drew in 4.77 million people a week in the first quarter of this year...The BBC said the figures were the best the soap had recorded since the third quarter of 2005.

Bristol Old Vic to close for good?

On The Guardian's Theatre blog, Lyn Gardner reports on unexpected news from the Bristol Old Vic.

Bad news this evening from Bristol Old Vic - the oldest continuously running theatre in the country - which is to close its doors at the end of July. About 60 jobs are to go and artistic director Simon Reade is to depart. The question is this: will the doors ever open again on one of the most beautiful theatres in the country? The hurried and ungainly way in which this decision has been made and announced by the Bristol Old Vic board suggests that there is every reason to be concerned.

The decision was apparently made at an emergency board meeting on Friday. In a statement justifying its action, only just released, the board say that the reason is the need for a long-overdue refurbishment. But this seems extremely odd behaviour for a theatre which has already announced the opening production of its autumn season and printed details in its brochure.

What comes after Albrecht at HBO?

After the departure of its Chairman and Chief Executive, Chris Albert, US cable channel HBO faces an uncertain future, reports The New York Times.

Albrecht has been credited for engineering a stellar run of critically acclaimed, popular original programs, including ``The Sopranos,'' ``Sex and the City'' and ``Six Feet Under.'' The hits made HBO a dominant force at the Emmys going back to the 1990s and fueled HBO's robust audience base of more than 28 million subscribers.

But critics have carped in recent years that HBO was beginning to lose its magic touch. HBO's biggest hit of all, ''The Sopranos,'' is scheduled to end its run next month, and a fleet of untested new series will arrive in its wake. In addition, HBO has only taken tentative steps in the digital arena transforming the media business, a challenge Albrecht had declared a top priority.

Makeover for Mills & Boon

Mills & Boon is planning a summer revamp, reports Publishing News. In the lead up to its centenary next year the romance series will feature new cover designs and a new logo and strapline, “Pure reading pleasure”. (NB The cover shown here is not one of the new designs - they're yet to be released.)

Clare Somerville, Retail Marketing and Sales Director, said: “Mills & Boon is a British cultural phenomenon which has given pleasure to millions of readers around the world. The centenary affords us the opportunity to celebrate the enduring popularity of the genre through decades of change, exploring its literary heritage and its evolution into the 21st century. What other publishing imprint has become a household name synonymous with romance, excitement and emotional fulfilment?”

Movies that make men cry

On Creative Screenwriting (follow link and scroll down the page), Ari Eisner looks at seven films that make men cry.

Although the concept of masculinity and weeping uncontrollably are considered to be opposing forces, there are motion pictures that transcend this notion. These are specifically not macho movies... No, these films, more cerebral than sappy, rely on an audience's sympathy and identification with its story and characters to somehow disarm the male psyche.

Rose d'Or winners

There were a number of British winners at the Rose d'Or TV Festival in Switzerland last night, with Welsh-language drama, Con Passionate (S4C), winning the soap category.

Not Going Out (BBC 1), written by Lee Mack and Andrew Collins won best sitcom and The Vicar of Dibley (BBC 1), written by Richard Curtis, won best comedy series.

Meet the agents event sold out

The Guild's Meet The Agents event on 31 May has now sold out.

There'll be a report on the Guild's website after the event, and a repeat performance is planned for the autumn.

Simon & Schuster launch digital video channel

In yet another sign of the convergence between publishing and the Internet, Simon & Schuster Inc. announced that it is launching a digital video channel to promote the company's authors and forthcoming releases. The publisher, working in concert with TurnHere Inc., a leading Internet video company, will begin offering the service next month.

The channel, to be called Bookvideos.tv, will be available at a major online video site and will also be linked to several other sites, including the publisher's own SimonSays.com.

More from Josh Getlin in The LA Times (free registration required).

Creating Holby Blue

Holby Blue trailer



In Media Guardian (free registration required), Tony Jordan explains how he came to write the new BBC police series, Holby Blue, which starts tonight.

I don't know about you, but I don't worry too much about being blown up; my main concern is not getting mugged on the way back from the chippy. So this would be my new show. While the powers that be look toward the threat of terrorism, my characters would combat the threat much closer to home. They would look in dismay at the 20 armed police officers at the airport, taking bottles of water off little old ladies bound for Benidorm and wonder why they only have three unarmed officers patrolling the streets of an area housing 17,000 people: modern-day heroes, fighting not only the crime that scars our once green and pleasant land, but also the bureaucracy that seems to be designed specifically to prevent them from doing just that.

