Finding and nurturing new talent is at the very core of what we do. We want to provide a space for the next generation to flourish, offer them a foothold in the industry, and a platform from which they can take their next steps. Which is why we’ve set up a Writer in Residence award.
Every year, UK literary agents are invited to send in material for new writers they represent who would like to be considered for the scheme. The writers submitted should have had at least one script produced in theatre, radio, TV or film, but no more than one in film or TV.
The selected writer is given a bursary, travel expenses (if based outside of London), and a desk in our West London office.
Throughout the year they receive regular feedback on their work, access to writers we're currently working with, invitations to industry events, and in-house development meetings. They also participate in writers' workshops we hold every two months, with established writers.
Plus, they help us in our ongoing collaboration with local schools, providing lectures and internships for sixth form students from less privileged backgrounds.
The scheme has selected a writer for 2023, but will return in early 2024.
Emma Sidi is a screenwriter, actor and comedian based in London. She focuses on comedy and comedy drama, having worked in writers' rooms across terrestrial UK television and streamers; her own broadcast projects include comedy short Last Resort for Sky Arts and her award-winning short film La Princesa de Woking, a Spanish-language soap opera set in Surrey. She currently has original comedy drama projects in development with BBC Studios and Moonriver TV. Her live comedy credits include three solo comedy shows which ran at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival as part of the New Wave line-up and at Soho Theatre, London. Other live credits include touring with Steve Coogan on the nationwide arena tour Alan Partridge Live! in 2022 and performing regularly with sell-out improv collective They Seem Nice.
As an actor, Emma is known for roles such as OTT flatmate Kate in Starstruck (BBC 3 & HBO Max), Millipede in vlogosphere satire Pls Like (BBC 3), Diane in nine series of hit BBC Radio 4 drama Curious Under The Stars, and as Emily Maitlis in Prince Andrew The Musical (Channel 4). She is drawn to laugh out loud comedy, weird yet authentic dialogue, characters making wild attempts to overcome unsurmountable obstacles, and people we love making big, stupid, fascinating mistakes.