All chosen via a competition seeking diverse new writers

Four comedy pilots are to be shot for the Dave channel, thanks to a new writing competition.

They are:

Dead Canny, written by Anna Costello.  It follows a questionable young psychic from Consett, Co. Durham, whose ability to see dead people not only earns her a few quid cash-in-hand down the local pub, but also lands her as the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Made by: TriForce Productions

Holier Than Thou, written by Misha Adesany. Set in contemporary Manchester, it follows the journey of three young adults as they navigate sex, faith, and relationships, while attending the conservative, African Evangelical church they were raised in. Made by: Big Deal

Perfect by Laurence Clark, pictured. Set in Liverpool, three young disabled people become unexpected friends when they meet on a half-cocked and pointless work preparation scheme. Together they navigate life, dating, and a system that seems designed to only benefit the people who run it. Made by: Happy Tramp North. Perfect is still a working title and may yet change.

The Other Half, by Kate Reid and Zak Ghazi-Torbati.  It follows 20-something Navid who is half-Welsh, half-Iranian who gets the chance to escape his small town when he lands an internship in the big city: Bristol. But as he runs headlong into his new life, shacking up with his best friend and her painfully privileged family, he’s also running away from his old life in the closet, living with his overprotective father. And the more he tries to keep the two halves of his life apart, the more they keep crashing into each other. Made by: Ranga Bee Productions

Filming will start on the four half-hour programmes in the new year after they were selected as finalists of the UKTV WriterSlam competition, which aimed to find diverse new writers.

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Sarah Asante, UKTV’s commissioning editor for comedy said: ‘I was delighted to join the UKTV scripted comedy team just as they had launched a search for emerging diverse writers.  The added commitment from the Dave team by offering the initiative a transmission target set the bar really high for our search.  

‘We have proudly developed shows that organically span the nations and regions, showcasing the breadth of storytelling from across the UK.  

‘This initiative has demystified the script to screen process in a unique way and has nurtured enormous growth in confidence and vision from the writers, which has been a pleasure to witness.  

‘It’s been heartening for us at UKTV to see what can happen when we invite new writers to share their dreams and talents with us and the wider industry. I also want to thank our impressive production partners for taking this leap and going on this journey with us.’ 

The competition was run with the TriForce Creative Network, which aims to ‘open the doors to the entertainment industry to people from all walks of life, as well as providing a trusted and viable avenue for the industry to discover diverse talent’.

Published: 7 Dec 2021