Update: In an interview with The Stage, Tony Jordan has criticised the increase in EastEnders episode. He worked on the show for 18 years until leaving earlier this year.

“If you are producing two-and-a-half hours a week television it’s basically a movie a week and some things suffer for that.

“EastEnders is going through the doldrums a little bit lately, but the one thing about EastEnders is that it will always come back because there is a great team of people working in it.”

He also told The Stage that he was hoping to run a writing competition later in the year.

The dangers of reviewing

In The Telegraph, novelist Lionel Shriver reveals the perils of moonlighting as a critic.

Tossing off reviews of other people's novels when I'm poised to receive reviews of my own feels like throwing knives in a rubber room. Since in this trade one is often appraised by fellow novelists, my last lacerating one-liner might bounce right back and stab me between the eyes.

Al Hunter Ashton 1957-2007

From the Guild's e-bulletin:

Former Guild member Al Hunter Ashton died on Friday 27th April.

He was previously an active member of the Guild and was well known for his many acting roles. During his long career as a writer Al won the prestigious Prix Europa and the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph for two of his films: The Firm starring Gary Oldman and Alive and Kicking starring Lenny Henry and Robbie Coltrane. There was also a BAFTA for his controversial film about homeless kids called Safe. He appeared in and wrote for Brokers Man for BBC 1 alongside Kevin Whately, a close friend.

As a regular writer for Doctors, EastEnders and Holby City, Al kept himself busy. In between all this work Al still managed to write and appear in his own children's TV series: See How They Run! [written with award winning TV Director Tim O'Mara] which won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Children's drama, and the Australian Film Institute award for the same category. The series was also BAFTA nominated as was Al for his first attempt at directing - a 30 minute drama called Alison for the BBC Scene strand which remains the most repeated Drama on BBC schools TV to this day.

There are obituaries in The Independent and The Stage.

An online book of condolences has been set up on Al Hunter Ashton's website.

Your ALCS money

Gail Renard, Chair of the Guild's TV Committee and WGGB nominated Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) director, offers a brief reminder to Guild members.

We all like receiving our ALCS money which, may I remind everyone, is not our privilege but our right. Secondary royalties are part of our contracts and agreements, and we have to make sure we collect every penny owing to us.

ALCS do everything in their power to unite writers with their money, but they’re not omnipotent, and oversights can happen. So the onus should be on us, the writers, to be ever-alert and make sure that all of that our works, past and present, are listed. You can do this easily on-line or by letter. Or if you have any queries, phone them. They’re writer-friendly. It really is worth your while (and your income) to surf onto the ALCS website.

Do read carefully the sort of works you can list. You’d be surprised at the diversity and you can claim for most things, barring a note to your milkman. And who amongst us doesn’t want to earn more money?

Wireless and Boundless

The Script Factory has formed a new partnership with BBC Radio Drama to run a project called Wireless and Boundless.

The first event is an Information Day for screenwriters in London on 7 June and an opportunity to participate in a radio drama writing masterclass.

Full details about how to apply are on the Script Factory website. The closing date for applications is 24 May.

Philip Ridley interview

In The Independent, Paul Taylor talks to Philip Ridley about his new play, Leaves Of Glass, and why the critics misunderstood his previous play, Mercury Fur.

Mercury Fur imagines a world where drugs are rotting people's mental ties to the past. Leaves of Glass, which again focuses on the relationship between two brothers, looks at how coping with the effects of monstrous trauma can warp the stories that a family tells about itself. "I suppose it comes from what I am going through in terms of my own life," Ridley explains, "reaching that stage where you're thinking about childhood and adolescence and your journey with the family and you realise that every member has a different angle on what the truth is."

Leaves of Glass is at the Soho Theatre, London W1 until 26 May.

M. John Harrison wins Arthur C. Clarke Award

Nova Swing by M. John Harrison has won the 2007 Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK’s leading prize for science fiction literature.

The announcement was made at in London as part of an event to mark the opening of this year’s Sci-Fi-London Film Festival.

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights trailer


In The Guardian, Sarah Hughes sings the praises of American drama series Friday Night Lights (adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from the book by H.G. Bissinger).

It might not be anything we'd recognise but Friday Night Lights rings true to its small-town setting. Nor is it just the kids, all inarticulate mumbling, who are well drawn. The adults too, from Lyla's competitive, hypocritical father to the coach and his down-to-earth wife, are recognisable characters not barely present stereotypes.

