BBC Caroline Aherne Bursary

BBC Comedy Commissioning in partnership with BBC Writersroom and BBC North are delighted to announce the Caroline Aherne Bursary 2019. The inaugural bursary scheme in the memory of the late Caroline Aherne was launched in 2017 at the Salford Sitcom Showcase. Aimed at writer/performers, the bursary will award £5000 to the successful applicant to enable them to fund future development, alongside the guidance of an experienced BBC commissioning editor.

Get free tickets for the Caroline Aherne Bursary launch event on Tuesday 8th October at 6pm at Tribeca, Manchester 

Join the BBC Head of Comedy Kate Daughton and last year’s bursary winner, Amy Gledhill for a discussion about the Bursary and what winning the bursary has meant for Amy, and her career, over the past year.

Part of the Women in Comedy Festival Manchester

What are they looking for?

In the spirit of Caroline’s work we are on the lookout for the next generation of comedy writer-performers. We want to find, develop and support great comedy talent who have the ability to speak to the whole nation. If you can invent characters and worlds that make us laugh out loud and can tease an audience to come back for more, then we want to hear from you! We’re looking for writer-performers who reflect modern Britain with voices that have not yet been heard; original comedy talent that’s just bursting to get on our screens.

What’s in it for you?

  • A £5,000 bursary from BBC North and BBC Comedy to support development of your work
  • A mentorship with a BBC Comedy commissioning editor to develop a comedy script
  • Support and access to comedy training sessions with BBC Writersroom.

What to submit

You will need to submit a link to filmed content of up to two minutes of performance – this could be footage of a comedy character(s) or another performance of your choice.

We are not looking for high production values! The content can be filmed on a mobile phone as we’ll be judging this purely on the quality of the writing and performance.

If you have a great idea for an original sitcom or short form idea then we’d also like you to submit a synopsis (2 pages maximum).

Please submit your entry via the BBC Writersroom E-submission system

Read the full terms and conditions of entry

Find out more about Sophie Willan and Amy Gledhill, the first two winners of the Caroline Aherne Bursary

Deadline: 15 November 2019 at 5pm

Source: BBC Writersroom

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