Yet despite this barely anyone is watching Friday Night Lights in the UK. Part of the blame for this must lie with ITV who having bought one of America's most critically acclaimed programmes - it recently won a Peabody Award for drama - chose to bury it at 8pm on ITV4 where it nestles uneasily among such programmes as Police! Lights! Action!. An odd bit of quality amid ITV4's interesting attempt to become Bravo redux.

In conversation with David Edgar

The Writers' Guild presents "In conversation with David Edgar" on Thursday June 7th from 7pm to 9.pm at the Writers' Guild Centre in Kings Cross .

Guild member David Edgar is a playwright and fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His recent works include Albert Speer, based on Gitta Sereny's biography of Hitler's architect, first staged at the Royal National Theatre, and The Prisoner's Dilemma, an exploration of the nature of modern conflict, for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He continues to write for the stage, radio and television and has taught at Birmingham University since 1989.

David will be interviewed by David James, chair of the Guild's Theatre Committee.

Tickets for this event will be £5 for Guild members and £7.50 for non-members. Please join us after the event for a free glass of wine and a chance to mingle with fellow guests. Places are limited so please book in advance through the Guild office.

To book please send a cheque payable to the Writers' Guild, to 'In conversation with David Edgar', Writers' Guild of Great Britain, 15-17 Britannia Street, Kings Cross, London , WC1X 9JN.

Channel 4 profits slump

Channel 4 has blamed a drop in advertising revenues and higher spending on digital TV for a 70% slump in profits to £14.5m during 2006.

C4 added that the figures showed it needed extra state funding, or it would have to screen more commercial shows at the expense of public service content.

More from BBC News.

Update, from Matthew Hemley in The Stage.

Channel 4 director of programmes and content, Kevin Lygo, has warned that declining advertising revenues are likely to impact on future programmes.
Kevin Lygo, Channel 4's Director of Programmes

He told The Stage “Our drama is really successful and it is in good health, but it is always linked to how much income we get from advertising. Drama gets affected if there is a reduction there.”

Sony Radio Awards

The Sony Gold Award for drama has been won by Lorilei - written by Tom Wright, produced and directed by Anna Galvin and Kerry Shale.

The Gold Award for Comedy was won by 1966 And All That - written by Craig Brown, produced by Victoria Lloyd.

Autism on screen

In The New York Times, Caryn James looks at the recent clutch of films featuring central characters who are autistic.

Depicting autism from the inside out may be more difficult on screen [than in fiction], but it is also true that films have rarely tried. Awareness of autism has seeped into the culture enough to make it a handy metaphor. But while the autistic savant of “Rain Man” seemed alien from most viewers, more recent characters are often just a shade beyond quirky, with emotional problems that are like anyone else’s, only more extreme. Focused intently on the way “they” are like “us,” these films may not do much to increase understanding of autism at all.

BBC's iPlayer gets go-ahead

BBC shows such as Doctor Who and EastEnders are to be made available on-demand after the BBC's iPlayer service was given the green light.

The service - which will launch later this year - allows viewers to watch programmes online for seven days after their first TV broadcast.

Episodes can also be downloaded and stored for up to 30 days.

More from BBC News.

Liza Marshall is new Channel 4 head of drama

Channel 4 has restructured its drama team, promoting commissioning editor Liza Marshall to the role of head of drama.

The move follows news that senior commissioning editor for drama, Francis Hopkinson, is leaving the broadcaster.

Marshall will report to Julian Bellamy, Channel 4’s new head of programmes, when he starts next month.

More from Matthew Hemley in The Stage.

From screen to stage

In The Telegraph, Jasper Rees explores the fashion for adapting films for the stage.

It's possible to take the long view, like Tom Morris, associate director of the National Theatre who has co-adapted A Matter of Life and Death, that the vogue for film adaptation is part of a theatrical continuum which goes back millennia. "The idea that it's in some way better or more valuable to have no visible source for a story I don't think holds any kind of historical water," he says. "Every classical Greek play was very clearly a reworking of an existing story and therefore technically a literary adaptation. All of Shakespeare's plays are in that sense literary adaptation."

Collective Writing - Action Transport

From Jessica Egan at Action Transport theatre:

Action Transport Theatre present Collective Writing – a successful recipe: a new writing event including a performance of Action Transport’s next collectively written play Night Train, followed by the launch of The Skeleton Key.

Are you interested in learning how to write plays collectively? Do you work with young people and want to find out more about creating plays from true stories and real experiences?

Action Transport are hosting Collective Writing – a successful recipe; an afternoon new writing event which will explore the secrets of writing collectively for, by and with young people.

You will have the chance to see Night Train – Action Transport’s latest experiment in collective writing; working with actors who want to write and will be performing their own work. You’ll meet the actors and see how collective playwriting could work for you. Night Train will go on to re-tour in spring 2008.

The event will be held at Dukes Theatre, Lancaster on Friday 18th May 2007 between 12.30 - 5.30pm – followed by the launch of The Skeleton Key at 6pm.

The cost of the event is £35. Please contact Jessica Egan on 0151 357 2120 or by email at jess@actiontransporttheatre.co.uk to book your place by 30th April 2007.

What could replace Neighbours?

The BBC is threatening to withdraw from negotiations to renew the contract for Australian soap Neighbours, as the fee is reportedly rising from £25,000 per episode to £75,000.

I've always been a fan of Neighbours - a daytime soap that is well-written and well acted and actually has some wit - but its loss will free up a slot in the schedules. Might the BBC commission something homegrown to replace it?

The most recent attempts to launch new daytime soaps have not been very successful. In 2003 ITV dropped the relaunched Crossroads and the more innovative Night And Day after just two years.

Doctors has been a success for the BBC at lunchtime, so what would be the key to a successful teatime soap?

Talawa writers' group

Talawa is seeking experienced playwrights passionate about writing Black British drama to join its 2007 Writers' Group. The Group, now in its third year, provides a superb opportunity for experienced writers to polish their skills, network with key industry leaders and present their work in a showcase of play readings in Spring 2008.

More from BBC Writersroom.

New theatre rates

We've had a few problems with uploading documents on the Guild website, but they're fixed now and the new rates (as of 1 April 2007) for writers working in ITC theatres (pdf) and TNC theatres (pdf) are now online.

Links to Members' blogs

Following the Guild Website For Writers event last week, I've now added all the new blogs members have set up under the Guild Members' blogs heading on this blog.

Tom Smith, the main speaker at the event, has also set up a single page that shows all posts on Guild members' blogs. You can bookmark the page or subscribe to it using an RSS Newsreader.

If you weren't at the event but have a blog, contact Tom Smith to let him know that you'd like to be added.

Thanks for everything Tom.

So You Want To Be A Writer?

The deadline is tomorrow, but there's still time to apply for West Yorkshire Playhouse's So You Want To Be A Writer? scheme.

Writers of all levels of experience are welcome. Thanks to BBC Writersroom for the link.

Kyle Ward - Hollywood's newest hot writer

A Hollywood success story to inspire (or make you sick with envy), from Jay A. Fernandez in The LA Times.

As recently as three weeks ago, Kyle Ward was just another assistant at DreamWorks. Until he sold his first screenplay, "Fiasco Heights," to Universal Pictures for Michael Bay to produce. Four days after that, Creative Artists Agency signed him as a client. Last Thursday, Lionsgate hired the 27-year-old to adapt "Kane & Lynch," a video game launching in September about two death row escapees.

And then Saturday night he strode into Guy's Bar on Beverly Boulevard straight into the excited embrace of a handful of industry strivers who were throwing a celebratory party in his honor.

Why Hollywood neglects women

In The New York Times, Sharon Waxman asks why relatively few Hollywood films target a female audience.

Tom Ortenberg, the president of Lionsgate, said he did sense a gender divide in Hollywood fare. “In general, female markets have been underserved, and the over-25 female audience is one that’s dramatically underserved in the marketplace,” he said. “I don’t know why that is. You could speculate that it’s because this is a male-driven world, with people greenlighting the movies they feel most close to.”

BBC plans producers' academy

An academy aimed at training up and coming producers to work across the BBC’s slate of drama series is being developed by the corporation in a bid to bring fresh talent into the industry.

The academy would sit alongside the BBC’s existing ones for writers and directors, which give new talent the chance to work on returning series such as Holby City, EastEnders, Casualty and Doctors.

BBC controller of drama production John Yorke, who is the brains behind the existing academies, said the idea was in its early stages.

More from Matthew Hemley in The Stage.

BAFTA for Peter Morgan

Peter Morgan has won yet another award - this time it's the Best Writer BAFTA (part of the BAFTA TV Craft Awards) for his Channel Four drama Longford.

Morgan's fellow nominees for the award were Frank Deasy (Prime Suspect), Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (Extras), and Matthew Graham (Life On Mars).

An Evening with David Nobbs

There are still some tickets available for An Evening With David Nobbs at the Guild on Thursday. To reserve your place, email Moe Owoborode at the Guild or call her on 020 7833 0777 (ext. 204).

To provide information about upcoming Guild Events there is now a special section on the Guild website.

Upcoming events include:

• Pre-Cannes Festival get-together - 1 May
• Welsh Committee event - 27 May
• Meet the agents - 31 May

UK Film Council - 25 Words Or Less

The UK Film Council has launched its latest 25 Words Or Less competition for scriptwriters.

The next round of 25 Words or Less brings a new approach to the initiative, in partnership with 3 of the UK’s low budget production financiers: Warp X, Vertigo Films and Slingshot Studios. The production partners and the UK Film Council’s Development Fund will jointly select three writers to develop a first draft script inspired by each of the production partner’s chosen genre. Involvement of these partners will provide access to their expertise and experience of developing for low budget features, in an environment where a primary focus is moving rapidly to production.

Funding of £10,000 will be awarded by the UK Film Council to each successful writer. The Development Fund will assign a script editor to each project – the cost of which will be attributable to the project but met by the UK Film Council.

The three genres are: “Lo-Fi, Sci-Fi”, “A comedy involving a case of mistaken identity” and "Teen Hitchcock".

Applicants must either have an agent or be a Full Member of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain.

The closing date for entries is 10am on 13 July 2007.

Ofcom says soaps are too violent

TV soap operas have been criticised by broadcasting watchdog Ofcom for showing too much violence on screen.

The regulator warned that a number of programmes have reached "the limits of what is acceptable" and noted that complaints from viewers are rising.

Ofcom made its comments to broadcasters as it upheld complaints about a kidnapping story on ITV soap Emmerdale.

It said a scene where a character was shot in the stomach was "unsuitable" for broadcast before the watershed.

More from BBC News.

Read the full Ofcom bulletin (pdf).

Uncrushed diaries

See how Guild members are getting on with their blogging following last week's website event...

Dick Vosburgh 1929-2007

Comedy writer Dick Vosburgh has died at the age of 77. There are obituaries in all the major papers, including The Independent.

Dick Vosburgh was an immensely talented writer, broadcaster and lyricist who provided material for virtually every leading comic performer in the UK, plus such American superstars as Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Carol Channing and Peggy Lee. He also wrote sketches for revues, and book and lyrics for musical comedies, notably A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine - which won the Evening Standard and Plays and Players awards in 1979, and the following year won two Tony Awards for its Broadway production, which ran for nearly two years.

Vosburgh's quick wit and invention put him much in demand as a gag writer, and stars for whom he provided sitcoms and sketches included Stanley Baxter, Frankie Howerd, Bob Monkhouse, John Cleese, Ronnie Corbett, Lenny Henry and Roy Hudd. He contributed to film scripts for Frankie Howerd (Up Pompeii and Up the Chastity Belt) and Bob Hope (Call Me Bwana), as well as Carry On Nurse.

Carnegie Top 10

To celebrate its 70th anniversary, the organisers of the Carnegie Children's Book Awards are inviting people to vote for the best winner of the past 70 years.

As The Times somewhat breathlessly reports:

The Top Ten, put together by an expert panel and published today, does not include C. S. Lewis, Arthur Ransome or Walter De La Mare. Enid Blyton, J. K. Rowling and Jacqueline Wilson are also notable by their absence. Instead, the selection includes contemporary novels such as Melvin Burgess’s Junk, which realistically depicts the lives of young heroin users.

The Top Ten are:

• Skellig - David Almond (1998)
• Junk - Melvin Burgess (1996)
• Storm - Kevin Crossley-Holland (1985)
• A Gathering Light - Jennifer Donnelly (2003)
• The Owl Service - Alan Garner (1967)
• The Family From One End Street - Eve Garnett (1937)
• The Borrowers - Mary Norton (1952)
• Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce (1958)
• Northern Lights - Philip Pullman (1995)
• The Machine-Gunners - Robert Westall (1981)

Robert Harris interview

In The Telegraph, Elizabeth Grice talks to novelist Robert Harris.

Harris has just turned 50, a tall man with an easy, thoughtful manner and no delusions of celebrity. His children tell him with fearsome logic that he cannot be middle-aged because he won't live to be 100. His epiphany about novel-writing came one wet Monday in October when writing Pompeii was like breaking rocks, yet he knew he'd far rather be grappling with the Roman water supply system or vulcanology than writing a 1,000-word newspaper column.

"There is nothing like the ecstasy of relief when a book is finished," he says. "I go slightly mad; buy things. I tell Gill I'm going out to buy a book and I come back with a car."